In 1989, This Maryland Teen Was Fatally Stabbed During Her Shift At A Clothing Store, And Her Supposed Killer Called To Confess Three Months Later
In 1989, Tracey Kirkpatrick of Frederick, Maryland, was known as a quiet and kind seventeen-year-old. She loved helping others, was passionate about writing, and dreamed of becoming a lawyer to assist those without the financial means to afford legal counsel.
So, during her senior year of high school, Tracey took on two jobs in order to afford her future college tuition. And one of her jobs was a sales clerk position at a clothing store known as Aileen’s Ladies Sportswear.
But, on the evening of March 15, 1989, Tracey began to wrap up a shift having no idea it would be her last.
She had been assigned to close the store that night before totaling up all of the receipts. So, by 8:45 p.m., Tracey was all alone just fifteen minutes before closing time.
Tragically, though, she never got to leave her shift and go home. Instead, two hours after the store was supposed to be locked up, a security guard noticed that all of the lights were still on in the store. Moreover, the front door was left unlocked.
Then, the guard went in to investigate, and, while combing the storage room, he found Tracey’s lifeless body. She had been fatally stabbed numerous times in the chest and back.
The guard immediately contacted police officers, who promptly arrived on the scene. And at about the same time, Tracey’s parents got to the store. They had gone searching for their daughter after she had never arrived home.
And sadly, Tracey’s mother had to hear the words no parent ever wants to dream of.
Facebook; pictured above is Tracey
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“I said, ‘Is she alright? Can I see her?’ and when he [a police officer] shook his head no, I just blocked out everything. I didn’t want to hear the rest of what was going to be said to me,” her mother recalled.
The heinous act completely baffled authorities, who could not find any motive for the murder of Tracey– a hard-working and beloved teen.
Investigators also found that no money was stolen from the store, there was no murder weapon left behind, and Tracey had not been assaulted.
This led them to question for months if she had been murdered by someone she knew or possibly a passerby traveling through the city.
However, three months after Tracey’s death, investigators got their first break in the case. A national confession hotline received a call from a man who admitted to the crime. The call was recorded and forwarded to Frederick police.
“Hello, my name is Don, and I am calling from Frederick, Maryland. I know this is going to sound surprising, but three months ago, I stabbed a girl to death, and you might think that in making this tape, I am setting myself up to be caught. But, there are a lot of guys named Don in Frederick,” the man began.
“The girl I killed was working in a ladies’ sportswear store. I often came by and talked to her when she was working alone and, one night when she was in the storeroom, and we were talking, our conversation turned into an argument,” he continued.
“And so I took out a knife I have with me at all time, and I killed her. A few days later, I realized I had created a lot of sadness, and I thought about turning myself in to the police. But whatever they do to me, that won’t bring Tracey back. So, I’ve decided that I better keep free because we have the death penalty in Maryland. Thanks for listening. I’m sorry about what I did, but nothing can change it. Bye.”
And after Corporal Barry Horner heard the recording, he was shocked.
“The sincerity that I heard in that voice and the knowledge that the person was displaying, talking about what he had done, at that point convinced me that I probably was listening to the killer,” Horner revealed.
Authorities were then able to trace the call to a Walkersville, Maryland, supermarket that was just eight miles away. Horner also believed that was significant and that the killer wanted to be caught.
Strangely, though, investigators then received another call about two weeks later from a woman, Martha Woodworth, who claimed to be a psychic. Moreover, Martha said she had been contacted repeatedly about Tracey’s murder by a young man who called himself Sean.
Sean was reportedly obsessed with locating Tracey’s murderer, and when Martha asked the young man for more information on the case, he mailed her annotated news clippings.
“When I received the envelope with his handwriting on the outside, I thought this person had a much stronger involvement than just being a friend who was interested. I found the handwriting extremely disturbing,” Martha explained.
In turn, she contacted the police. And after authorities heard from Martha, they decided to play her the confession recording to see if she recognized the voice.
“I knew it was Sean. In fact, my heart dropped. It was very chilling to hear the voice of the person I had been speaking to for months actually confessing to the crime,” Martha said.
Then, once authorities traced the return address on Sean’s envelope, they realized that the news clippings had come from the same town as the confession call.
However, the young man living at the return address was not named Don or Sean. And, without any other evidence, authorities were forced to try one more strategy.
Police officers asked a local radio station to broadcast the confession tape to the town of Walkersville, Maryland. Then, the public was asked if they recognized the voice and, if so, to contact authorities.
Immediately, three community members phoned the police claiming they knew the voice. All three also provided the same name– which happened to be the young man who forwarded the news clippings to Martha.
So, investigators launched a search at the man’s house the following day. Tragically, though, they did not turn up enough evidence, and the lead went cold.
“Unfortunately, the evidence was examined and re-examined, and we were unable to confirm that he was either at the crime scene that night or had any particular part in this criminal act,” Homer said.
In turn, Tracey’s case has sadly remained cold for thirty-three years now. Nonetheless, Tracey’s family has not given up hope.
“There has to be someone who has seen something,” Tracey’s mother said.
Community members have also banded together to help raise awareness about Tracey’s case. A Facebook group entitled Justice For Tracey Kirkpatrick has amassed over one thousand followers on the social platform.
Additionally, a documentary film entitled Into The Silent Land: The Unsolved Murder of Tracey Kirkpatrick is currently in the works. Paul Puglisi, the film’s director and producer, launched this project after learning that Tracey’s case– which he heard about as a child– was never solved.
The documentary will include in-depth interviews with investigators, first responders, Tracey’s family, and friends.
In the meantime, if anyone has any information regarding Tracey’s murder, they are urged to contact the Frederick Police Department at (301) 600-1380.
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