Ruth Naomi Thorp

Ruth Naomi Thorp, a 21-year-old mother, was building a new future for herself and her family. Having grown up in Catonsville, Maryland, under her maiden name DiDomenico, she was living in Glen Burnie with her husband and their infant daughter. In the spring of 1982, Ruth was actively working toward her goals and had recently started attending school to get her GED. Her loved ones, including her mother and brother who still live in the area, remember her as a young woman full of hope.

That hope was extinguished on April 14, 1982. On that Wednesday, a room cleaner at the Econolodge on Route 1 in Elkridge, Maryland, made a devastating discovery. Inside one of the rooms, the cleaner found Ruth Thorp; she had been strangled to death. Investigators learned that Ruth had checked into the hotel with a man they believed was an acquaintance. For decades, the identity of the man, and anyone else involved, remained a painful mystery.

The Howard County Police Department launched an immediate and intensive investigation. Detectives released a composite sketch of the man last seen with Ruth. He was described as a white male, between 22 and 24 years old, standing five feet seven to five feet ten inches tall with a slender build and light brown hair. He was wearing blue jeans with a distinctive large, multicolored patch on the right leg and a light blue, waist-length jacket. Police also believed he may have been driving a two-door American-made car with white or gold pinstripes. Despite these details and a persistent investigation, the case grew cold, leaving Ruth's family waiting for answers for nearly four decades.

A significant breakthrough finally came in July 2025, when Howard County Police announced they had identified a primary suspect in Ruth’s murder. Investigators named Albert Jacob Hartje Jr., who died in 2021, as the man responsible. Hartje, who had a history of other violent crimes, was also implicated in the murder of another woman, Laney Lee McGadney, just weeks before Ruth was killed. An investigator who had worked on Ruth's case since 2019 stated, "If he was alive today, we would be arresting him and charging him with the murders of not only Laney Lee McGadney, but also of Ruth Thorp as well."

However, the case is not closed. After a thorough review of all the evidence, police made another critical announcement: physical evidence from the crime scene proves that Albert Hartje Jr. did not act alone. "There still is physical evidence that is involved in Ruth Thorp's murder that does not come back to Albert Hartje Jr.," Tech Cpl. Wade Zufall of the Howard County Police Department said. "So there is one more person that's out there that we believe is complicit in this murder." This unknown individual's DNA does not match Hartje's, leaving a crucial part of the puzzle unsolved.

As of July 2025, the Howard County Police Department is actively seeking to identify this second suspect. They have appealed to the public for any information about Hartje's life and social circles. Hartje was born in New Jersey, moved to Riverdale, Maryland, and held jobs in concrete work and with a traveling carnival. He had a Columbia address before moving to New York City in 1983, and he later settled in Virginia after a prison sentence for robbery. Investigators hope that someone who knew or worked with Hartje might provide the key to identifying his accomplice.

For Ruth's surviving family, the partial resolution has brought a renewed sense of hope for complete justice. Investigators remain in close contact with Ruth’s mother and brother, who have waited over 40 years for the full story of what happened. The Howard County Police Department is offering a reward of up to $30,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the remaining suspect. Anyone with information is urged to call 410-313-STOP or email [email protected].