IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. -- A North Carolina man is charged in the 32-year-old murder of a Massachusetts teen.

15-year-old Tracy Gilpin disappeared after a party in October 1986. Her body was found 21 days later.

Michael Hand, 61, is in the Iredell County jail charged with murder. The Troutman man is expected to appear in court Monday. 

Massachusetts authorities say they're beginning the process of having hand returned there.

The victim's sister, who is now the superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, released a statement saying in part, "The much-welcomed news of an arrest in the case leaves us cautiously optimistic that justice for Tracy is within reach. My thoughts today are not just with my own family, but also with all the families who have lost loved ones to violence."

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