Edmonton police have charged a 65-year-old Saskatchewan man in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl more than 41 years ago.

The incident happened in the early hours of July 9, 1981, as the girl was walking home across a northeast Edmonton school field near 121st Avenue and 46th Street, police said during a news conference Tuesday.

The girl was grabbed, dragged and sexually assaulted by a man who left the area on foot.

The Edmonton Police Service said its historical crimes section made an arrest on Oct. 13 in Saskatchewan.

The suspect has been charged with rape and acts of gross indecency as defined in the 1981 Canadian Criminal Code.

Det. Kevin Harrison told the news conference the victim was pleased that a suspect had been arrested and charged.

"In one word — happy — very happy that she was not forgotten and that we were able to make an arrest in this case," Harrison said.

The suspect is from Kelvington, Sask., a town of about 800 people 240 kilometres east of Saskatoon.

Police said their investigation indicates the man was living in Edmonton at the time of the assault. He and the victim did not know each other.

In February 2018, an investigator with the historical crimes unit was assigned to review the file.

In 2021, investigators pursued investigative genetic genealogy, which compared the crime-scene DNA sample with profiles in commercial databases.

"In the early '80s, there was there was no consideration to DNA," Harrison said. "So when officers attended scenes, they didn't necessarily seize exhibits with that in consideration."

Police said the DNA of an unknown suspect can be uploaded to ancestry databases such as GEDmatch or Family TreeDNA. They are the only publicly available databases which permit law enforcement to conduct searches related to serious crimes.

Investigators discovered information about the suspect after reviewing details about his relatives, and other existing evidence.

In May of this year, RCMP laboratory services confirmed that DNA obtained from the suspect matched evidence DNA from the case.

"I am very hopeful that this new investigative technology will result in charges being made in other historical sexual assault cases," Mary Jane James, CEO of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, said in a news release Tuesday.

Since 2018, the Edmonton police has used investigative genetic genealogy in five cases. The arrest of the Saskatchewan man marks the first such investigation by Edmonton police that has resulted in charges.

The accused is no longer in custody. He is expected to appear in court in Edmonton in December.