Sigrid Stevenson was murdered nearly 50 years ago, but the New Jersey college student's alma mater still is working to make sure she's never forgotten.
And the search for her killer continues.
Who was Sigrid Stevenson?
In 1977, Stevenson was a 25-year-old graduate student at Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Described as "quirky" by friends, she was raised in Livermore, California and hoped to become a music teacher.
“When she would play the piano, a completely different side of her would emerge that was just calm and powerful,” Carol Edson, a friend of the Stevenson family, told Netflix.
What happened to Sigrid Stevenson?
On Sept. 4, 1977, Stevenson's body was found in a pool of blood on the stage of Kendall Hall on the Trenton State College campus.
Her bicycle was spotted alone at night outside the building by Officer Thomas Kokotajlo of the Trenton State Campus Police, who decided to investigate and located her body.
According to Netflix, which features her story on its latest season of "Unsolved Mysteries," detectives suspect Stevenson was playing piano onstage when she was attacked, with her back to her attacker.
They also believe she was sexually assaulted.
"The deputy medical examiner determined Sigrid was beaten repeatedly with a blunt object and suffered bruises and lacerations to the head and body. She also had symmetrical ligature marks on her wrists, which could have been from handcuffs. Sigrid was found wrapped in a piano blanket; despite the amount of blood at the scene, police didn’t find any footprints or fingerprints," according to Netflix.
Despite various theories and potential suspects over the years, her murder remains unsolved.
Sigrid Stevenson on 'Unsolved Mysteries'
Stevenson's murder is featured on Netflix in "Unsolved Mysteries" in Volume 4, Episode 4.
The episode is called "Murder Center Stage."
It was released on July 31 and is available for streaming now.
Netflix talked with investigators who worked on the murder in the 1970s, as well as those who continue to investigate today, among others.
TCNJ remembers Sigrid Stevenson
And back on campus, efforts are underway to ensure Stevenson is remembered.
“Though her murder remains unsolved, she should not be unknown. Sigrid was an extraordinarily talented member of the college community, we are committed to ensuring she is always remembered as such,” TCNJ President Michael Bernstein said in a statement posted on TCNJ's website.
According to the statement, this fall the college will dedicate a piano practice room to Stevenson, with a plaque installed outside its entrance.
“This feels like a fitting tribute to a student who had chosen to study music and education,” said Pamela Barnett, dean of TCNJ’s School of the Arts and Communication. “It is an unspeakable tragedy that Sigrid did not have a career making and teaching music. The music that fills this room throughout the coming years will keep the spirit of this gifted pianist and aspiring educator alive.”
The idea was the brainchild of Scott Napolitano, a 2006 TCNJ graduate who also was interviewed extensively in the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode. Since learning of her murder, he says he has worked to “bring her out of the shadows and make her a person and not just a ghost.”
”Multiple people who knew her have told me that Sigrid danced to the beat of her own drum and stayed true to her music. I can’t think of a better way of honoring her memory than naming a safe space for artists to practice what they love after her,” said Napolitano in the statement.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Murdered college student Sigrid Stevenson featured on new 'Unsolved Mysteries' episode
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