The Alphabet Murders (Double Initial Murders)

Case background and investigation

Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls were abducted and murdered in the area around Rochester, New York, in a series of crimes that came to be called the 'Alphabet Murders' or 'Double Initial Murders.' In each case, the victim's first and last names began with the same letter, and in a further eerie coincidence, each body was found in a town whose name shared that same initial.

The first victim was Carmen Colon, 10, who disappeared on November 16, 1971. Her body was later found in the town of Churchville. Nearly a year and a half later, on April 2, 1973, 11-year-old Wanda Walkowicz vanished after being sent on an errand; her body was recovered near Webster. Then, on November 26, 1973, 11-year-old Michelle Maenza was abducted and later found near Macedon. All three girls had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and their bodies left along or near busy roads.

The matching-initial pattern, combined with the girls' similar ages and backgrounds, convinced many investigators and much of the public that a single offender was responsible, though this has never been definitively proven. The murders spread fear across the Rochester region and prompted one of the largest homicide investigations in the area's history, with hundreds of suspects interviewed over the ensuing decades.

Several notable suspects have been examined. Kenneth Bianchi, later one of California's 'Hillside Stranglers,' lived in Rochester during the relevant period and worked near two of the crime scenes; he has denied any involvement. Decades later, Joseph Naso, a photographer with Rochester ties who was convicted of California murders in which victims' names also carried matching initials, drew intense interest. However, DNA testing excluded Naso as the source of semen recovered from Wanda Walkowicz's body.

Despite advances in DNA technology and repeated reviews, no one has ever been charged in the Alphabet Murders. The Rochester Police Department and the New York State Police continue to list the cases as open, and investigators have said they remain committed to identifying the killer or killers responsible for the deaths of Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza.