Man charged over the 1983 murder of South Australian schoolgirl Louise Bell Police in Port Lincoln arrest a long-standing suspect over the disappearance of 10-year-old Louise Bell, snatched from her Hackham West bedroom in 1983. NEW forensic evidence led to Major Crime detectives charging a former schoolteacher in the Louise Bell murder case. The evidence forms the backbone of the case against former schoolteacher Dieter Pfennig, 65, who was today charged with the murder of the 10-year-old schoolgirl. In a sensational development in the 30-year old mystery, detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Section descended on Port Lincoln. Pfennig, who has been a suspect in the Bell abduction for two decades, was taken to the Port Lincoln police station after being arrested and formally interviewed. More: Thirty years of agony for parents over Louise's fate He was then charged with murder. In an Adelaide Magistrates Court hearing before Magistrate Jayanthi McGrath, he appeared via videolink from Port Lincoln Magistrates Court and was remanded to next appear in February. He sat emotionless and silent. The arrest was the culmination of a two-year cold-case review in which many pieces of evidence, including the pyjama top worn by Louise, were sent to the Netherlands by police for advanced DNA testing. The pyjama top was left on the front lawn of a neighbour's house two months after Louise was abducted from her bedroom on the night of January 4, 1983. Major Crime detectives Anthony Van der Stelt and Campbell Hill outside Port Lincoln court. Picture: Ivon Perrin The DNA testing used new "low-copy" testing techniques that have been successfully used in other jurisdictions, including the US. The low-copy method of DNA testing is a far more sensitive technique than the method used in Australia. It can extract a DNA profile from just a few cells of skin or sweat. The review also led to police excavating the backyard of a Hackham West house that was occupied by Pfennig when Louise was abducted. Deputy Commissioner Grant Stevens declined to be drawn on the nature of the new evidence against Pfennig, but said police would allege he abducted Louise from her bedroom sometime after 10.30pm on January 4. They believe he acted alone and no other suspects are being sought. "She has not been seen since and unfortunately her remains have not been located," Mr Stevens said. This is a significant step forward in the investigation and is evidence once again that police continue to investigate murders, regardless of their age or the difficulty of those investigations. Mr Stevens paid tribute to the current investigators and others, many of whom have since retired, who also sought to bring Louise's killer to justice. "We have also had significant support from Forensic Science SA, who have been instrumental in helping us to bring this case to a point where we have been able to make an arrest," he said. Deputy Commissioner Stevens said the arrest was the "culmination of the relentless work of all those police involved over the years combined with the dedicated efforts of Forensic Science SA personnel."