Fred Cain III was arrested in connection with the 1987 cold case murder of 6-year-old Vallejo boy Jeremy Stoner.
An arrest has been made in a decades-old Solano County cold case murder of a 6-year-old boy. Jeremy Stoner was abducted near his Vallejo home in 1987 before his body was found four days later on Sherman Island in Sacramento County.
Originally, police arrested a suspect named Shawn Melton and charged him with kidnapping and murder. Melton has since been exonerated by DNA technology. That same technology has now identified a new suspect in the case: his name is Fred Cain. Detectives say Cain was living in Central Point, Oregon, when he was arrested last Monday.
Cain waived extradition and will be transferred to Solano County. He faces charges of murder with a special circumstance of kidnapping and sodomy.
Solano County District Attorney’s Office Press Release RE: Fred Cain III
District Attorney Krishna Abrams reinstated the Cold Case Unit in the office after being first elected in 2014. One of the many priorities was to solve homicide cases that had gone cold over the years to hold offenders accountable, seek long-awaited justice, and bring closure for all the victims’ families that had been greatly impacted.
Recently, the Cold Case investigators were reviewing a 1987 case involving a 6-year-old child who had been abducted near his home in the city of Vallejo. Four days after the child went missing, his body was discovered on Sherman Island in Sacramento County. An autopsy revealed that the child victim had been sexually assaulted. That year, Shawn Melton was named as a suspect in the case, as he appeared to have knowledge only the person responsible for the child’s death would know. He was subsequently charged with murder and kidnapping. The case was later dismissed after a jury could not reach a verdict. The advances in DNA technology have since exonerated Mr. Melton and has implicated another person responsible for the young child’s death.
On Monday, September 18, 2023, District Attorney investigators along with the assistance of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Suspect Fred Cain III at his home in Central Point, Oregon. Cain waived extradition in Oregon and will be transferred to Solano County to face charges of Murder with special circumstance allegations of kidnapping and sodomy.
“I am so thankful to have such dedicated cold case investigators that no matter how much time goes by they remain steadfast in their commitment to solving these horrific cases,” said District Attorney Krishna Abrams.
No other details will be revealed at this time to preserve the integrity of the pending case.
If you have any information regarding this case, please call 707-784-8477.
District Attorney Krishna Abrams