45 Years Ago, This 20-Year-Old Indiana University Student Was Brutally Murdered: Now, Her Family Is Asking The Community For Answers
In 1977, Ann Harmeier was a twenty-year-old honor student attending Indiana University (IU). She decided to pursue a degree in theatre and was revered for her kindness and compassion throughout the community.
Then, in mid-September, tragedy struck and shook the IU campus, as well as families across the nation.
Ann had decided to see her family and friends at home for a weekend visit. And after her stay, she began traveling back to school on the morning of September 12, 1977.
Unfortunately, though, Ann’s car began to overheat during her drive back to Bloomington, Indiana, and she was forced to pull over on Route 37 around 9:30 a.m.
Afterward, Ann’s family and friends never heard from her again, and her whereabouts remained unknown until five weeks later.
A farmer discovered Ann’s body while cutting down crops; his property was only a few miles away from where Ann pulled her car over several weeks earlier.
Autopsy reports revealed that Ann had died from asphyxiation. Her killer had used Ann’s own shoelace to strangle her and her hairbrush to tighten the lace around her neck.
And once the media learned of Ann’s case, it gained nationwide attention. Ann herself, a bright young woman, was remarked as “everyone’s daughter.”
GoFundMe; pictured above is Ann
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Nonetheless, the case of Ann’s murder has remained unsolved. Her friends and family have created a Facebook group, Who Killed Ann, as well as a GoFundMe campaign to spread the word about her cold case.
“Despite national attention and effort to find her killer and a number of leads, no arrests were ever made in the case,” the GoFundMe states.
At first, law enforcement believed that Steven Judy– a man convicted of numerous violent crimes in Indiana– was responsible.
But, police records later revealed that Judy was already in police custody due to an unrelated charge at the time of Ann’s murder.
So, forty-five years later, Ann’s friends and family are hoping to get justice once and for all.
“No DNA match has ever been made, but we are hopeful that forensic advances will lead to a break in the case. Our greatest hope is that someone will come forward with new information that will eventually solve the murder and finally get justice for Ann,” the GoFundMe added.
With a goal of ten thousand dollars, the GoFundMe campaign is meant to raise money for a reward fund.
The Harmeier family is asking that anyone with information come forward and contact them as soon as possible.
So far, only two donors have contributed a total of forty-five dollars to the fundraiser.
To learn more about Ann’s story, get into contact with her loved ones, or contribute to the cause, you can visit her GoFundMe link here.
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