“Cases like this remind us of why we don't give up," said Attorney General Dan Rayfield
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/teresa-peroni-mark-sanfratello-042226-25da3635fa0343f89c3265e1c05ee48e.jpg "Teresa Peroni and Mark Sanfratello")
Credit: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
NEED TO KNOW
- Mark Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the 1983 death of Teresa Peroni
- The cold case was reopened in 2024 using modern forensic techniques and new DNA evidence
- Peroni’s remains were partially discovered in 1997, but Sanfratello wasn’t indicted until June 2025
A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Oregon for the death of his girlfriend, who was last seen alive in 1983.
PEOPLE previously reported in July last year that Mark Sanfratello had been arrested in connection with the disappearance and murder of 27-year-old Teresa Peroni.
On Tuesday, April 21, the Oregon Department of Justice revealed in a press release that Attorney General Dan Rayfield had announced the sentencing of Sanfratello, who is now 73 years old.
This comes after the cold case investigation was reopened in February 2024, following over 40 years of being unsolved.
Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Josephine County Circuit Court and will serve a minimum of 10 years, per the release.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“For Teresa Peroni's family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Attorney General Rayfield said in a statement. “Cases like this remind us of why we don't give up. It doesn't matter how many years have passed; if someone took a life, we're going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”
Peroni was last seen on or around July 4, 1983, walking into a wooded area with Sanfratello while attending a party, PEOPLE previously reported.
She was then reported missing shortly after by her family.
Despite authorities believing that Peroni's disappearance was suspicious, investigators concluded that “there was not enough probable cause to move forward with criminal prosecution.”
It wasn't until 1997 when a human skull was found by “individuals on a nearby property.”
Credit: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
After undergoing tests and examinations, officials determined that the skull was Peroni's. However, no other remains were found.
But after opening the case again in February 2024, “investigators re-interviewed witnesses, collected new DNA evidence, and applied modern forensic techniques to build a case against Sanfratello,” per the Oregon Department of Justice release.
“On June 27th, 2025, after locating multiple individuals associated with Peroni, DNA results and the original case/investigation, a Josephine County Grand Jury indicted Sanfratello on the charge of Murder,” the Josephine County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, PEOPLE previously reported.