FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A soldier serving in Afghanistan may hold the final key to a murder case that is nearly 13 years old.

Harrison Victor Fitzwater Jr. is charged with first-degree murder in the 1991 death of Sgt. Terry Webb, whose skeletal remains were recovered in the back yard of a home off Hope Mills Road last month.

Fayetteville investigators say Fitzwater used to live in the home.

Fitzwater ws taken into custody by the Army and is currently on his way back to Fayetteville.

For more than a decade, Melvia Webb kept a file on her husband. The clippings and letters document her pleas for help.

Melvia Webb said she did not accept the military's ruling that her husband deserted his post nine months before his retirement from the Army.

"We had to turn in our military IDs, we were denied medical benefits. I had a child that with cystic fibrosis. It was hard for us," Webb said.

For detectives who have worked this case over the years, Fitzwater's arrest could move this investigation off the cold case file.

"I think, even for the family, we've bought closure to a family that's had years of wondering," said Lt. Tom Guilette of the Fayetteville Police Department.

This past weekend, Sgt. Terry Webb was buried with full military honors. It has been his widow's longtime wish.

"That part brought complete closure because it was like he was back with us. At least now we know where his remains are," Melvia Webb said.