WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - 71-year-old former Springfield resident Timothy Joley will be facing charges for alleged murder of 18-year-old Theresa Marcoux and 20-year-old Mark Harnish in November 1978.

Joley was arrested late last month in Clearwater, Florida after an individual came forward with his name as a suspect to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.

Local and State Police were then able to discover matching fingerprints and issue a two-count murder complaint and arrest warrant shortly after.

"Over the years there were many individuals who are looked into or suspects or persons of interest," said Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. "But having a name and through the industrious and skilled investigators on our team were able to take that name and turn it into something significant."

Officials say Marcoux and Harnish had both attended East Longmeadow High School and held jobs in Hampden County. 

On Nov. 19, 1978, the two individuals' bodies were found dead near Route 5 in West Springfield.

Police say they found a pickup truck next to the bodies with damaged windows and blood in and around the vehicle.

"The victims were then identified as Theresa Marcoux and Mark Harnish," Gulluni said. "Both were last seen alive on the morning of Nov. 17 at approximately 12:30 a.m. They were leaving a party hosted by friends. The pickup truck was determined to be owned by Mark Harnish..."

Police concluded the two of them were victims of multiple gunshot wounds sustained while inside the vehicle before having their bodies taken out and then moved to where their remains were later found.

Police say prior to last month, investigators had reviewed around 70,000 identified fingerprint cards, but Joley had not been one of them.

Police were able to identify Joley from what was once an unknown print from the passenger side of the vehicle and saw it matched up with the fingerprinted sample local law enforcement had of Joley from an application he had submitted for a taxicab license.

"It's not only gratifying for me and for our team, but for so many people who really cared about the victims and who wanted to bring some answers and some justice for their families over the years," Gulluni said. "And it provides hope for all of us who continue do this work because there's a lot of other unresolved cases."

Investigators are still working on a potential motive for the crime.

Police say unfortunately the parents of both Marcoux and Harnish have passed away but they have been in contact with their extended family members.

Gulluni reminds the community that the DA's office does not forget families or victims of unsolved homicide cases and urges everyone who may have any evidence in any ongoing investigation to reach out to local authorities.