KS KS- Gayle A. Sorensen, 23, left on work errand, found sex. assaulted & throat slashed, Arkansas River Levey, 11 Feb.'77 *New initiative*

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  • #1
May 3 2023 rbbm.
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Reno County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for leads in a 1977 death of a woman.

''On February 11, 1977, Gayle A. Sorensen left work to run some errands for her employer. After not returning to work, her coworkers became concerned and notified her husband, who reported her missing. Later that evening, Sorensen’s vehicle was found in the Dillon’s Parking lot at 734 E. 4th in Hutchinson.

A witness who was later interviewed said she observed a vehicle in the Dillon’s parking lot which is believed to have been Sorensen’s. She said that she had observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and an unknown white man standing outside of the driver’s door talking to the driver. She said that both were laughing, and she assumed that they knew each other. This unknown man was described as 26-28 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-foot and shaggy brown hair which was about collar length or longer He was described as wearing wire framed glasses with brown lens, a red stocking cap, and he had a mustache and goatee.

Several days later, Sorensen’s body was discovered southeast of Hutchinson, along the Arkansas River Levey. Her throat had been slashed and she had been sexually assaulted. Her death remains unsolved. If you have any information regarding the murder of Gayle Sorensen, please contact Captain Shawn McClay or Detective Diana Skomal with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office at 620 694-2735. If you wish to remain anonymous you can call 620 694-2666 or 800 222-TIPS.''
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  • #2
  • #3
''Aired March 1, 2005 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED''.

''DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The headlines of the shocking crime are old and faded but people of small town Hutchinson, Kansas say their memories are still painfully clear.

People were pretty frightened not knowing the exact circumstances of the case.

MATTINGLY: Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson was a young rookie police officer in 1977 when 23-year-old Gayle Sorensen disappeared while running an errand. Her car was found unlocked in a busy parking lot.

(on camera): So you don't know for sure but it's possible she was abducted right here from this parking lot?

SHERIFF RANDY HENDERSON, RENO COUNTY, KANSAS: That's possible.

MATTINGLY: And this was a very busy parking lot at the time. This was one of the bigger grocery stores in town.

HENDERSON: That's correct.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Just two days later, the mystery of her disappearance took a heartbreaking turn. Her body was found outside town near the banks of the Arkansas River.

According to news reports at the time, she was hit in the head and her throat cut with a knife. ''
 
  • #4
A witness who was later interviewed said she observed a vehicle in the Dillon’s parking lot which is believed to have been Sorensen’s. She said that she had observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and an unknown white man standing outside of the driver’s door talking to the driver. She said that both were laughing, and she assumed that they knew each other. This unknown man was described as 26-28 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-foot and shaggy brown hair which was about collar length or longer He was described as wearing wire framed glasses with brown lens, a red stocking cap, and he had a mustache and goatee.

Several days later, Sorensen’s body was discovered southeast of Hutchinson, along the Arkansas River Levey. Her throat had been slashed and she had been sexually assaulted. Her death remains unsolved.
 
  • #5
Is there a sketch anywhere of the man she was last seen with? I’m asking so I can compare it with a man who is listed as an active serial killer in that region, during that time period, and with a similar method.
 
  • #6
Found this suspect sketch in a 1980 Hutchinson News article by Roger Verdon titled "Sorensen case takes a bizarre twist."
 

Attachments

  • Gayle Sorensen Suspect Sketch.jpg
    Gayle Sorensen Suspect Sketch.jpg
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  • #7
“MATTINGLY (on camera): So, this barbed wire was here before?

HENDERSON: There was barbed wire here before.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Returning to the isolated crime scene we find little has changed in the woods where Gayle Sorensen's life came to an end, not the terrain and not the unanswered questions in a manhunt that was growing colder by the decade.

(on camera): This secluded spot doesn't that suggest that the killer was familiar with this area?

HENDERSON: I would say probably not and the reason I say that just on the opposite side of the river is the firing range for the police department and sheriff's department. I would think he would stay away from areas like that.

MATTINGLY: Occasionally, there were leads in the case but nothing that ever really panned out. Eventually, all the original investigators either retired or left the department. But to a new generation this was never a cold case. It was always the investigation into the murder of a young hometown woman that was badly in need of a very big break.”

 
  • #8
Is DNA available?
 
  • #9
Is DNA available?
It looks like they do have DNA, imo.rbbm

''Henderson has asked the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to compare DNA samples from the Sorensen case with those collected in the BTK investigation to see if there's any connection.

Larry Sorensen, Gayle's husband, said he fears being disappointed again if the case is not solved.

"After 28 years and a number of different leads that haven't worked out -- some came very close, we in fact -- a couple times ... in the last few years thought that it may come to closure, but it didn't work out," Sorensen told CNN.

"It's kind of hard to get your hopes up time after time ... only to have them dashed again after nearly 30 years."

Henderson, who has worked on the case since he joined the sheriff's department as a rookie, said he has to stay optimistic.''
 
  • #10
I was Two when Gayle was murdered she was my moms best friend and we had just went up there the week before. From talking to my mom they had a full hand print off of her car. There was also someone that called into the radio station saying they had the knife. And I was told she had a blood alcohol level and she didn’t drink. I really hope we can solve her murder
 
  • #11
I have a few questions/statements after reading the linked article posted on the Reno County Sheriff’s Facebook page (published Feb 1977).
Firstly, I’m on my phone so I can’t easily create a map of these various addresses mentioned in the article, but would like to see that. Secondly, I had not heard before that Gayle had not made it to the bank to deposit the money and the money bag and her purse are missing. Additionally, I had not known before now where she worked. I am curious about the man who had approached someone in a parking lot and had a knife (twice). One woman was sexually assaulted and forced to drive car to rural area. I wonder if they provided info for a sketch too and if that sketch and the one from the person who saw Gayle speaking to man in parking lot match? It was questioned how someone made it to the area where Gayle was killed because it was fenced and locked (LE had to cut off the lock) but wait…how did crow hunter get there to find Gayle? I’m just going to make bullet points of notes now (on phone)
-area found is off of US 50 by the Arkansas River Levey across from police training area in Hutchinson, Kansas
-worked at 2301 North Severance Hutchinson, KS
-left work to run errands including bank deposit
-car seen Friday night 734 E 4th back of parking lot near alley (Dillon Supermarket)
-believe to have been killed at the river
-no tracks or shoe prints identified at river area
-no tire tracks from dirt road to dike where Gayle found except south of entrance (but police speculate these were from semi truck accident weeks before)
-believe Gayle was left there Saturday night
-body not concealed
-white car seen in area Saturday night and/or 6am Sunday morning
-possibly hit in head after dying
-keys in car, car unlocked

 
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  • #12
May 3 2023 rbbm.
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The Reno County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for leads in a 1977 death of a woman.

''On February 11, 1977, Gayle A. Sorensen left work to run some errands for her employer. After not returning to work, her coworkers became concerned and notified her husband, who reported her missing. Later that evening, Sorensen’s vehicle was found in the Dillon’s Parking lot at 734 E. 4th in Hutchinson.

A witness who was later interviewed said she observed a vehicle in the Dillon’s parking lot which is believed to have been Sorensen’s. She said that she had observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and an unknown white man standing outside of the driver’s door talking to the driver. She said that both were laughing, and she assumed that they knew each other. This unknown man was described as 26-28 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-foot and shaggy brown hair which was about collar length or longer He was described as wearing wire framed glasses with brown lens, a red stocking cap, and he had a mustache and goatee.

Several days later, Sorensen’s body was discovered southeast of Hutchinson, along the Arkansas River Levey. Her throat had been slashed and she had been sexually assaulted. Her death remains unsolved. If you have any information regarding the murder of Gayle Sorensen, please contact Captain Shawn McClay or Detective Diana Skomal with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office at 620 694-2735. If you wish to remain anonymous you can call 620 694-2666 or 800 222-TIPS.''
View attachment 419430
We’ve been working on this case as well as some others & think we may have found some similarities with some other cases across Kansas. We’ve entered her case in here Gayle Adele Sorensen | Hutchinson Kansas .
 
  • #13
March 2, 2005
''Larry Sorensen, Gayle's husband, said he fears being disappointed again if the case is not solved.
"After 28 years and a number of different leads that haven't worked out -- some came very close, we in fact -- a couple times ... in the last few years thought that it may come to closure, but it didn't work out," Sorensen told CNN.
"It's kind of hard to get your hopes up time after time ... only to have them dashed again after nearly 30 years."
Henderson, who has worked on the case since he joined the sheriff's department as a rookie, said he has to stay optimistic.
"In this line of work you know that you can get a break at any time, just like it sounds like Sedgwick County did in their alleged BTK incident," he said.''

The Hays Daily News

Hays, Kansas • Sun, Jul 10, 2005Page 3
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