Jane Marie Prichard

Jane Marie Prichard was a bright and dedicated 28-year-old woman with a passion for the natural world. A graduate student in botany at the University of Maryland, she lived in Clarksburg, Maryland, and was deeply engaged in the research for her master's thesis on a native vine called hog peanut. Her brother, Keith, remembered her as someone who loved horses and the outdoors, a person who could get so excited about a plant discovery that she would create a presentation for her family. Her work frequently brought her to the lush woodlands of Delaware, a place where she could immerse herself in the studies that she loved.

On the morning of Saturday, September 20, 1986, Jane drove her blue and white 1980 Chevrolet Blazer into Blackbird State Forest near Smyrna, Delaware. She had stayed with a friend in Lewes the night before to shorten her trip. Arriving around 7 a.m., she parked along an access road and carried her equipment into the trees to set up her research station. As was her habit, she kept meticulous, time-stamped field notes, documenting her scientific observations. Shortly after 10 a.m., the careful entries abruptly stopped. Later that evening, two campers discovered her partially clothed body about 20 to 30 feet off a trail. An investigation determined that Jane had been killed by a single shotgun blast to her back.

Investigators from the New Castle County Division of Police quickly ruled out the possibility of a hunting accident, declaring her death a homicide. The forest was popular with hunters, especially since it was small game season, and the sound of a shotgun blast that morning would not have been out of the ordinary. A squirrel hunter came forward and told police he had seen Jane alive shortly after 10 a.m., speaking with another man near her research site. He provided a detailed description of the unknown man, and police released a composite sketch of a bearded white male, estimated to be 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans.

The initial investigation was extensive, with police conducting more than 300 interviews. A month after the murder, the case took a surprising turn when authorities arrested and charged the squirrel hunter who had been their key witness, citing inconsistencies in his statements. However, the case against him collapsed before it could go to trial. In August 1987, the charges were dropped after DNA testing on a hair found at the crime scene proved he could not have been the killer. With no other suspects and leads drying up, the case eventually went cold.

For decades, Jane’s family waited for answers. A significant development came in 2014 when the New Castle County Division of Police established a new Cold Case Homicide Squad. Detectives selected Jane’s case, official number 32-86-065977, as one of their first priorities. Detective Thomas Orzechowski and his partner, retired Sgt. Glenn Davis, began re-examining the file and submitted physical evidence from the scene for modern forensic DNA testing that was unavailable in 1986. They contacted Jane's family to inform them of the renewed effort. "I thought it was just astounding. I was flabbergasted,” her brother Keith told a reporter, adding the family was happy to hear investigators had not given up.

As of July 2026, the murder of Jane Marie Prichard remains an active, unsolved cold case. Detectives continue to hope that modern science or a new tip will finally provide the breakthrough needed to close the case. The man depicted in the 1986 composite sketch would now be in his sixties or seventies. Police continue to ask for the public's help with any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Delaware Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $5,000 for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-395-8110 or email [email protected].