A woman is found dead lying in a field In the quiet town of Hardwick, Vermont, the summer of 1977 was shattered by a brutal act of violence that has remained a haunting mystery for decades. On July 15th of that year, 39-year-old Caucasian female Joan M. Rogers, a local woman known for her friendly demeanor, vanished without a trace. The last time she was seen alive was around 7:30 p.m. as she was driving from the village towards her farm.
She had dropped her children off at a movie earlier in the evening and was expected to pick them up later. When she failed to return, a sense of unease settled over the community.
The following day, the grim discovery of her body in a hayfield confirmed the town's worst fears. Joan Rogers had been brutally strangled with her own bra, her truck found nearby. The shocking nature of the crime sent ripples of fear and disbelief through the close-knit community, unaccustomed to such violence. The Vermont State Police were called in to investigate the homicide, but in the era before DNA technology, the case quickly grew cold, leaving a void of unanswered questions and a lingering sense of injustice.
In the years that followed, the investigation into Joan Rogers' murder continued, though without any significant breakthroughs. The case took an intriguing turn, however, when another Hardwick resident, Bernard Ewen, was also found murdered on the same weekend. Investigators have long considered the possibility that the two homicides are connected. While no arrests have ever been made in Joan Rogers' case, suspicion has fallen upon a notorious serial killer, Rodney Alcala, also known as the "Dating Game Killer." At the time of the murders, Alcala, a convicted sex offender, had received permission from his parole officer to travel to Albany, New York, a city within a few hours' drive of Hardwick.
The methods used in the murders of both Rogers and Ewen, particularly the use of a ligature for strangulation, bear a striking resemblance to Alcala's known modus operandi. Despite the compelling circumstantial evidence and the striking similarities to his other crimes, Rodney Alcala was never officially charged in connection with the Hardwick murders. He died in prison in 2021, taking any potential answers about his involvement in Joan Rogers' death to his grave. The case remains officially unsolved, a dark chapter in the history of Hardwick, Vermont, and a painful, unresolved tragedy for the family and friends of Joan M. Rogers.
