Police in New York have identified the person they believe was behind the wheel in an accident that tragically took the life of a 4-year-old girl 45 years back.

Yes, that’s almost half a century ago, but the length of time since the incident did little to prevent police from identifying the man.

It all started when a retired detective made a post on his Facebook page about the unsolved case. When someone else saw his post, they made the decision to call in a tip to police, who quickly moved to confront the man identified as having been driving the car which struck and killed Carolee Sadie Ashby in 1968.

The man, Douglas Parkhurst, now 62, still lives in New York. Parhurst admitted to police he had been drinking beer and driving when he struck something. He didn’t realize it was the little girl until being questioned by police at the time–and made up a lie on the spot to cover himself.

Because so much time has passed police are unable to file charges against the man, but simply being able to finally identify him has perhaps brought some relief to the girls family.