The Alphabet Murders: Unsolved 50 Yrs On

The scene was Rochester, NY and the victims were girls between the ages of 10 and 11 years of age. They had many similarities such as being from a single-family home, learning difficulties, loners, Catholic, raped, all were taken in the afternoon, and all had double initials. Each one of these girls was taken while they were running errands. There were no witnesses to them being taken, and they were all strangled and found on an embankment.

Rochester, NYPhoto byLokesh PaduchurionUnsplash

Their names were Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza.

Carmen Colon was the first victim. She was going to the pharmacy to get her grandmother's prescription. Apparently, it wasn't ready so she went outside and never came back. She was seen on 490 with no clothes on from the waist down, and no one bothered to stop to help her as she was running down this major highway screaming for help. Over 20 or 30 people drove by her but unfortunately, no one stopped to help. The murderer ended up catching Carmen, putting her back into the car, and left her body in an embankment in Chili, NY.

The next victim was Wanda Walkowicz. She was kidnapped 17 months later on April 2, 1973. Her story was that she was buying groceries on Conley Avenue, and she never returned home. Wanda was thrown from the car and had been raped and redressed. She fought off her killer, but it wasn't enough. This time around, the investigators found white cat hair in the car and she was found on Route 104 in Webster, NY.

Lastly, the third victim was Michelle Maenza. She was kidnapped seven months later on November 26, 1973 after school. Her kidnapper pulled over on Route 350 with a flat tire. A bystander pulled over to help them and Michelle was pushed behind the kidnapper. The bystander had no idea of knowing she had been kidnapped so he helped with the tire and moved on. Michelle never had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, on November 28th, 1973 Michelle's body was found in Macedon alongside a road. In a ditch, her body had been strangled and raped just like the other two girls. What's odd with Michelle was her autopsy showed she had a hamburger and onions in her stomach right before she was killed.

Isn't It Ironic?

What's ironic about all three of these girls is that their first and last names were double initials and their bodies were found in towns that had their initials also. People started calling this case the Alphabet Murders or double initial murders. Were these planned or just a coincidence?

The Rochester Police Department interviewed over 800 potential suspects and not one was arrested. Miguel Colon, Dennis Termini, Kenneth Bianchi, and Joseph Nasa were named as suspects but none of them were ever apprehended. In addition, rewards from private companies and people were put up but nothing was solid. Saliva swabs were used, and the Police never connected it to anyone. State police officer, Thomas Crowley said, "Today, four law enforcement agencies to follow up leads in the hopes of giving the victims' families respect and closure."

This year is the 50th year of their murders, and their cases still remain unsolved. They are still open and hopefully, someday these families will find the truth out about their little girls. Anyone with any information leading to these three girls, please call the New York State Police at (585)-398-4100.

Written By:

Heidi Reilly

True Crime Writer

heidi@thelantern.news

Sources:

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/07/17/rochester-ny-crime-history-horrific-murders/1692346001/

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/2

https://allthatsinteresting.com/alphabet-murders

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8U1xY5Q/