Friends discover a large pool of dried blood under a couch In the late summer of 1990, the life of Shirley McAvoy, a 32-year-old White female from Pittsfield, Maine, took a dark and mysterious turn. Recently separated from her husband and living alone, Shirley had introduced friends to a new man in her life, a stranger who called himself "Jerry." He was a man of many stories and conflicting backgrounds, described as being in his mid-thirties with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, crooked teeth, and pockmarks on his face, speaking with a distinct Southern
accent. This man had been staying at her home in the days leading up to her disappearance. Shirley was last seen alive by a friend at her residence on August 9, 1990. The very next day, a man matching Jerry's description was seen driving her red 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme away from the house. Her two beloved dogs were also missing.
Initially, some thought Shirley had simply taken a trip, perhaps to sort things out in her personal life. However, when she failed to show up for her youngest daughter's birthday, her family knew something was terribly wrong. Her estranged husband reported her missing, but the initial investigation yielded few clues. It wasn't until early October that a grim discovery was made at her home. Friends, concerned after not hearing from her, went to her house and found a large, dried pool of blood under the living room couch. The blood was later confirmed to be Shirley's, transforming a missing person's case into a homicide investigation. Investigators also learned that on August 10th, the day after Shirley was last seen, her car was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Boston, Massachusetts. The driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was a man, but he fled the scene before he could be identified.
The search for Shirley came to a heartbreaking end on November 20, 1990. A deer hunter in a rural wooded area of Spotsylvania, Virginia, discovered skeletal remains wrapped in a quilt. Dental records and a class ring confirmed the remains belonged to Shirley McAvoy. Her feet had been bound with a cord. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, a definitive cause of death was difficult to determine, though later reports indicated she may have been stabbed.
The man known only as "Jerry" remains the primary and only suspect in Shirley's murder. Despite a composite sketch being released and numerous details about his possible background—that he may have worked construction, had a daughter, and recently divorced—his true identity has never been established. Shirley's car was eventually recovered in Darien, Georgia. It had been repainted from red to gray and sold. Investigators believe the suspect drove to Virginia to dispose of Shirley's body before continuing to Florida, where the car was abandoned and later stolen. To this day, no arrests have been made, and the enigmatic "Jerry" has never been found, leaving the violent death of Shirley McAvoy an unsolved mystery.
