A Penn State University student is found dead in her apartment
In the quiet town of State College, Pennsylvania, the life of a promising 21-year-old Penn State student, Dana Bailey, was tragically cut short in early March of 1987. A friendly and well-liked young woman, she was a senior at the university and also worked part-time as a waitress at the local Corner Room. Engaged to be married, she had just returned to her off-campus apartment on Allen Street after visiting her fiancé in Washington, D.C.
Sometime between the 4th and 5th of March, an intruder forcibly entered her second-floor apartment. The investigation revealed that the perpetrator had likely been watching Bailey from a nearby building that was under renovation. Evidence suggested the suspect used a bucket to reach her kitchen window, cut the screen, and climb inside. Tragically, her mother discovered her body the following day. An autopsy later confirmed that Dana Bailey had died from multiple stab wounds. The murder weapon, a steak knife from her own kitchen, was found in the apartment.
The initial investigation launched by the State College police involved processing hundreds of leads, but a viable suspect remained elusive. Shoe prints found in the location from where Bailey was likely surveilled matched prints found inside her apartment, pointing to a stalker. Despite the extensive investigation, the case grew cold over the years.
A significant development came in December 2003, when police received an anonymous letter containing two names. Investigators located and questioned the two individuals mentioned in the letter, but were unable to establish any connection to the murder. Authorities made a public appeal for the author of the letter to come forward to provide more information, but to no avail. To this day, the murder of Dana Bailey remains unsolved, with no arrests having been made in connection with the case. A reward has been offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of her killer.
