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KY KY - Terri Howell, 24, Daviess County, 25 July 1980
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luckyseven
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40 Years ago...
Terri Howell, 24, Murdered 25 July 1980
Who killed Terri Howell? It's a question that has haunted her family and investigators for 30 years.
The body of the 24-year-old woman was found on fire in an abandoned farmhouse near Knottsville, Kentucky. Howell had gone out the night before her body was discovered.
She was last seen alive around 1:00 in the morning leaving the Hasty Tasty, an Owensboro restaurant and bar. Eyewitnesses said she and a girlfriend had gotten into a car with an unknown man.
Her girlfriend would live to tell the tale, but Howell would not.
"She had a cold and I tried to get her not to go," Ava Merle Wortheam, Howell's mother, said, "but she wouldn't have none of it."
Wortheam said she remembers the last time she saw her daughter, but she remembers even more the almost immediate dread she felt that her daughter wasn't coming back.
"I just had a feeling," Wortheam said, "It just came over me, she's gone, she has got to be, because Terri wouldn't stay gone without calling me if she had been alive."
Witnesses told investigators Howell had called an unknown man to pick up her and her best friend at a local bar and restaurant.
"I think once she did the introduction with her friend she alluded to the person being from Ohio County," Jeff Jones of the Daviess County Sheriff's Office said.
It quickly became apparent the man had no intentions on taking them home when he started heading the opposite direction. It scared them so much Howell's friend reportedly jumped from the moving car.
It's the last time she saw Howell alive.
"She was picked up from a location and ultimately lost her life," Jones said, "So, there are many unanswered questions."
Witnesses said the vehicle was a light blue 1960's model Ford passenger car with an automatic transmission and round lights. The driver was described as a white man with brown hair around 5 feet 10 inches tall with a slender build.
Howell's friend told investigators she never even knew his name.
"There were a number of polygraphs that that individual was asked to take and she did take and passed those polygraphs," Jones said.
Investigators said the woman also claimed there was a car traveling behind them that narrowly missed hitting her when she jumped out. Investigators could never find the driver to ask what they might have seen.
"It could be that one piece of information that would point us in the right direction," Jones said.
Later that day, on the evening news, Wortheam watched as the body of an unidentified woman was carried out of an abandoned house in a body bag.
"When I saw that, just for a fleeting second it passed through my mind, 'I wonder if that is Terri,'" Wortheam said, "Sure enough, it was."
Investigators were able to positively identify the body as Terri Howell the very next afternoon, but Wortheam suffered another blow when she learned her daughter had already been buried just hours after she'd been discovered dead.
"I was heartbroken for months, for years," Wortheam said, "I couldn't hardly stand to think about it. Of course, I had to come to grips with it, but it almost drove me out of my mind."
It left a boy without a mother. Kenny Howell was just 4-years-old when his mother was murdered.
"Sad. I wish I could have known her," Kenny said, "I think it is amazing that someone can actually get away with something like that. Someone should be held accountable."
"I'd ask them why?" Wortheam said, "That is the main question. I figure if they are not punished here on earth, God will punish them, that is the only way I can live with it."
Investigators said the location where Howell's body was found may also be a clue. Her body was found in an abandoned farmhouse by Free Silver and Lanham Roads near Knottsville, Kentucky. This is a rural area, definitely off the beaten path and not easy to find for people not familiar with the area.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Daviess County Sheriff's Office at (270)-685-6131.
LINK:
Unsolved Murder: Terri Howell
Terri Howell, 24, Murdered 25 July 1980
Who killed Terri Howell? It's a question that has haunted her family and investigators for 30 years.
The body of the 24-year-old woman was found on fire in an abandoned farmhouse near Knottsville, Kentucky. Howell had gone out the night before her body was discovered.
She was last seen alive around 1:00 in the morning leaving the Hasty Tasty, an Owensboro restaurant and bar. Eyewitnesses said she and a girlfriend had gotten into a car with an unknown man.
Her girlfriend would live to tell the tale, but Howell would not.
"She had a cold and I tried to get her not to go," Ava Merle Wortheam, Howell's mother, said, "but she wouldn't have none of it."
Wortheam said she remembers the last time she saw her daughter, but she remembers even more the almost immediate dread she felt that her daughter wasn't coming back.
"I just had a feeling," Wortheam said, "It just came over me, she's gone, she has got to be, because Terri wouldn't stay gone without calling me if she had been alive."
Witnesses told investigators Howell had called an unknown man to pick up her and her best friend at a local bar and restaurant.
"I think once she did the introduction with her friend she alluded to the person being from Ohio County," Jeff Jones of the Daviess County Sheriff's Office said.
It quickly became apparent the man had no intentions on taking them home when he started heading the opposite direction. It scared them so much Howell's friend reportedly jumped from the moving car.
It's the last time she saw Howell alive.
"She was picked up from a location and ultimately lost her life," Jones said, "So, there are many unanswered questions."
Witnesses said the vehicle was a light blue 1960's model Ford passenger car with an automatic transmission and round lights. The driver was described as a white man with brown hair around 5 feet 10 inches tall with a slender build.
Howell's friend told investigators she never even knew his name.
"There were a number of polygraphs that that individual was asked to take and she did take and passed those polygraphs," Jones said.
Investigators said the woman also claimed there was a car traveling behind them that narrowly missed hitting her when she jumped out. Investigators could never find the driver to ask what they might have seen.
"It could be that one piece of information that would point us in the right direction," Jones said.
Later that day, on the evening news, Wortheam watched as the body of an unidentified woman was carried out of an abandoned house in a body bag.
"When I saw that, just for a fleeting second it passed through my mind, 'I wonder if that is Terri,'" Wortheam said, "Sure enough, it was."
Investigators were able to positively identify the body as Terri Howell the very next afternoon, but Wortheam suffered another blow when she learned her daughter had already been buried just hours after she'd been discovered dead.
"I was heartbroken for months, for years," Wortheam said, "I couldn't hardly stand to think about it. Of course, I had to come to grips with it, but it almost drove me out of my mind."
It left a boy without a mother. Kenny Howell was just 4-years-old when his mother was murdered.
"Sad. I wish I could have known her," Kenny said, "I think it is amazing that someone can actually get away with something like that. Someone should be held accountable."
"I'd ask them why?" Wortheam said, "That is the main question. I figure if they are not punished here on earth, God will punish them, that is the only way I can live with it."
Investigators said the location where Howell's body was found may also be a clue. Her body was found in an abandoned farmhouse by Free Silver and Lanham Roads near Knottsville, Kentucky. This is a rural area, definitely off the beaten path and not easy to find for people not familiar with the area.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Daviess County Sheriff's Office at (270)-685-6131.
LINK:
Unsolved Murder: Terri Howell
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Capt. Jeff Payne, criminal investigations commander for DCSO, said spoke about where the department is at with Terri’s case.
“(Terri’s case) is a banker’s box full of binders and paperwork,” Payne said. “I have not been able to go through all of it yet because crime hasn’t been put on hold. There’s other cases that I’m having to work that are active cases – I’m a working captain. I wish I knew everything about this case, but I’m still digesting all the information from previous investigators.”
Terri’s case is also unique because many of the key witnesses and suspects have died, Payne said.
“It’s trying to put a puzzle together without a picture to go off of,” Payne said.
Last week, DCSO shared a report of the details of the case and encouraged members of the public to reach out if they have any helpful or new information.
According to the report, Howell, 24, was last seen alive on Thursday, July 25, 1980, at the Hasty Tasty – a local restaurant and bar at 1202 East 4th Street.
Howell and a friend left around 1 a.m. with an unidentified man, per the report. Witnesses said the vehicle was a light blue, 1960s, two-door Ford passenger car with round lights.
Witnesses described the man as a white male with brown hair, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, and a slender build.
When Howell and her friend realized they were going in the opposite direction of their homes, the friend jumped out of the car while Howell remained in the vehicle, the report says.
www.owensborotimes.com
“(Terri’s case) is a banker’s box full of binders and paperwork,” Payne said. “I have not been able to go through all of it yet because crime hasn’t been put on hold. There’s other cases that I’m having to work that are active cases – I’m a working captain. I wish I knew everything about this case, but I’m still digesting all the information from previous investigators.”
Terri’s case is also unique because many of the key witnesses and suspects have died, Payne said.
“It’s trying to put a puzzle together without a picture to go off of,” Payne said.
Last week, DCSO shared a report of the details of the case and encouraged members of the public to reach out if they have any helpful or new information.
According to the report, Howell, 24, was last seen alive on Thursday, July 25, 1980, at the Hasty Tasty – a local restaurant and bar at 1202 East 4th Street.
Howell and a friend left around 1 a.m. with an unidentified man, per the report. Witnesses said the vehicle was a light blue, 1960s, two-door Ford passenger car with round lights.
Witnesses described the man as a white male with brown hair, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, and a slender build.
When Howell and her friend realized they were going in the opposite direction of their homes, the friend jumped out of the car while Howell remained in the vehicle, the report says.
Cold case: Howell's murder still unsolved 43 years later; advocate, DCSO asking for community's help
July 25 marks the 43rd anniversary of the murder of Terri Marie Howell. With the case still unsolved, family members of Howell and the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office are reigniting their investigations with hopes to bring closure and Howell’s killer to justice.
www.owensborotimes.com
"Wortheam suffered another blow when she learned her daughter had already been buried just hours after she'd been discovered dead."- How, exactly, does this happen? They discover a body and immediately bury her before next of kin even has a chance to make arrangements etc?
Terri Marie Howell
BIRTH 1 Jul 1956 McLean County, KentuckyDEATH 25 Jul 1980 (aged 24) Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, USA
BURIAL Owensboro Memorial Gardens Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, USA
LINKS:
Terri Marie Howell (1956-1980) - Find a Grave...
Born on 1 Jul 1956. Died on 25 Jul 1980. Buried in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA.
www.findagrave.com
Obituary for Terri Marie Howell (Aged 24) - Newspapers.com
Clipping found in The Messenger-Inquirer published in Owensboro, Kentucky on 7/28/1980. Obituary for Terri Marie Howell (Aged 24)
www.newspapers.com