Ohio Cops Plan to Exhume Body of 17-Year-Old Killed in 1994 in Hopes of Solving Cold-Case Mystery
A three-decade-old cold case is set to be revisited as detectives want to exhume the victim's body for a fresh investigation.
Kathryn "Kathy" Menendez was found dead along an oil road near Berlin Lake in Deerfield Township, Ohio, in August 1994, the Independent reported.
Kathryn Menendez was 17 years old at the time of her death. Her remains were found by an individual on the road who informed authorities.
Officials determined that the girl had been beaten, stabbed, and strangled to death. No arrest was ever made in the case.
In November that same year, a second dead body was discovered half a mile away from where Kathryn Menendez's was located, the Independent reported. The victim was identified as 14-year-old Sarah Boehm. The location of Boehm's body made police think that the two murders could be connected.
Over the years, detectives have used various investigative techniques to solve the case, Fox8 reported. Detective Ed Kennedy of the Portage County Sheriff’s Office shared with the outlet, "This case has been unsolved for 30 years. Somebody has been going to bed every night for 30 years, knowing that they brought the death of this young lady."
Kathryn Menendez's mother, Janet Menendez, who passed away earlier this year, grieved that her daughter never got the chance to live a full life, Fox8 reported. The mother told the outlet, “She missed out on so much of her life and somebody just took that away from her.”
Almost 30 years after she was found, Kathryn Menendez's body is expected to be exhumed so that authorities can search for new clues in the case, Fox8 reported. “If this person did this 30 years ago and can still sleep at night, they can do it again,” Detective Kennedy said.
Through the years, Janet Menendez hoped that one day her daughter's killer would be put behind bars. “She was a sweetheart, she loved everybody, everybody was her friend, and I used to try and tell her, ‘Kathy, not everybody is your friend,’” Janet Menendez said.
Officials want to locate the killer for the mother, as well, Fox8 reported. “Not knowing, not knowing at all who took her daughter’s life, you know, and that motivated us even more, so we’re doing this for Janet also,” said Detective Kennedy.
Officials hope advanced technology will provide them with new clues not available three decades ago, Fox8 reported. Based on this belief, they sought a court order to exhume Kathryn Menendez's remains.
“If we can get in there and we can get something usable, and if we are able to identify that individual as the killer, then it was worth it. It’s the right thing to do, we have to check all the boxes, we have to do everything in our power to identify this individual who committed such a heinous crime against this young lady,” said Detective Kennedy, Fox8 reported.
He asked people to come forward with any information, they might have about the case, Fox8 reported. “We know there are other people out there who know what happened, not just the murderer, but there are other people that have to know what happened,” the detective added.