A four decade old homicide investigation has resulted in murder charges against a Columbus man. Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell announced that a Warren County grand jury has indicted 62-year-old Randy McAllister on charges of aggravated murder and murder in connection with the 1985 death of John Warren. Investigators say Warren, a traveling salesman for an auto parts company, was staying at the former Holiday Inn near Interstate 75 in Middletown while attending sales meetings. He was found dead in his hotel room on the morning of October 17, 1985. Authorities say several of Warren's personal belongings, along with his 1985 Oldsmobile, were stolen after the killing. Within days, police in Dalton, Georgia, recovered some of Warren's property and other evidence behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant. His vehicle was later found in Redington Beach, Florida. Despite numerous leads, investigators at the time were unable to develop enough evidence to file charges. The case was reopened in 2019 by detectives with the Warren County Sheriff's Office. Evidence collected from the original crime scenes was resubmitted for modern forensic analysis. Investigators eventually identified McAllister and a now-deceased accomplice as potential suspects. Detectives continued working with the Warren County Prosecutor's Office for several years before presenting the case to a grand jury in late June. Prosecutor David Fornshell praised investigators for their persistence. "Cold case investigations are 'cold' for a reason. Many times there is some evidence that points to a suspect, but just not enough evidence to move forward," Fornshell said. "But particularly over the past five years, Warren County Sheriff's Office detectives have been tenacious in their investigation of this case... and the grand jury agreed." McAllister is now charged with aggravated murder and murder. The case will proceed through the Warren County court system.