GA GA - Theresa M. (Terry) Kopec, 27, Smyrna, April 1984

[Mary Z]

I was a high school classmate of Terry’s and came across this site while searching for her obit for our class reunion. So sad but I will be seeing close to 30 other classmates and will let you know if any kept in touch with Terry. So sad.

 

[Livinia]

I was a high school classmate of Terry’s and came across this site while searching for her obit for our class reunion. So sad but I will be seeing close to 30 other classmates and will let you know if any kept in touch with Terry. So sad.

Dear Mary,

I would love to hear the remarks of Terry's classmates regarding what they remember about her interests and personality. As you know, I'm working on an article to raise awareness of her unsolved murder in the hopes of someone talking to the police who was afraid to do so in 1984. I would love to be able to add to my story with remarks from her classmates. Please get back to me with those if you can. In addition, if any of her former classmates have connections to the Wilmington news outlets, please let me know. I have to shop my article around to get it published. The Atlanta newspaper does not take freelance work. I sent an email to the Wilmington newspaper but have not heard back. This is the biggest obstacle to getting the story out. Mary, I'm sorry for your loss and thanks so much for getting in touch with me. L.

 

[Livinia]

Livinia, I have been trying to find new details about this case for several years. It was a case we studied in one of my CJ courses in college.

Hi, GAgirl, I was wondering if you know or knew a woman named Jan Morris. She was also in Stan Crowder's class in criminal justice that took up Terry's case. She was in touch with a Piedmont colleague of mine a few years ago and very interested in the case still. I would like to talk to her if you know how to contact her. Thanks for your support.

 

[the prosecutor]

Here's an update of what's happened regarding my inquiry into this case: A relative of Terry Kopec's found me on this site and we've been in contact by email. The family is on board with igniting interest in the case, really good news. They are going to get the head of Cobb County's cold case squad to reach out to the Vidocq Society, the esteemed cold case solving organization located in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, I'm working on a draft of an article about the case because someone out there who wouldn't talk to the police in 1984 might do so now. Here's something I'd like your reaction on: I've heard through the Piedmont Airlines grapevine that evidence from Terry's case was lost in a move by the police department. The head of the cold case squad himself told me, "some of the original evidence has not been found." Yet when I asked him to clarify this remark, he scolded me that I shouldn't put anything in the article about "evidence." Now, saying what he told me is not revealing anything about what evidence exists, only that some of it may be lost. I don't see how this could help the perpetrator, but could it? I'm researching media outlets that might publish the article, no small task. The Atlanta paper told me they don't take freelance work, so that's out. True Crime Magazine has staff writers, and I don't see anywhere on their web site on how to contact them. But, I'll keep looking. Do any of you know of any true crime blogs that would take a post from a guest blogger? It has to be one that is widely read, or there's no point in it. I did contact Dateline and 48 Hours, so maybe one of them might be interested, a long shot, I know, but you have to try. Any suggestions you have are welcome.

You should contact Nancy Grace. She worked in Atlanta and may be familiar with this case. Maybe she would be willing to help you.

 

[Livinia]

You should contact Nancy Grace. She worked in Atlanta and may be familiar with this case. Maybe she would be willing to help you.

I think that's a great idea. I don't get that channel on TV anymore, but I used to love her show. L.

 

[Bit of hope]

@Livinia. So sorry for your friend Livinia and I tip my head for you doing this. I really want you to reach out and get some new attention to this case. Thank you so much for doing this. Coming from Europe, I don't have the network in America that you could use. Just one possible tip. I followed the missing case of Jenna van Gelderen (Atlanta, Georgia) quite intense. Her family did a wonderful job to keep her case in the "light". Maybe you could learn something from that case.

 

[Bit of hope]

Here is another clipping from the New Journal, Wilmington Delaware, 25 april 1984) that was not posted already

 

[Bit of hope]

Clipping from The Atlanta Constitution - Newspapers.com

There must be al lot of people (a whole class) that looked into this case very intense. They must know much more, dan we can dig up through te Internet. I wonder what the "mainstream" profile was of the perp they came up with.

 

[Livinia]

@Livinia. So sorry for your friend Livinia and I tip my head for you doing this. I really want you to reach out and get some new attention to this case. Thank you so much for doing this. Coming from Europe, I don't have the network in America that you could use. Just one possible tip. I followed the missing case of Jenna van Gelderen (Atlanta, Georgia) quite intense. Her family did a wonderful job to keep her case in the "light". Maybe you could learn something from that case.

Hi and thanks so much for your suggestion and support. I will look into the case you noted and see what they did. L.

Here is another clipping from the New Journal, Wilmington Delaware, 25 april 1984) that was not posted already

Thanks for your response. But she wouldn't have been listed on any Missing persons list because she didn't go missing. She was found dead in her residence. L.

 

[Bit of hope]

Hi and thanks so much for your suggestion and support. I will look into the case you noted and see what they did. L.

Thanks for your response. But she wouldn't have been listed on any Missing persons list because she didn't go missing. She was found dead in her residence. L.

It's not about missing or murdered...it's about what to do in modern times to get an issue looked into...in this case a cold case murder.

 

[Livinia]

It's not about missing or murdered...it's about what to do in modern times to get an issue looked into...in this case a cold case murder.

I'm sorry to be so dense, but I clicked on the site for which you included a link and it's all about unidentified or missing people... ??? I'm merely a writer with a murdered friend who is seeking justice for her. Her family has to ultimately buy into the task of pressuring the authorities because they're the ones with the most emotional investment in doing so. No one can pressure them to do this. I've already contacted all of the major U.S. crime-investigation shows and the media outlets in the Atlanta area. I'm just waiting to see what comes from that. These things have to percolate sometimes.

 

[Livinia]

There must be al lot of people (a whole class) that looked into this case very intense. They must know much more, dan we can dig up through te Internet. I wonder what the "mainstream" profile was of the perp they came up with.

I have obtained through sources a copy of the FBI's profile of Terry's killer. To protect my source, I cannot use that information publicly at this point. Suffice it to say that he was the worst kind of killer.

 

[Bit of hope]

I have obtained through sources a copy of the FBI's profile of Terry's killer. To protect my source, I cannot use that information publicly at this point. Suffice it to say that he was the worst kind of killer.

Reading the paper clips, and imagening the crime scene, he was the worst. I want to help you so much. At this point I don't know how, missing essential information. (I can understand btw you don't share that)

 

[Livinia]

Here's an update on my looking into this case. I finished an article about the murder. I got as much input from the Cobb County cold case squad as I'm going to given that the head of the unit has not answered my last three email messages. I have also gotten input from one of the deceased's family members. I have pitched the article to Atlanta Magazine, which takes months to respond if they're interested. I don't have much hope for that venue as they only publish well known authors. There are some true crime blogs that may be interested. I have one that has asked for the article. If he posts it, I'll put a link to it on this site. In the meantime, a family member told me that the police did take fingernail scrapings from Terry's body. I'm wondering why they did this when it was pre-DNA. Maybe to determine race or blood type? Can anyone enlighten me? But the main question is, if they did this, where is it??? As I may have written here some time ago, the head of the cold case squad told me "some of the original evidence has not been found." When I asked him to clarify this remark, he refused. A former fellow flight attendant colleague of mine and Terry's told me a detective told her years ago that evidence was lost when the police department moved to a new building. From what I've read about the case, the killer was not known to Terry. I think he was a serial murderer. The detective I talked to told me this was not his first murder and the evidence I saw indicates that is true. His method of strangulation was kind of unique. Is there a list somewhere of American serial killers and the methods they used? Thanks for all. L.

 

[Bit of hope]

Here's an update on my looking into this case. I finished an article about the murder. I got as much input from the Cobb County cold case squad as I'm going to given that the head of the unit has not answered my last three email messages. I have also gotten input from one of the deceased's family members. I have pitched the article to Atlanta Magazine, which takes months to respond if they're interested. I don't have much hope for that venue as they only publish well known authors. There are some true crime blogs that may be interested. I have one that has asked for the article. If he posts it, I'll put a link to it on this site. In the meantime, a family member told me that the police did take fingernail scrapings from Terry's body. I'm wondering why they did this when it was pre-DNA. Maybe to determine race or blood type? Can anyone enlighten me? But the main question is, if they did this, where is it??? As I may have written here some time ago, the head of the cold case squad told me "some of the original evidence has not been found." When I asked him to clarify this remark, he refused. A former fellow flight attendant colleague of mine and Terry's told me a detective told her years ago that evidence was lost when the police department moved to a new building. From what I've read about the case, the killer was not known to Terry. I think he was a serial murderer. The detective I talked to told me this was not his first murder and the evidence I saw indicates that is true. His method of strangulation was kind of unique. Is there a list somewhere of American serial killers and the methods they used? Thanks for all. L.

Maybe this is of help
Georgia (USA) murderers list | Murderpedia (I filtered on Georgia, but you can look into all states)

 

[Livinia]

Maybe this is of help
Georgia (USA) murderers list | Murderpedia (I filtered on Georgia, but you can look into all states)

Okay, thanks for this link. This will take some time to look through. In addition, I'm sure you know that many serial killers move around a lot. So, really, he could have been in any state here.

 

[Livinia]

I have gotten an article posted about Terry's case on a True Crime web site. Here is the link:
TRUECRIMEGUY.COM - Everything True Crime: Missing Persons, Unsolved Murders, Serial Killers,Cold Cases & more

I hope you like the piece. I've gotten good feedback from former colleagues of Terry's. Here's another thing I need help with: I've learned that Piedmont Airlines hired a retired FBI agent to investigate Terry's case because it was dissatisfied with the one done by the police. No one I've talked to remembers this man's name. Anyone out there know it? Thanks.

 

[Bit of hope]

I have gotten an article posted about Terry's case on a True Crime web site. Here is the link:
TRUECRIMEGUY.COM - Everything True Crime: Missing Persons, Unsolved Murders, Serial Killers,Cold Cases & more

I hope you like the piece. I've gotten good feedback from former colleagues of Terry's. Here's another thing I need help with: I've learned that Piedmont Airlines hired a retired FBI agent to investigate Terry's case because it was dissatisfied with the one done by the police. No one I've talked to remembers this man's name. Anyone out there know it? Thanks.

@Livinia
You did a great job Livinia! Thank you for writing this and getting her case out again. I sensed a lot of anger and pain over your lost friend. Must be hard for you to relive it all. I hope you are ok. So sorry for what she had to endure and for everyone of you, missing her.

This stood out for me:

The airline hired a retired FBI agent to look into the case, someone whose name now escapes Glenda’s memory. He gathered evidence and conducted interviews for months. Some of Terry’s colleagues were interviewed, but the police had eliminated these men as suspects and think her assailant was a stranger. The investigator found evidence pointing to a perpetrator in prison for another crime. A serial killer, he thought, because of the particular physical evidence at the scene.

And off course this.......SAY WHAT!!??

Officer Dawes told me in an interview that “some of the original evidence has not been found.” When I asked him to clarify this remark, he scolded me and said nothing regarding evidence should appear in my article. Even though Dawes told me he would collaborate with me on this piece, he never answered subsequent email messages from me posing other questions about the case. Any notion of our collaboration ended like a summer romance. Kathy Qualey, of the Victim’s Advocate office of the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, didn’t return the last few emails I sent her, either, even though she originally pointed me toward Dawes and asked me to keep her posted.

I hope somebody can recall who this FBI agent was. Fingers crossed.

Did you find a (serial) killer on the Murderpedia site who could match the profile/the sketch?

Kind regards,
BOH

 

[Livinia]

@Livinia
You did a great job Livinia! Thank you for writing this and getting her case out again. I sensed a lot of anger and pain over your lost friend. Must be hard for you to relive it all. I hope you are ok. So sorry for what she had to endure and for everyone of you, missing her.

This stood out for me:

The airline hired a retired FBI agent to look into the case, someone whose name now escapes Glenda’s memory. He gathered evidence and conducted interviews for months. Some of Terry’s colleagues were interviewed, but the police had eliminated these men as suspects and think her assailant was a stranger. The investigator found evidence pointing to a perpetrator in prison for another crime. A serial killer, he thought, because of the particular physical evidence at the scene.

And off course this.......SAY WHAT!!??

Officer Dawes told me in an interview that “some of the original evidence has not been found.” When I asked him to clarify this remark, he scolded me and said nothing regarding evidence should appear in my article. Even though Dawes told me he would collaborate with me on this piece, he never answered subsequent email messages from me posing other questions about the case. Any notion of our collaboration ended like a summer romance. Kathy Qualey, of the Victim’s Advocate office of the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, didn’t return the last few emails I sent her, either, even though she originally pointed me toward Dawes and asked me to keep her posted.

I hope somebody can recall who this FBI agent was. Fingers crossed.

Did you find a (serial) killer on the Murderpedia site who could match the profile/the sketch?

Kind regards,
BOH

Yes, thanks, I'm still trying to get the name of that agent. Have a few feelers out. I have not had time to go through that site or the one for killers in Georgia. It's on my list. Thanks for all.

 

[Bit of hope]

Yes, thanks, I'm still trying to get the name of that agent. Have a few feelers out. I have not had time to go through that site or the one for killers in Georgia. It's on my list. Thanks for all.

I understand...other things need focus too. Good luck!!