Alphabet Murders

In 1973, Wanda Walkowicz, 11, lived with her mother, Joyce, and her sisters, Rita and Michelle, in the upper apartment of a home on Avenue D. Her father had died of a heart attack about five years before. 

A 65-pound red-headed tomboy, Wanda was outgoing and popular with the local kids.

The day of Wanda’s disappearance, April 2, 1973, was a grey, wet Monday. “I remember that day very vividly because every Monday, if it’s a rainy day, it’s very dark for me,” said Wanda’s sister, Rita,  in 2009.

After school on April 2, Joyce Walkowicz sent Wanda to a supermarket on the corner of Conkey Avenue and Avenue A. At the store, Wanda bought items totalling $8.52. Apart from food for the evening meal, Wanda purchased disposable diapers for Michelle and cat food. Store clerk Richard Checchi said everything seemed normal, although Wanda did say she was in a hurry. He confirmed it was usual for Wanda to come to the store at least once a day.

Several witnesses saw her leave the store and travel north along Conkey Avenue, the most direct route to her home. In the Alphabet Killer, Cheri Farnsworth states that the last time Wanda was seen she was ‘leaning against the school fence’. 

The next day, a State Police Trooper, Thomas Zimmer, found Wanda’s body near the bottom of an embankment at the old Irondequoit Bay rest area off Route 104 in Webster. 

Wanda had been strangled — possibly with a belt — and raped. 

The day after Trooper Zimmer found Wanda’s body, the Gannett Rochester Newspapers offered a reward of $2,500  for information leading to the apprehension of the killer. The authorities established a secret witness line that gave callers the   option of identifying themselves or remaining anonymous. Regardless of which option was chosen, all informants were given a six-digit number which was required to claim the reward

Citizens for a Decent Community (CDC) also offered a reward of $1,000, that was increased to $6,000 when the Rochester Auto Dealers Association agreed to contribute $5,000.  By the time the CDC put up billboards asking for assistance from the public, the reward for information leading to the apprehension of the killer had risen to $10,000.

Tips rolled in, including reports that a man driving a light-brown coloured car had pulled a red-haired girl into the car near the corner of Conkey Avenue and Avenue D the day of Wanda’s abduction. Another person claimed to have seen a similar vehicle near the rest area off Route 104. A third informant claimed to have witnessed a body thrown from a vehicle matching the description given by the other informants.

Unfortunately, the police failed to identify or apprehend Wanda’s killer.