In 2001, authorities arrested a Georgia law student who was found dead in a burning house

ATHENS, Ga. — More than two decades after a University of Georgia law student was found dead in her burning home, authorities have arrested a man and charged him with her murder.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Athens-Clarke County Police announced Thursday the arrest of Edrick Lamont Faust, 48, in connection with the January 2001 murder of Tara Louise Baker. Firefighters found the body of the 23-year-old first-year law student during a fire at Baker’s apartment in Athens.

Investigators concluded that Baker had been killed and the fire had been deliberately set, and police have been trying to find Baker’s killer ever since. The GBI’s Cold Case Division teamed up with Athens-Clarke County Police in September to conduct an “in-depth review and analysis” of the investigation, the GBI said in a news release.

The release did not say what led investigators to Faust, nor did it explain where or whether he and Baker knew each other. He was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail late Thursday on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, tampering with evidence and arson.

It was not immediately clear whether Faust had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters, who was an officer at the scene on Jan. 19, 2001, said in the news release that he had hoped for many years that Baker’s family would find justice.

“I remember being there during that terrible time,” he said. “As this case comes full circle, I appreciate the hard work of investigators then and now. Knowing that the evidence collected then contributed to today’s arrest gives me great pride in all the officers who have worked this case over the years.”

GBI Director Chris Hosey called Faust’s arrest “the first step in finding justice for Tara.”