Detectives in Montgomery County, Maryland, hope advances in science help them solve the case of a 15-year-old girl sexually assaulted and beaten to death 50 years ago.
Kathy Beatty was found unconscious in the woods in Aspen Hill July 25, 1975. She died several days later.
Kathy was a typical, fun-loving teen who loved dance, animals and the rock groups Yes and the Eagles. Her sister, Theresa Greschke, will never forget the night Kathy disappeared.
“I mean, 50 years. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long given that when I think about it, it feels recent,” she said, choking up.
Theresa, Kathy and their mother lived in a house on Frankfort Drive, just a few doors away from the middle school where Kathy last was seen about 8:30 p.m. July 24, 1975.
“My mom, she kept Kathy’s room identical,” Theresa said. “Didn’t touch a thing for the rest of her life, you know. She died in 2020.”
Lisa Bromley is the latest detective to try to solve Kathy’s case and the mysteries that have baffled police for five decades.
Inside Kathy’s purse, police found a set of keys that did not belong to her. Over the years, investigators determined the car key could belong to dozens of models of GM products from 1968 to 1972.
Kathy’s wallet is another mystery.
“So, her wallet was missing from her purse,” Bromley said. “Approximately a month later, two individuals were walking their dog in that same area, and they came across the wallet.”
“Either it was overlooked at the time or possibly somebody went back to visit the scene and dumped it there,” she said.
Two other aspects of the case also bother Bromley. Kathy was barefoot when she was found, but no shoes were recovered. And investigators never determined how she got to the area kids called “the rocks.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get results from this new set of DNA testing that we’re doing with this case,” Sgt. Chris Homrock said. “If the results are strong enough, we certainly have the option to submit for genetic genealogy.”
This case sticks with Bromley, who is about to retire. She hopes someone will step forward with information they may have been holding on to.
Inside the cold case evidence room, four boxes hold what detectives have been investigating all these years.
“Keeping secrets is not easy, you know,” Kathy’s sister said. “And I just always thought that amongst the group, somebody knew something and would say something.”
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