Sigrid Miller Stevenson

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Ewing Township Police Department (NJ)

Offense Location:

Ewing, New Jersey

Summary:

At approximately 11:30 PM on September 4th, 1977, Trenton State College campus police officer Thomas Kokotajlo discovered the body of Sigrid Stevenson on the main stage of Kendall Hall. Sigrid, a 25 year old Livermore, CA native, had been studying at TSC for her Master's degree in music and education. She was nude, wrapped in a piano blanket, a victim of severe blunt force trauma from a small, rounded object. The ME determined she showed evidence of sexual assault. Her murderer was never caught.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Sigrid returned to campus on September 2nd from a hitchhiking trip to Nova Scotia. Her landlord and his family were vacationing at the Jersey Shore, so Sigrid chose to stay on campus, eventually sneaking into Kendall Hall and sleeping on the Green Room's couch. She was discovered there by Charles Judkins, a member of the cast of a local production of "JB". They conversed for a while, resulting in Chuck offering her a beer. More members of the cast and crew arrived for the production. Sigrid spoke with some of them and told a few of her travels and that she intended to stay the night in Kendall. She attended the production of "JB". At the intermission, she was apparently depressed after having had an argument with an unknown person. After the show ended, she waited in the basement for the crew to leave. Her whereabouts on September 4th are unknown, though a report that she was seen on the 4th at a local movie theater was never corroborated. Sigrid bicycle was seen by some of the campus police officers while doing their rounds on September 4th. Only Officer Kokotajlo investigated beyond Kendall Hall's doors. He used his radio upon finding her body. The doors to the building were all locked, including a padlocked rear door that went from the stage to Kendall Hall's parking lot. A subterranean door was known to have a loose locking mechanism, allowing students on campus in the know to be able to jiggle it open. There were no signs of forced entry anywhere tin the building. Blood was found pooled near the piano, in a small pool near Sigrid's bandana as well as around the body. One of Sigrid's earrings was found farther away from her body. Her belongings (a sleeping bag, her boots and socks, a backpack of supplies) was found next to the piano. Medical Examiner Dr. Rafaat Ahmad conducted her investigation and estimated the time of death to be between 7-10:30PM and that Sigrid showed signs of sexual assault, despite what later newspaper reports included. Her body showed signs of restraints at the wrists, with heavy trauma to the face. Injuries included lacerations to the back of the scalp, deep lacerations on the front of the face, massive cerebral cranial trauma and massive blood loss. Bruising was found on her back, on her thighs, and contusions around the pelvis. According to Office Kokotajlo, her face had been badly re-arranged by the attack and a report in the media claimed that Dr. Stanley Austin of the music department was only able to recognize her from her hair. Dr. Ahmad took vaginal swabs and found dead sperm heads present. The lividity was found mostly in the front of the body, with full rigor mortis present. Dr. Ahmad has said Sigrid died within minutes of her attack. The ligature marks on her wrists have led to speculation that handcuffs were used to restraint her. No restraints were found at the scene or elsewhere.

Additional Details:

The entire cast, the campus police force and several members of the campus community were interviewed during the investigation. Several received polygraphs, though all recipients passed. The woods and lakes on campus were searched for evidence. No murder weapon was recovered. Connections to the Trenton-based Ruth Brooks case were investigated. They were found not to be linked. Sigrid's personal belongings revealed money had been left behind, eliminating robbery as a motive for the crime. A college professor, Dr. Stanley Austin, was brought in to help identify Sigrid's body. Despite reports, Sigrid never rented a room from Dr. Austin.

Case Last Updated:

Jan 22, 2025