Deborah Waring
Twenty-year-old Deborah Waring was found murdered in Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, Rhode Island. Her case is one of Rhode Island's oldest unsolved homicides.
On April 25, 1971, the body of twenty-year-old Deborah Waring was discovered in Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, Rhode Island. She had been strangled. Deborah was a University of Rhode Island student and had been socializing in the area the night before.
The investigation by Warwick police examined multiple persons of interest but failed to identify a suspect. The park, a large wooded area along Narragansett Bay, offered limited forensic evidence in the era before DNA technology.
The case has been periodically reviewed as forensic technology has advanced. Rhode Island State Police and the Warwick Police Department have maintained the case file and continue to accept tips from the public.
Deborah's murder remains one of Rhode Island's oldest unsolved homicides. Her family has advocated for continued investigation, and the case is included in the state's cold case database.
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Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in Rhode Island, or the state bureau of investigation
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.