Obscure Occurrences : The Alphabet Murders

 From the fall of 1971 to the fall of 1973, Rochester, New York played host to a horrifying series of unsolved child murders named “The Alphabet Murders”. On 18 November 1971, the body of a sexually assaulted and murdered young girl was discovered in a gully of the city. Soon afterwards, two more victims were found in a similar state.

Rochester, New York (Source: Wiki Media)

 All three victims were Roman Catholic girls who lived with a single parent, all three of them displayed some form of learning or developmental disabilities and they were all, presumably taken by a car before disappearing in broad daylight. Furthermore, the victims’ first and last names began with the same letter and their bodies were dumped in suburbs that started with the same letter as their names.

Carmen Colon

Background

 Carmen Colon, a pretty ten-year-old girl with dark eyes, was the first victim. Originally born in Rochester, she spent the first half of her life in Puerto Rico before her parents decided to move back to her home town. The little girl grew up learning Spanish and thus, she struggled with getting accustomed to her new school whose primary language was English. This resulted in her admission into special education classes.

 Shortly after moving back to Rochester, her father abandoned the family, leaving behind a not-so-good environment for the growing child. Moreover, she had five other siblings and thus, did not enjoy a lot of love and attention. Soon after her father had left them, his brother Miguel moved in with the family as her mother’s commonwealth husband following which she spent her days floating between her mother’s and grandparents’ homes which were less than 10 minutes apart. By the fall of 1971 (the time of her disappearance), Carmen was living full-time with her grandparents and she had her own room in their house.

Carmen Colon (Source: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Disappearance

 On the evening of 16 November 1971, Carmen walked to Jack’s drugs, a local pharmacy, to pick up a prescription for her grandfather. When the pharmacist, Jack, informed her that the prescription had not been processed yet, she blurted out “I have to go. I have to go” following which she sprinted out of the store. Following this occurrence, Carmen disappeared without leaving behind a trace.

 When Carmen didn’t return home by 5 in the evening, her worried mother sent some of her uncles on her pursuit. But, when Carmen did not return home even after 7:30 pm, her mother called the police and reported her missing. Rather sooner than later, police descended on the Bull’s Head area and around 40 police officers along with a few members of Carmen’s family combed it thoroughly. But unbeknownst to them, they were looking for her in the wrong place.

 Upon investigating, the police discovered that the 10-year-old was seen getting into a car that had been parked near Jack’s drugs following which she was spotted at around 5:30 pm, by a group of motorcyclists driving along interstate 490. In line with their statement, Carmen was running away from a back-pedalling dark-coloured vehicle that seemingly appeared to be Ford Pinto and she was semi-naked. She screamed in terror and frantically waved her arms before a man took her back into the vehicle.

 Surprisingly, none of the witnesses seemed to help her or inform the police. When questioned, a couple of eye-witnesses claimed that the little girl seemingly appeared to be in a fight with her parents and nothing was unusual about the scenario. However, despite their claims, this serves as a classic example of the Bystander Effect.

Discovery and Death

 On 18 November 1971, two days after Carmen’s sudden disappearance, her body was found crumpled against a boulder on the side of a road in Churchville, a small town located 15 miles away from Rochester. Two teenage boys were riding their bikes along the side of the road when they saw what appeared to be a broken doll laying in the bushes on the side of the road. Upon closer inspection, they understood that it was the half-naked body of a young girl who was later identified as Carmen Colon.

 Her autopsy revealed that she was beaten, raped, and manually strangled from the front. A couple of her uncles who identified her body said that they could still see dried tears on the dead girl’s cheeks.

 The tragic event caused a shift in the feelings of the Rochester inhabitants and they became more conscious of their kids’ safety. Months went by with no breaks in Carmen’s case but the people of Rochester slowly began to move on from the incident. Unbeknownst to them, they were about the encounter a replica of the tragedy.

 Seventeen months after the occurrence, another body of a sexually assaulted and murdered girl was found on the side of a road in the city.

Wanda Walkowicz

Background

 Wanda Walkowicz, a freckled redhead with beautiful blue eyes, was a street-smart girl with a demeanour that showed maturity far beyond her age of eleven. Her father had succumbed to a heart attack when she was only six years old following which Wanda’s mother, Joyce, was left alone with her two daughters, Wanda and her younger sister. Soon afterwards, the single parent and her daughters relocated to a small apartment on Avenue D in Rochester city. The event had adverse effects on the family’s financial stability and it made Joyce turn towards drinking.

Wanda Walkowicz (Source: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Disappearance

 Wanda was described by her teachers as a hard worker who often missed school. Despite missing 57 days of school that year, she was returning home on the evening of 02 April 1973 with the best report card in her bag. Soon after returning home, her mother sent her to a local store to pick up a large list of groceries. In fact, the list was so big that the person who packed her groceries claimed that the overflowing bag had been pretty heavy for the little girl. Soon afterwards, Wanda disappeared.

 With Wanda not returning home in time, Joyce sent Wanda’s little sister to the store to look out for her but the little girl couldn’t find any trace of her elder sister. Later that evening, at around 7:45 pm, Joyce called the police and reported Wanda missing. Investigations revealed that 11-year-old Wanda was last seen by one of her mother’s friends who was drinking at a pub near the grocery store. She had seen Wanda try to adjust the heavy grocery bag in her hand, before magically disappearing after a dark-coloured car passed across her. Also, two days prior to her disappearance, Wanda and one of her friends were walking along a nearby railway track at around 10 in the night when a known sex offender started chasing them. Eventually, unable to get hold of the girls, the man allegedly jumped into a bush and disappeared.

Discovery and Death

 On the morning of 03 April 1973, when a state trooper was patrolling Webster, a town 7 miles away from Rochester, he discovered the lifeless body of Wanda on the side of an access road. It seemingly appeared as if she was thrown off a moving vehicle. After confirmation of identity, her body was sent for an autopsy.

 Autopsy reports revealed that the 11-year-old had been sexually assaulted before being strangled to death. Wounds on her body suggested that she had tried to fight back and this put forth the idea of the girl being redressed after her death. Also, traces of semen and pubic hair were found on the girl’s body and the fur of a white cat was discovered on her clothing. Furthermore, it was discovered that Wanda had eaten custard two hours prior to her death.

 Several witnesses claimed having seen a man forcefully pull a young girl resembling Wanda into his Dodge Dart. In line with their statement, the event occurred at Conkey Avenue at around the same time Wanda was apparently abducted.

 The event instilled a terrible fear in the hearts of the residents of Rochester which was only made worse by another tragic incident that occurred seven months later.

Michelle Maenza

Background

 Michelle Maenza was a shy introverted girl who was bullied at school for being on the heavier side. As a result, she preferred hanging out with younger children. Her mother and father had been divorced following which her two elder brothers moved in with her father while she and her two younger sisters stayed with her mother, Carolyn.

 Unlike the case of Carmen and Wanda, Carolyn’s mother was much more protective of her kids. She almost always walked her girls to their school and picked them back from school as well. However, on 26 November 1973, only Marie and Christine were there at the school to be picked up. When she enquired about Marie, the school administration told her that Marie had decided to stay back at school. But unbeknownst to her, the poor girl was detained for being a victim of bullying. Thus, asking the administration to ask her daughter to return home on her own, Carolyn left the school. At around 3:15 pm, eleven-year-old Marie left the school and set off on her way to Goodman Plaza to retrieve her mother’s purse which she had accidentally left there the previous day.

Michelle Maenza (Source: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Disappearance

 With Michelle not returning home by 5:00 pm, worried Carolyn immediately called the police and reported her missing. Soon afterwards, a massive search was conducted in and across the neighbourhood but no traces of the eleven-year-old was found.

 Investigations revealed that a distraught Michelle was spotted sitting in the passenger seat of a car, speeding on Ackerman Street, at around 3:30 pm on the day of her disappearance. An hour later, a woman observed a girl resembling Michelle along with a Caucasian man at a hamburger store in Penfield. The man had dark hair, stood approximately six feet tall and appeared to be between the ages of 25 and 35. The reportedly distressed girl was allegedly sitting in the man’s vehicle while the man bought her some food. Moments later, the car sped away.

Composite Sketch of the Alleged Suspect (Source: Rochester Police Department)

 A couple of hours later, a motorcyclist had allegedly spotted a man standing by a punctured vehicle while firmly holding the wrist of a girl that resembled Michelle. When he stopped by to offer help, the man forcefully pulled the girl behind his back and blocked his license plate. Agitated by this behaviour, the motorcyclist had apparently left the place.

Discovery and Death

 On the morning of 28 November 1973, two days after her disappearance, Michelle’s fully-clothed body was found lying on the side of a rural road in Macedon, a town 15 miles away from Rochester. Similar to the previous cases, it appeared as if she had been thrown out of a moving vehicle. After confirmation of her identity, her body was sent for an autopsy.

 Autopsy reports revealed that she had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled from behind. Similar to Wanda’s body, white cat fur was found on her body and clothing, and traces of semen and pubic hair were found on her body. The semen samples suggested the presence of only one perpetrator. Furthermore, it was discovered that Michelle had consumed hamburgers one hour prior to her death.

 Following this incident, the horrifying series of child murders ceased but it left behind a never-healing scar in the hearts of the residents of Rochester.

Theories

Involvement of Miguel

 It is theorized that the murder of Carmen Cologne, and the murders of Wanda and Michelle, were done by different perpetrators because of the different methods of strangulation and the different ways in which their bodies were found. Also, unlike Wanda and Michelle, no food was found in Carmen’s system. This suggested that Carmen was abducted by someone she knew as the person did not need to bribe her with food to get her into the car. Also, the fact that the abductor was chasing her near an expressway made people speculate that the attacker belonged to her close family circle. This put forth Miguel, her stepfather-cum-uncle, as a big-time suspect.

 To further solidify the suspicion, the car that had been seen chasing Carmen was reportedly identical to Miguel’s newly purchased car. Although a new vehicle, Miguel had, by all accounts, cleaned the car thoroughly after Carmen’s disappearance. However, police found her doll and a few strands of her hair in his vehicle. When the police tried questioning him about his involvement, he fled to Syracuse following which he fled to Puerto Rico. Eventually, he returned to Rochester and faced questioning but he was not able to provide a convincing alibi. Although circumstantial evidence suggested Miguel’s involvement in Carmen’s murders, there was no physical evidence to back it up. A couple of decades later, Miguel committed suicide by shooting himself with his gun.

Involvement of a Local Chef

 A chef named James was also speculated to be involved in Carmen's murder. He worked at a restaurant in Bull’s Head area and the restaurant’s administration utilized a punch clock system. The police discovered that James had not punched in on the days of Carmen’s disappearance and murder. Investigation revealed that James had fled the city leaving behind all his possessions in his apartment.

 After his suspicious behaviour, police looked into his past records following which they discovered that he was wanted in the state of Ohio for sodomizing a 15-year-old girl. When the police eventually tracked him down, they discovered that he had already died.

Involvement of “The Garage Rapist”

 A 25-year-old Rochester firefighter under the name of Dennis Termini was speculated to be the murderer of all three of the girls. On New Year’s Day of 1974, Dennis had allegedly tried to abduct a sixteen-year-old girl outside of a hotel. But as the girl screamed her lungs out, he fled the scene in fear. Shortly afterwards, he grabbed another eighteen-year-old girl from behind, held a gun to her head, dragged her into an unoccupied garage and asked her to get undressed. Fortunately, a neighbour witnessed the scene and called the police.

 Hearing the sound of police vehicles, Dennis fled the scene once again, only to be found by the police in a parked car. Figuring out that he had been caught red-handed, Dennis killed himself with his own gun. Later, the police discovered that he had been responsible for at least 15 rapes between 1971 and 1973, and this gave him the name “The Garage Rapist”. To further solidify the suspicion, white cat fur was found on Dennis’ clothes.

 In the early days of 2007, DNA samples were obtained from Dennis’ buried body following which it was tested with the semen samples recovered from Wanda’s body. The results of the test confirmed that Dennis was not the perpetrator of Wanda’s murder. However, as no DNA evidence was retrieved from the bodies of Carmen and Michelle, no comparisons could be made with Dennis’ DNA.

Conclusion

 The Alphabet Murders highly outraged the public and they garnered a lot of media attention. Special hotlines that mainly focused on finding the identity of the killer were created and the informers were promised anonymity by the police. Over the years, more than 800 potential suspects have been questioned but the police haven’t been able to determine the identity of the killer.

 Also, considering the fact that no DNA evidence had been retrieved from the bodies of Michelle Maenza and Carmen Colon, the possibility of finding the killer’s identity only seems to dwindle down the years.