In the early morning hours of July 1, 1964, the life of 18-year-old Patricia Haywood, a white female, was tragically cut short in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her body was discovered shortly after 9 a.m. in an alleyway behind a residence at 1350 N. 17th Street. She had been fatally shot in the head. The scene suggested a struggle; her yellow blouse was pushed up around her neck, and her shorts and underclothing were torn down to her ankles.
Despite the disarray of her clothing, there was no evidence of sexual assault found at the scene.
The night before her death, Patricia had been out with a friend. The two had gone to a drive-in movie and then to a coffee shop. Patricia dropped her friend off at her home around 12:15 a.m. Authorities believe she then drove to her father's house at 1225 N. 16th St. to drop off his car keys. Her car was later found parked in his driveway with the keys inside on a bookcase. From there, it is thought she began the walk to her mother's apartment at 1827 Bunting Avenue, where she was also living. It was during this walk that she was attacked. Some neighbors later reported hearing sounds that could have been gunshots, but at the time, they dismissed them as early Fourth of July firecrackers.
Despite an investigation by the Grand Junction Police Department, no suspects were ever publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in the decades since her murder. The case grew cold, leaving a lasting wound in the community and for the family of Patricia Haywood. Her friend, the last known person to see her alive, was questioned and administered a polygraph test, but no discernible evidence was ever found to lead to an arrest. The murder of Patricia Haywood remains an unsolved homicide, a chilling event from the city's past that continues to be a haunting mystery.
