Four woman are found in a drainage ditch in Atlantic City On November 20, 2006, the body of 35-year-old Kim Raffo was discovered in a drainage ditch in West Atlantic City, New Jersey. She was one of four women found in the same area, all positioned face down with their heads pointing east towards the Atlantic City skyline. Raffo, who had been a waitress, was a mother of two children. An autopsy determined that she had been strangled with a rope or cord and had been in the ditch for a couple of days before being found.
Toxicology reports also indicated the presence of cocaine in her system at the time of her death.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Raffo had been married and lived in Florida with her husband and two children, where she was described as a dedicated mother. However, her life took a different turn after she began an affair with a man she met in a cooking class, which led to drug use. She eventually moved to Atlantic City with her boyfriend in 2003. In the fall of 2006, she had briefly returned to living with her husband on Long Island and was reportedly clean and sober during that time. However, she later went back to Atlantic City and her boyfriend, where she resumed using drugs and was working as a sex worker. She was last seen in the early morning hours of November 19, 2006.
The discovery of Raffo's body, along with the bodies of Tracy Ann Roberts, Barbara Breidor, and Molly Dilts, sparked a serial killer investigation, with the unknown perpetrator being dubbed the 'Eastbound Strangler.' Despite the extensive investigation, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murders. Several individuals were identified as persons of interest and questioned by police, but none were ever charged. Theories about a possible connection to the Gilgo Beach serial killings in Long Island were investigated but ultimately dismissed by authorities. The case of who killed Kim Raffo and the other three women remains unsolved.
