A 79 year old woman's murder is marked one of the most brutal in Covington, KY In the summer of 1979, a quiet community in Covington, Kentucky, was unsettled by the death of a 77-year-old woman named Sarah Jane Kelley. A resident of a second-floor apartment, Kelley was known to be a regular attendee of a local prayer meeting. It was her failure to appear at one of these gatherings on July 5, 1979, that raised concern among her friends and led to the discovery of a grim scene.
When authorities were called to her home, they found Kelley's body inside her apartment.
Investigators at the time noted the perplexing nature of the crime scene. A significant amount of cash, totaling $400, along with a $176 Social Security check, were found hidden under her mattress, suggesting that burglary was likely not the motive for the attack. Another peculiar detail that emerged was Kelley's habit of using a butter knife, which she would leave on her windowsill, to get into her apartment. However, law enforcement quickly determined that this was not how her killer gained entry.
Despite the initial investigation and the passage of many years, the murder of Sarah Jane Kelley remains an unsolved cold case. The brutality of the crime left a lasting impression on the community and law enforcement. In 1996, there was a glimmer of hope as the Covington Police Department expressed a desire to apply new DNA technology to evidence collected from the original crime scene. However, there have been no public announcements of any arrests or the identification of any suspects in the decades since her death. The case continues to be a somber mystery, leaving behind unanswered questions and a community still waiting for justice for Sarah Jane Kelley.
