Forty years after SUNY Cobleskill freshman Kathy Kolodziej's body was found left on a stone wall in Richmondville, State Police haven't given up on finding her killer.
Ms. Kolodziej, 17, disappeared on her way back to campus from a downtown bar on November 2, 1974.
Twenty-six days later, on Thanksgiving Day 1974, her body, dressed only in her red coat, was found off MacDonald and Cross Hill Roads, Richmondville.
An autopsy determined she had been stabbed to death.
A billboard put up by State Police in 2012 along Route 7 publicizing a $2,500 Crime Stoppers reward along with a press conference at the site did what they were supposed to do:
Generate leads.
But two years later, Investigator Thomas, lead investigator on the case since 2010, said they're still looking for the killer.
According to Investigator Cioffi, one of the leads generated by the billboard took him and Investigator David Ayers to Pennsylvania, where they conducted several interviews with a person who attended SUNY Cobleskill in 1974 and knew Ms. Kolodoziej.
"Unfortunately, this lead didn't develop into anything," he said.
The billboard also led investigators to Long Island, Lowville, and Newburgh for other interviews.
But again, nothing has panned out so far, Investigator Cioffi said.
The biggest obstacle to solving the case from the beginning to today, he said, was that the scene of the actual murder was never located.
"We know that Kathy wasn't murdered on MacDonald Road," Investigator Cioffi said. "She was just left there. I believe there is someone out there who had to have witnessed or seen something the night Kathy was killed...a blood-soaked vehicle, bedroom, basement...
"She was violently murdered and we know that there would have been an extensive amount of blood wherever she was killed and to this day, we don't know where that was. It would be extremely helpful if someone would phone in this tip."
The tip line for the murder is (518) 630-1715.
Tip can also be emailed to crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.
Investigators have said repeatedly that no tip is insignificant.
According to new accounts at the time, Ms. Kolodoziej disappeared after leaving the Vault bar to walk back to campus; friends said she declined the offer of a male friend to walk with her and was last seen by that friend at about 1:30am.
Ms. Kolodziej's parents have since died, never knowing what really happened to their daughter, and Investigator Cioffi said that's one of the things that keeps him motivated about the case.
"It's such a tragic story. A 17-year-old teenager, an only child, leaves home for the first time, and is violently murdered while away at college," he said.
"I see this as not only a crime perpetuated on the Kolodziej family, but on Schoharie County. I think the community wants answers on this case as well."