COLUMBIA -- A 65-year-old Atlanta man accused of killing a former University of Missouri student more than 30 years ago appeared in court for the first time Friday.

Johnny Wright was arrested in late September after walking into the suburban Lawrenceville police department for a background check he needed to apply for a job as a driver.

That was 24 years after Boone County prosecutors charged Wright with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old waitress Rebecca Doisy. The woman disappeared in August 1976 and her body has never been found.

Wright's case was continued until Dec. 11. Defense attorney Cleveland Tyson Jr. told The Associated Press that his client is "absolutely" innocent.