OH OH- Mary Petry, 20, & William J. Sproat, 22, bound w. metal coat hangers, S.A., stabbed & bludgeoned w, bowling ball, OSU, 28 Feb '70, *DNA, REWARD*

[Richard]

missing? i thought they were murdered

You are correct. My intention with the post was only to get their pictures shown again.

Mary Jane Petry (20) and William Joseph Sproat Jr. (22)​

 

[sds71]

Finding out who killed 20-year-old Mary Petry and her 22-year-old boyfriend William Sproat at a home near Ohio State University's campus in 1970 would only bring small satisfaction to Mary's twin sister, Martha.

"I really would like to know why," Martha Petry said. "That's much more important than any punishment."


Martha Petry said she still has letters that her twin wrote her, every line crammed with information about Sproat, from what restaurant they had eaten at to how the pair enjoyed speaking in French to each other.

Petry said she and Sproat's sister both believe the person who killed their siblings may have known them because of how violent the crime was. The attempt to use new technology to try and find answers about what happened is a blessing for Petry.

"This is not about justice, it's more about mercy," she said. "The mercy is knowing the mystery. It has always been there, but it wasn't something that I could dig into because it had such an emotional weight to it, but during COVID, after I had retired, there was a new sense of asking why."

Should the evidence at the scene yield a potential genealogical match, Petry said she knows it may not give her the answers she's looking for about why her sister had to die.

"My universe is not one that's about an eye for an eye," Petry said. "There may be a reason. There may be understanding of something that I don't understand."

Forensic genealogy breathing new life into unsolved Columbus police homicide cases

Columbus police have identified several dozen unsolved homicides that may be able to be solved with the use of genetic genealogy, an emerging technology.

www.dispatch.com

 

[dotr]

The tragedy of Bill and Mary: an Ohio State cold case, revisited

The Independent Student Voice of Ohio State

www.thelantern.com

Very lengthy, rbbm
''William “Bill” Sproat, a graduate student at Ohio State, and Mary Petry, a third-year at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati — both introverted, devout Catholics — first met through a mutual friend. Their shared love and practice of French culture took care of the rest.''

"The circumstances of the crime were especially shocking and confusing to the Sproat family, Loeliger said, because of Bill Sproat’s gentle nature.
“He was not a fighter kind of person,” Loeliger said. “He was quiet but fun-loving, very conscientious about his studies, yet not nerdy,” Loeliger said''.

“All of my life I tried to be different from Mary, so bright, so brilliant, so intellectual,” Martha Petry said.
''The fact that Mary Petry was sexually assaulted, according to the police report, not only pointed to a possible motive but frightened women in the area.''

''According to the podcast, preserved DNA from the 1970 crime scene is currently awaiting analysis through an investigative genetic genealogy lab until two other suspects can be ruled out.''

 

[dotr]

by Kurt Ludlow, September 27th 2024 rbbm

Cold case breakthrough? DNA could reveal who killed Mary and Bill in 1970

A haunting cold case that has puzzled Columbus investigators and shattered families for over five decades, could be solved through new DNA technology.

cwcolumbus.com

''It was a crime so brutal, so terrifying, so violent and cold-blooded, newspaper headlines couldn't begin to capture the viciousness.
On a cold February night in 1970, 20-year-old Mary Petry and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Bill Sproat, were discovered murdered in Bill's off-campus apartment on West 8th Avenue in Columbus. The autopsies revealed the savagery of the crime -- Sproat stabbed more than 20 times, his wrists bound to his ankles with wire hangers, and a gag in his mouth. Petry was stabbed more than a dozen times, her skull crushed with a bowling ball, and she'd been sexually assaulted. Bloody fingerprints were found at the scene.''

''The night of the murders, Martha experienced a chilling premonition while alone in her dorm room in Minnesota.
"Well you know some twins have ESP," she said. "I woke up choking to death, and I remember going to the corner sink in our room and I can remember feeling like, 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe."
'Little did she know, her twin sister Mary was taking her last breaths hundreds of miles away.'

 

[Betty P]

From your link:

CPD’s recent hire of a genetic genealogist brings a glimmer of hope. McConnell and his team have sent evidence for advanced DNA testing, praying it will finally reveal the killer’s identity.

Finally, Columbus PD is making moves towards solving cases via genetic genealogy and DNA testing. Let's hope and pray they finally find the killer.

 

[ErinC]

I somehow hadn't remembered this, but my mom was attending Ohio State during that time frame. I'll try to see if she remembers anything.

 

[dotr]

Sep 29, 2024 #WSYX #ABC6 #News
It was a crime so brutal, so terrifying, so violent and cold-blooded, newspaper headlines couldn't begin to capture the viciousness. A haunting cold case that has puzzled Columbus investigators and shattered families for more than five decades could be solved through new DNA technology.