Kathleen Kolodziej

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

New York State Police (NY)

Offense Location:

Cobleskill, New York

Summary:

Katherine "Kathy" Kolodziej, 17, was last seen leaving The Vault bar on November 2, 1974. On November 28, 1974, Thanksgiving, her partially-clothed body was discovered in Richmondville, Schoharie County, New York. She had been stabbed several times. No one has ever been publicly identified or charged with Kathy's murder.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Kathy was out with friends at The Vault, a local bar in the Village of Cobleskill, on November 2, 1974. She declined a ride back to campus with her friends and decided to stay at the bar a little while longer. Kathleen was last seen leaving the Vault Bar and Grill at approximately 1:30 am on Saturday, November 2, 1974. Kathleen was last seen walking west on Main Street toward the college. That would be the last time she was seen alive. She had refused a ride from her roommate, telling them she would be getting a ride from someone else. As a result of news coverage, a witness came forward and said they saw a woman getting into a yellow Volkwagon at approximately 1:45 am. On November 28, 1974, Kathy's body was found in a field on MacDonald Road in Richmondville, New York. A deer hunter had spotted an article of clothing, a piece of red cloth, in the distance through binoculars and alerted police, knowing that a missing teen was last seen wearing a red coat. Investigators responded to the location and found Kathleen's partially nude body, dressed only in a red coat, laying on a stone wall in the woods. Cause of death was determined to have been from multiple fatal stab wounds. Her murder described as brutal by police.

Additional Details:

The investigation generated thousands of leads, extensive interviews and multiple theories. Investigators interviewed more than 3,000 people from as far away as Texas and spent thousands of hours pursuing more than 1,000 leads. Investigators questioned members of the SUNY Cobleskill community and examined possible connections to other crimes involving young women in the region. The case became sufficiently wide-ranging that investigators even questioned notorious convicted killers, including Ted Bundy and Lewis Lent, although authorities were unable to establish a connection between them and Kathy's murder. None could be conclusively connected to Kathy's death. Following his identification, there have been speculations that John William Hopkins could have had other victims, with one prominent theory being that he killed 17-year-old college student Katherine Kolodziej in Cobleskill in 1974, but so far, authorities have been unable to link him to this or any other crimes. Because of some striking similarities in the Hopkins murders and Kathy's case, Tom Cioffi and Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond believe Hopkins could have possibly had some sort of role in Katherine's murder. Senior investigator William John of the state troopers said evidence leading to Hopkins was still scant. "We're not sure it was Hopkins. We're looking at means and opportunities," John said, noting that Hopkins raped his victims and there was no evidence that Kolodziej had been sexually assaulted. Investigators determined she had suffered multiple wounds and that two different weapons were involved. The murder location has never been located and contributed to the difficulty of investigating Kathleen's murder. In the years that followed Kathy's death, Andrew and Hedwig Kolodziej tirelessly worked next to law enforcement in hopes of helping them solve their daughter's murder. Andrew Kolodziej passed away on February 13, 2001 at the age of 78; Mrs. Kolodziej died less than a year later on January 9, 2002 at the age of 82. They're buried in the same plot as their daughter at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, New York. Investigator David Ayers continued working on the case and helped maintain public awareness through renewed appeals for information. In 2024, on the 50th anniversary of her death, New York State Police renewed their appeal for information and reiterated their commitment to finding the person or people responsible.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 07, 2026