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This particular unsolved murder fascinated me the moment I read it.
Betsy Aardsma was a 22 year-old college student who was murdered in the stacks of Pattee Library, Pennsylvania State University in 1969.
Betsy Aardsma was a 22 year-old college student who was murdered in the stacks of Pattee Library, Pennsylvania State University in 1969.
Aardsma was in the library on November 28, 1969, doing research for a paper. At some point between 4:45 PM and 4:55 PM, she was stabbed a single time through the heart with a knife. She fell and a minute or so later, one or two men exited the central region of the library telling a desk clerk that "Somebody better help that girl" as they left. The man or men who spoke to the desk clerk have never been identified. Bystanders rendered first aid, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to Aardsma[3] and a call was placed to the campus hospital, the Ritenour Health Center, at 5:01 PM. By 5:19 PM, an ambulance[3] had transported Aardsma to the Health Center, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.[2]
After Aardsma was stabbed, the wound produced only a small amount of visible blood. Also, Aardsma was wearing a red dress at the time. As result of these two facts, the first responders thought that perhaps she had experienced a seizure or some other medical ailment. It was not until Aardsma was examined at the Health Center that anyone realized that she had been stabbed.
After Aardsma was stabbed, the wound produced only a small amount of visible blood. Also, Aardsma was wearing a red dress at the time. As result of these two facts, the first responders thought that perhaps she had experienced a seizure or some other medical ailment. It was not until Aardsma was examined at the Health Center that anyone realized that she had been stabbed.
After the initial flurry of activity in 1969, the investigation petered out, although over the years a few intriguing developments have cropped up.
On Nov. 28, 1994, the 25th anniversary of the murder, a library worker found a candle burning in the aisle where Betsy was killed. On the floor was a message scrawled in red marker: "R.I.P. Betsy Aardsma, born July 11, 1947, died November 28, 1969. I'm back."
Near the message, the worker also found original copies of news stories about the case, although some of those would have been available in the library. Another shrine appeared in 1999, but not in the same place. Police suspect both incidents were pranks.
Then there was the postcard mailed from Atlanta to campus police in the 1970s that said, "You never did catch the guy who killed that [expletive] in the library."
On Nov. 28, 1994, the 25th anniversary of the murder, a library worker found a candle burning in the aisle where Betsy was killed. On the floor was a message scrawled in red marker: "R.I.P. Betsy Aardsma, born July 11, 1947, died November 28, 1969. I'm back."
Near the message, the worker also found original copies of news stories about the case, although some of those would have been available in the library. Another shrine appeared in 1999, but not in the same place. Police suspect both incidents were pranks.
Then there was the postcard mailed from Atlanta to campus police in the 1970s that said, "You never did catch the guy who killed that [expletive] in the library."
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