Linda O'Brien, of Oil City, told The Associated Press on Monday that authorities have told her a DNA sample from James O'Brien, 30, matches one taken from Shauna Howe.

Shauna was 11 years old when she was abducted while walking home from a Girl Scout Halloween party in Oil City on Oct. 27, 1992. Her battered body was found 2 1/2 days later in a creek under a railroad trestle eight miles away.

A law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the match. FBI and state police officials investigating the case declined comment on Monday.

Former FBI profiler Robert K. Ressler, whose techniques helped inspire the movie "Silence of the Lambs," has consulted on Shauna's case. But, despite numerous reports of possible suspects and breaks in the case, no one has ever been charged with Shauna's killing.

Linda O'Brien said authorities are mistaken and that her son is innocent.

There have been no charges filed against James O'Brien "at this time, and even if there were, they aren't true," Linda O'Brien told The Associated Press.

James O'Brien did not immediately return a request for comment Monday after his mother agreed to forward a message to him during a prison visit. He is serving a 4 1/2- to 20-year sentence at the State Correctional Institution-Mercer.

James O'Brien was convicted in February 1996 on charges he followed home a woman he met in a bar, tried to force her into the trunk of his car and tried to slam her head against the cement when she resisted.

The Derrick, a newspaper in Oil City, first reported Friday that DNA from James O'Brien matched material found on Shauna.

Oil City, population 11,504, still hasn't recovered from the case, said Jeanne Nairn, a parent who organized an annual memorial in which community members retrace Shauna's last steps on the anniversary of her death.

The community has changed trick-or-treating to daylight hours and parents still are more likely to pick up their children or car pool than let their children walk home from school or events.

"At the time that this happened we thought we lived in a very safe, quiet community," Nairn said. "We really took this to heart. The Howe family, the relatives, have pretty much moved away from here. But for the rest of the community, I think it would help" if Shauna's killer were charged.