This Teen Went Out With Her Friends One Evening, But Got Into An Argument With Her Boyfriend And Never Made It Back Home: Days Later, She Was Found Strangled In A Ditch And The Person Who Called To Report Finding Her Used A Fake Name

In 1978, Theresa Corley of Bellingham, Massachusetts, was a college student with commendable drive and big dreams.
At only 19-years-old, she had already embarked on her second year of schooling at Holliston Junior College– where she was studying to become a medical assistant.
Theresa also worked her way through school in order to pay her tuition as a part-time worker at a factory known as the Penthouse in Franklin, Massachusetts.
She hailed from a large family, growing up with seven sisters and one brother. The teen also loved volleyball, enjoyed participating in the drama club, and had an ultimate goal of becoming a pediatrician.
Prior to working at Penthouse, Theresa was also employed at Star Market. There, she left her mark on a coworker named Bob Ward– who is now a journalist with Boston 25 News.
“The last time I remember seeing Theresa Corley, I was working my minimum wage, part-time job at Star Market in Franklin, Massachusetts. I was straightening a store shelf in one of the aisles. Theresa smiled and said hi to me as she passed by, probably on her way to the back room to punch out of her shift at the end of her work day,” Bob recalled.
“It’s a fleeting memory of a pretty girl, full of life, who shared a little greeting as she bounced down a supermarket aisle headed to whatever adventure awaited.”
Tragically, though, the young and bright woman never got to realize her dreams of completing college or pursuing medicine. Instead, in December of 1978, Theresa’s life was brutally taken from her.
The day before the teen disappeared began as usual. Theresa had left her job at Penthouse at about 7:00 p.m. before stopping in at a nearby bar with her boyfriend.

Facebook – pictured above is Theresa
According to a Facebook page created by the Corley family, though, the teen and her boyfriend ended up getting into an argument. Then, Theresa– who reportedly had too much to drink– became angry and decided she wanted to leave.
She ended up leaving on foot with the intention of walking home– even though the bar was located five or six miles from her house, and it was very late at night.
Still, Theresa began her solo trek, but she did not remain alone for long. During her walk, she was approached by a group of four men who ultimately took her to an apartment at The Presidential Arms in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Now, it is unclear whether the teen was hitchhiking and the men offered her a ride or if she was forcibly put into their vehicle.
Nonetheless, once at the Franklin apartment building, Theresa was assaulted by at least one of the men. The teen was able to somehow escape the apartment afterward, though, and began her journey back down Route 140 toward home.
Then, she was picked up by various different drivers along her trek. One of whom, a truck driver for Garlelick Farms, dropped Theresa off at the Bellingham Police Station. The teen did not go inside, though, and was later spotted in front of a local Dairy Queen.
At that point, Theresa was under a mile away from her home. Following that sighting, though, she was never seen alive again.
The following morning, December 5, Theresa’s mother awoke and realized that her daughter had never returned home. At that point, her family began their search by reaching out to Theresa’s friends.
“We did learn one of the men, Steve, who is considered one of the [assaulters], went to the Alpine Place apartments ‘looking for someone.’ It just so happened Theresa’s boyfriend lived at that complex,” the Facebook page entitled Justice For Theresa Corley states.
“He [Theresa’s boyfriend] overheard Steve saying where Theresa went that night. He states that police have tried to jig his memory a few times over the years. He did go immediately to his uncle, he says, who was a Franklin Police Detective.”

Facebook – pictured above Theresa smiles
Regardless, though, by December 8, the Corley family learned that the Bellingham Police had made a heinous discovery.
Authorities received a report of an unclothed body by an unidentified tipster who used a fake name. Then, two days after Theresa was last seen, her unclothed body was discovered on the northbound side of Route 495.
The teen’s pair of jeans and jacket were found lying beside her, along with a mismatched pair of shoes. The man who discovered Theresa then contacted the police and identified himself as John Burlington, a driver who claimed to have pulled over to relieve himself before finding the remains.
Bizarrely, though, investigators claim that John Burlington never actually existed. An autopsy was also performed, and it was found that Theresa had been assaulted and strangled to death via a thin ligature.
It has now been over forty-four years since the teen was murdered, and tragically, the Corley family has still gotten no answers.
Some DNA evidence had been tested in the past– with one test finding male DNA on Theresa’s jeans. It also matched the DNA of one of the men who had been at the Presidental Arms with the teen the night of her murder.
However, it is unclear what happened next with this evidence, as no charges were ever filed, and no arrests were ever made.
The authorities are also in possession of other “items” from Theresa’s case, which were labeled as such, that can reportedly be used for M-Vac– a process that allows DNA to be collected from difficult-to-reach, porous areas. Theresa’s sister is still awaiting an update from investigators on this testing, though.
In 2018, Theresa’s younger sister, Geraldine Houde, also endured a back-and-forth process after attempting to request case records.
The inquiry began on March 14 of that year when Geraldine asked for copies of the Bellingham police reports concerning Theresa from December 6, 7, and 8, 1978.
Then, it was not until October 26, 2018, that the Bellingham Police concluded this process and stated, “The Police Department has fully responded to these requests in compliance with the Public Records Law.”
In the nearly five years since, though, the Corley family has still been left searching for answers. So, on their Facebook page dedicated to Theresa, they continue to spread awareness about her case and keep her memory alive.
If you have any information regarding Theresa’s case, you are urged to contact the Bellingham Police Department tip line at (508) 657-2863 or the Franklin Police Department tip line at (508) 440-2780.
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