No suspects have ever been formally named or charged with Kathy's murder, and the case remains an open homicide, under investigation by the Montgomery County Police.
A number of theories have been suggested regarding potential suspects and scenarios. A prevailing one is that neighborhood kids were responsible.
The juvenile witnesses who claimed to have seen her, but were not "with her" at the school probably know more than they told investigators.
The two camping trailer boys also seem to be potential persons of interest. Who were they? Where were they that night and what do they know?
Probably the strongest potential suspect has to be convicted child molester and murderer (serial killer) Fred Howard Coffey, Jr. He worked at the Vitro Laboratories building which was between Kathy's neighborhood and the K Mart. IF Kathy was to walk from home to K Mart (which she often did), the nearest route would have taken her through the Vitro parking lots.
Coffey had resided in Virginia Beach, Virginia prior to and after his stay in Maryland. He had been kicked out of the Navy for raping a 13 year old daughter of another Navy man just prior to going to Maryland, and upon his return to Virginia, he was charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" when caught with a 15 year old girl in his vehicle.
When news of the attack on Kathy in a local paper mentioned that she was still alive and in the hospital, Coffey immediately blew town without notice to his employer. It was only after a later news article reported that she had died without regaining consciousness that Coffey contacted Vitro to request his final pay check. He gave as his reason for leaving so suddenly a false story that his wife and daughter had been in an auto accident in Kentucky.