Tracy Kirkpatrick, a 17-year-old teen who died in Frederick, Maryland in March 1989, was discovered in a job she worked part-time, and her murder remains unsolved after more than three decades. The case has several twists and turns that are enough to perplex listeners.
Tracy Kirkpatrick's Death: What Was Her Death?
Tracy (AKATracey) Lynn Kirkpatrick was born on June 9, 1971, in East Liverpool, Ohio, to William and Diane Kirkpatrick. She was a self-proclaimed professional skater who excelled at Brunswick High School, having earned good grades. She always said, "She always wanted to be more like me—more popular like me."
Tracy was an introvert — shy and quiet — but with a great sense of humor. Deonda and Angie played softball, but Tracy did not have a flair for athletics or sports. Instead, her father, William, laughed, saying, "She hated having pictures taken."
The 17-year-old high school senior was simultaneously working two jobs at the Westridge Square Shopping Center on the Golden Mile in Frederick, Maryland, as part of a work-study program to lessen the financial burden on her parents by saving for college expenses. A few months shy of graduating, she had been offered a chance to study accounting at Mount St. Mary's University and aspired to become a lawyer.
Tracy left school on March 15, 1989 to go to the Westridge Square Shopping Center for her other part-time job. She was scheduled to close the stoor for the first time on that day after accumulating the day's receipts, according to media reports. Diane, Tracy's mother, explained how she and the store manager visited the store at various times throughout the day to check up on her.
Tracy was alone in the store around 8:45 pm, 15 minutes before the store was scheduled to close. That was the last time Tracy was seen alive the last time. At around 10:50 pm, the mall security guard was surprised to discover the doors unlocked. The guard walked toward the store's back and discovered Tracy's lifeless body.
Police assumed that Tracy, 17, knew her offender due to her absence of defensive injuries on her body and absence of visible signs of struggle. Because Tracy was not sexually assaulted or the store manager did not report any money stolen from the cash register, the investigators could not determine any motive for the crime. Witnesses could not locate anything suspicious.
Tracy Kirkpatrick was killed by who?
Diane had stopped by the shop at around 6:00 pm to give her a snack, and the employee there checked on her at around 8:00 pm, and no sales were recorded after 8:00 pm. The Frederick County Sheriff's deputy was also interviewed, but nothing was found.
The cops talked with Tracy's parents about a boyfriend she had broken up but patched up the night before her death. Her father said he saw her with the guy the night before, because he suspected her car was having mechanical issues. However, the police had no physical evidence linking the boyfriend to Tracy's death for several weeks.
A caller, claiming his name was 'Don,' claimed to have called a Las Vegas crime hotline in early June 1989 and claimed to have murdered Tracy. Although he denied that he had ever spoken to Tracy before, he later admitted to having spoken to her when she was working at the supermarket.
Tracy's case was investigated by the lead investigator, urging the authorities to intervene so that they might assist him. However, a Massachusetts psychic came forward on October 10, 1989, saying "Don" had called her to discuss the case and even sent her newspaper clippings about the murder. According to the show, the return address on the envelope was in Walkersville.
The police discovered no evidence to link the owner of the address to Tracy's murder. According to the program, the officers at that time made several mistakes while investigating the crime, including not looking into the back doors through which the perpetrator escaped or subpoenaing the store's phone records.
Investigators did not have the resources to use DNA analysis or other methods to solve the case because there was no modern forensic technology. Tracy's family and the police are still hopeful that someone might provide information leading to the arrest of the killer. The Kirkpatrick family is offering a $5,000 reward for true information.
