In the summer of 1962, a palpable fear had begun to creep into the city of Boston. A string of unsolved murders targeting women had left residents on edge. It was in this atmosphere of anxiety that 67-year-old Jane Sullivan, a White female, was found deceased in her Dorchester apartment at 435 Columbia Road on August 21, 1962. The discovery sent another shockwave through the community, as the details of her death bore a chilling resemblance to the other recent killings that had been plaguing
the city.
Investigators arriving at the scene found Ms. Sullivan in her bathtub. She was discovered in a half-kneeling position, with her housecoat thrown over her shoulders. The unsettling nature of the scene was consistent with the gruesome pattern that was beginning to emerge in what would become one of Boston's most infamous murder sprees.
The death of Jane Sullivan was later attributed to the notorious serial killer known as the Boston Strangler. Albert DeSalvo, the man who would eventually confess to the string of murders, claimed responsibility for Sullivan's death as part of his confession to the thirteen killings attributed to the Boston Strangler. While DeSalvo's confession linked him to the crime, debates and theories surrounding the possibility of more than one perpetrator in the "Silk Stocking Murders" have persisted over the years. Despite these ongoing discussions, the official accounts connect the death of Jane Sullivan to this dark and terrifying chapter in Boston's history.
