RI RI - Kathy Perry, 20, Warwick, 15 Sept 1986

Kathy Perry was sexually assaulted and murdered less than a mile from her Rhode Island home in 1986.

She'd been working a late shift at a paper binding factory 2 am, and stopped at a convenience store on the way home 2:20a. She was later seen pulled off the road, flashers on, talking with someone whose vehicle was pulled up behind hers. 2:30-2:45a Her body was discovered near a construction site around 8a.

NBC News

Then, in 2006, an anonymous tip was phoned into the Warwick Police Department's Cold Case Unit. While the tip didn't lead to any developments, it did prompt Det. Sgt. Fred Pierce to take a fresh look into the details of 1986 murder.

After four years without any major developments, Pierce turned to social media where he wasn't sure what to expect. "I'm not really the best at these kinds of social media things," he told Dateline. But he had seen how easily people connected with friends from the past, so he set up a Facebook profile for Kathy.
The response was almost immediate.
Within weeks, former friends and classmates of Kathy's found the profile and offered memories, best wishes, and most importantly, what information they could remember. "The nature of Facebook itself is to connect people. Trying to find a commonplace name back in the 80's was a lot tougher, but Facebook makes it easier," said Pierce. Other law enforcement communities took notice of Pierce's efforts, and the detective sergeant has since given talks on the use of social media in criminal investigations to other police departments and organizations.

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Kathy Perry's Facebook account.

It looks like there was movement on her case in 2019 but nothing more since then.

In 2011, a tip led to a confidential informant, who named a suspect.

“He gave me a lengthy statement outlining how Kathy was abducted, where she was taken, how she was murdered, and most importantly who did it,” said Pierce.

The suspect was doing a bit at the ACI, the state prison, for felony assault. He also had a long rap sheet, which included assaults against women and murder.

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New suspect eyed in 1986 murder of Kathy Perry