Juneau, Lafayette Co. Authorities Reopen 1987 Cold Case
$25,000 Reward Being Offered To Catch Woman's Killer
Updated: 9:59 am CDT March 27, 2009
LYNDON STATION, Wis. -- Authorities in Juneau County and Lafayette County have reopened the investigation of a woman's killing that occurred 22 years ago.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportAuthorities are investigating the slaying of Barbara F. Blackstone, of Lyndon Station, who was 30 years old at the time of her disappearance.She was last seen in July 1987 at a gas station in Lyndon Station. Authorities said her body was found four weeks later by a hunter in a wooded area of Lafayette County.Authorities haven't said why they're reopening the cold case.There were three slayings in the area that summer in 1987, and residents who remember that time said there was a lot of fear in the community."I had a son and younger daughter at the time, and I lived out in the country, and I was afraid to be at home. To me it was a really rough summer, because we would be afraid of who would pull in the driveway. I was a stay at home mom at the time and it really scared me. It really did," said Shelley Hill, who remembers the killings."I was managing a resort outside of Wisconsin Dells at the time. I just remember the employees being afraid; people here visiting were afraid," said Kim Walsh-Betthauser.Walsh-Betthauser said the mystery of Blackstone's death added to the fear."They didn't have any answers," Walsh-Betthauser said. "They said her purse was still there. It didn't look like there was a struggle. It looked like she'd gone and got some gasoline to fill up the lawn mower with."Two of the killings that summer were solved, ending fears of a serial killer."And we always said, 'Whatever happened to that Blackstone case?' They never solved that. They solved others," Hill said.Kim Brown and Terry Vollbrecht were separately charged, tried and convicted in the two other slayings. Authorities said the crimes were not connected.A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Blackstone's death.Anyone with information is encouraged to call Lafayette County Crime Stoppers at 800-606-8477 or Juneau County Crime Stoppers at 800-826-8477.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportAuthorities are investigating the slaying of Barbara F. Blackstone, of Lyndon Station, who was 30 years old at the time of her disappearance.She was last seen in July 1987 at a gas station in Lyndon Station. Authorities said her body was found four weeks later by a hunter in a wooded area of Lafayette County.Authorities haven't said why they're reopening the cold case.There were three slayings in the area that summer in 1987, and residents who remember that time said there was a lot of fear in the community."I had a son and younger daughter at the time, and I lived out in the country, and I was afraid to be at home. To me it was a really rough summer, because we would be afraid of who would pull in the driveway. I was a stay at home mom at the time and it really scared me. It really did," said Shelley Hill, who remembers the killings."I was managing a resort outside of Wisconsin Dells at the time. I just remember the employees being afraid; people here visiting were afraid," said Kim Walsh-Betthauser.Walsh-Betthauser said the mystery of Blackstone's death added to the fear."They didn't have any answers," Walsh-Betthauser said. "They said her purse was still there. It didn't look like there was a struggle. It looked like she'd gone and got some gasoline to fill up the lawn mower with."Two of the killings that summer were solved, ending fears of a serial killer."And we always said, 'Whatever happened to that Blackstone case?' They never solved that. They solved others," Hill said.Kim Brown and Terry Vollbrecht were separately charged, tried and convicted in the two other slayings. Authorities said the crimes were not connected.A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Blackstone's death.Anyone with information is encouraged to call Lafayette County Crime Stoppers at 800-606-8477 or Juneau County Crime Stoppers at 800-826-8477.Copyright 2009 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
