Today marks 37 years since Carolyn's remains were found. I think about this quite a bit as I was there that day, albeit somewhat tangentially. I lived on Shadow Oak Court in Timbercrest from 1984-1986. I was 8 years old at the time of her discovery. The tree boys who found her remains were two years old than me, more acquaintances than good friends, but we did often ride bikes and play in the neighborhood together. The area where she was discovered was the newer part of the subdivision -- as I recall at the time, the streets were laid out, curbs and roads in place in some cases, but there were still a number of lots with trees still in place and minimal excavation.
I seem to recall that on the day of the discovery, there was a trace amount of snow on the ground and the boys were attempting to sled in the construction area. I was not with them, but I was in my front yard playing by myself. The spot where she was found was a few streets away from my house. At one point the three boys came walking down the sidewalk toward me, whispering, huddling and carrying something. They didn't say anything to me as they walked by, just seemed very nervous and secretive.
Only later did I found out that there were carrying Carolyn's skull.
The old Topix thread on Carolyn is archived here:
Carolyn Majane
The poster "Mimi" in the thread and her brother were my next door neighbors, whose home they brought the skull to.
Not that the boys were at fault, but I wonder if the fact that the remains were transported have any bearing on the investigation that followed?
To me, this story has several levels of despair, which continues to this day as the case remains unsolved. Not just Carolyn's death, but the effect the discovery had on the boys and their families. At the time, they were interviewed by local TV and newspapers and it was a bit of curiosity. In the long run I don't know how the boys fared, as my family moved away several months later and I never kept in touch with any of them. But hopefully someday there can be a sense of closure and peace for everyone.