After more than two decades of mystery, an arrest has been made in the cold case murder of 88-year-old Edna Schubert, a crime that shocked Suffolk County.

Raul Ayala, now in his 50s, was brought before a judge Friday to face charges of first- and second-degree murder for the brutal killing of Schubert inside her North Bay Shore home in December 2003.

Schubert's death had long remained unsolved, despite the investigation's efforts over the years. But the breakthrough in this case came from a retired detective who refused to let the case slip into obscurity. This detective, who had been retired for 15 years, relentlessly pursued justice for Schubert, revisiting old evidence with a fresh perspective.

Forensic advancements played a crucial role in cracking the case, officials said. Early in the investigation, detectives had collected fingerprints from the crime scene, but they were of poor quality and failed to match any known suspects. However, with the advent of high-definition photography and modern technology, prosecutors say those blurry prints were reanalyzed, revealing a match to Ayala, who was 29 at the time of the murder.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney explained how the breakthrough came about.

"You have the latent print, which was taken with the technology at the time, which was not high-def. So, you were not able to get a match if you put it into a database. But by capturing a high-definition photo of that blurry print, we were able to place it into a database and get a match," Tierney said.

Ayala pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.