Horrifying death of woman found naked with throat slit after 'blood chilling' scream

Daily Record

6 days ago

Kristin O'Connell, 20, was found naked in a cornfield with her throat slashed after she went to visit a man she'd met on Spring Break and was horrified to learn he had a girlfriend
A 20-year-old woman from Minnesota in the US met a grim end when she was discovered dead in a cornfield, naked with her throat slashed and multiple stab wounds, after visiting a man she connected with during Spring Break.
Kristin O'Connell's ill-fated 1985 journey to Ovid, New York, came despite her mother Phyllis's misgivings, She went to see James Vermeersch, with whom she had been corresponding since meeting on holiday in Florida. Kristin's excitement about exploring the Finger Lakes region turned to disappointment when she learned James was secretly involved with someone else.
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Eagerly arranging for her travels on August 12, Kristin's mother confided to NBC's Dateline she and her father let their adult daughter have her freedom, although Kristin's dad Michael knew James had been seeing someone else, which he was meant to share with his daughter on her arrival.
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"She was so bright with excitement," Phyllis said, but alarm bells rang soon after as Kristin made a disconcerting call from an Ovid payphone indicating plans to cut her visit short. "Something wasn't right in her voice," said a troubled Phyllis to Dateline.
Only hours later, the chilling tale would take a grisly twist as Kristin was discovered murdered – and even four decades on, detectives seem no nearer to unmasking her murderer. Pursuing a degree in hotel-motel management, Kristin was merely weeks away from her third year at university, set to start in September 1985, reports the Mirror US.
At a trailer parked on James' family land with his pals and his friends mentioned he'd nipped out for pizza, Kristin opted for a customary late-night stroll – a regular habit back at her home. But when James's return with no sign of Kristin, the group launched a search, but she had vanished without a trace.
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The subsequent afternoon, August 15, 1985, James notified Ovid authorities of Kristin's disappearance. He pinpointed the last sighting between 11pm and 11.30pm, with her leaving the trailer shoeless and without her handbag.
Even after an hunt at 1:30 am by the party attendees, Kristin was still nowhere to be discovered.
James' pal, 17-year-old David Chamberlain, confirmed James's account and dismissed any notion of friction at the bash. 'She just went for a walk and didn't come back,' he said.
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80 firefighters and police mounted a search in the hope of locating Kristin, all to no avail. Then, an appalling reality emerged on August 16, 1985, as searchers stumbled upon a harrowing sight.
Kristin's body was found in a cornfield, less than a mile from where she was last seen. She suffered multiple stab wounds and her throat had been cut.
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Locals described hearing a "horrifying" scream at the time she was believed to have been murdered.
The absence of evidence suggesting sexual assault did not stop detectives from speculating that she may have been resisting such an encounter when killed. New York State Police quickly set about identifying individuals who might wish harm upon the young woman.
It was noted the route near the cornfield was often travelled by workers from the nearby Seneca Army Depot and outdoor enthusiasts en route to the Golden Buck, a well-frequented watering hole close to James' trailer.
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Eyewitness accounts confirmed Kristin's presence on County Road 139 around the timeframe of 11.50pm to 12.10am, matching what James had claimed. Phyllis pondered whether Kristin's discomfort with drug use at the gathering prompted her early departure.
With summer unfolding, investigators encountered some troubling leads. Among them was a report claiming a blue or green car stopped alongside Kristin on the road, with another automobile in the vicinity.
State Police Sgt Thomas Warren made an open call for more details, eagerly seeking to trace these vehicles should others have spotted anything similar.
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There were suggestions that Kristin might have been followed by two men on the night of her demise. Moreover, a pillowcase from a nearby mental health institution was discovered close to the scene, complicating the case further.
Yet, the most peculiar twist came when authorities received an unsettling anonymous call shortly after the homicide. The frantic caller urged the police to inspect the boot of a green Chevy parked on Main Street in Waterloo for vital clues about Kristin's murderer.
"I'm getting out of town because I told him not to do it. I told him not to do it. I'm heading out of town," the mysterious informant stated before abruptly ending the call.
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No such car has been documented. Despite law enforcement's view that the murder was a spontaneous act, gossip continues to circulate in Ovid and elsewhere that certain people are privy to what befell Kristin in 1985 yet choose to remain mum.
At the time, officers said: "Everybody at this party came from well to families in the community they are respected in this area."
Another intriguing detail shared on social media is the connection of local man Donald 'Nutsy' Chamberlain to the case. He owned the caravan where Kristin spent time just before her death. He also runs the Golden Buck eatery mentioned previously and displays a notice warning that discussions about the O'Connell murder will lead to expulsion from the venue.
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Then-District Attorney Donna Cathy named Gary Harris in the case, as chronicled by the Democrat and Chronicle back in 1995. Cathy noted that hairs from an African American were found at the scene, pointing out Harris was the only black man in Ovid at that time.
Seneca County's interim Judge W Patrick Falvey called for DNA testing of the hair and blood samples taken in 1985 to aid in concluding the investigation; nevertheless, the efforts hit a snag due to a lack of adequate probable cause to connect Harris to the event.
Harris's solicitor presented a robust defence: "Being in the community or being black in the community does not meet the requisite proof."
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The authorities have stressed that Harris is merely "one of many" individuals of interest in the ongoing inquiry. Scrutinizing the forensic details of this murder case brings to light complex issues.
Take, for instance, Kristin's bloodstained clothes were found orderly laid next to her in the cornfield where she was found post-mortem, with officers acknowledging that rainfall that evening might have washed away some evidence.
Nonetheless, there exists an overwhelming quantity of physical evidence – all 318 pieces pertinent to the horrific crime, encompassing everything from the victim's fingernails and blood-drenched jumper to the pillowcase and potentially hundreds of strands of hair. In spite of this extensive material and technological progress, no fresh forensic testing is underway.
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Despite a top-tier Dutch lab offering to analyse evidence from Kristin's case in 2009, the New York State Health Department rejected the proposal due to the facility not being certified in New York.
District Attorney Richard Swineheart told the Ithaca Journal: "We feel this is our last, best effort to solve this case. We are very frustrated with the bureaucracy of the Department of Health."
Kirsten's mother, Phyllis, along with assistance from a Minnesota senator, attempted to convince the department to make an exception and allow the Amsterdam lab to pursue certification but to no avail.
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The O'Connell family has started a petition on Change.org to push for DNA testing that could propel the investigation forward. To their dismay, in 2010, the New York Inspector General notified Phyllis of a forensic specialist, potentially connected to Kristin's case, having historical issues of falsifying evidence.
Gerry Veeder was accused of engaging in a malpractice known as "dry-labbing", which entails feigning test performances to provide lab results, thus cutting corners.
"In 1985 he did the initial evidence. I don't know how many items but anything to do with cloth because that's what he handled. I mean, my God - this is an important job they're doing there and how could they allow this and not be supervised properly?" exclaimed Phyllis.
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In a surprising turn of events, it was revealed last year that a cold case team led by the former head of the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program had offered the services of a New York State-approved forensics lab for free to examine all physical evidence from Kristin's case.
The proposed examinations were intended to be part of a documentary on the murder being produced by two-time Oscar winner Bill Guttentag, potentially bypassing the issues that arose over a decade ago with the Dutch lab.
However, the New York State Police declined the offer and did not endorse the initiative. Mark O'Donnell, spokesperson for the New York State Police Troop, stated that it would violate policy to involve external parties in an ongoing murder investigation.
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The State Police declared: "As in all cases, the State Police does not share critical information, evidence or the techniques used in solving cases. By sharing such information, it could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation."
Despite what seems to be substantial evidence in Kristin's murder case, it remains unsolved. In 2010, a $10,000 reward was put forward for information leading to the conviction of her killer, and in 2015, the police reported that over 1,900 leads had been pursued without success.
Phyllis tirelessly pushes for the police to either re-examine the evidence with current forensic methods or close the investigation, which would permit her to file a Freedom of Information request to see the evidence herself.
Additionally, Phyllis is campaigning for legislative changes mandating all police forces to establish dedicated cold case squads to stop cases like her daughter Kristin's from being shuffled between detectives for years.
Expressing her frustration, she mentioned: "I think there are people up there who know what happened but are afraid to come forward. I believe people are scared. I know I can't bring her back. But I can't rest until I find out who did this to her."
The Mirror has reached out to Seneca County Police for a statement. Meanwhile, the hunt for Kristin O'Connell's killer goes on, with law enforcement officials calling on anyone with information to contact the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit at (585) 398–4100.