Episode Summary
Dozens of commuters see a young girl fleeing a car on the side of the expressway in Rochester, NY, but no one pulls over to help. The community is devastated when her body is discovered just days later, but it’s assumed to be a tragic but isolated incident. But when more young girls go missing…only to have their bodies discovered within days in a similar manner…the community must ask: is a serial killer stalking the streets of Rochester? And is he choosing his victims based on a seemingly random characteristic? This is Part 2 of 2.
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For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE.
Episode Info
If you have any information relating to any of these cases, please contact the New York State Police Department at (585) 398-4100, or email them at [email protected].
Check out Alphabet Killer: The True Story of the Double Initial Murders by Cheri Farnsworth.
Check out Nightmare in Rochester: The Double Initial Murders by Michael Benson.
To listen to CONSPIRACY: North Fox Island & The Oakland County Child Killer Part 1 and Part 2, please visit our website.
For more information about or to donate to Season of Justice, please visit www.seasonofjustice.org.
Carmen Colón (left), Wanda Walkowicz (middle), Michelle Maenza (right).
10-year-old Michelle Maenza.
The initial suspect sketch.
A more detailed suspect sketch.
A possible yearbook photo of Dennis Termini.
Kenneth Bianchi, a.k.a. The Hillside Strangler.
Serial killer Joseph Naso circa 2011.
A younger Joseph Naso.
Episode Source Material
- Benson Books: Nightmare in Rochester: The Double-Initial Murders by Michael Benson and Donald A. Tubman.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Carmen’s Slacks Found in Riga by Thom Akeman via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): More ‘Clues’ to a Killer’s Car via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Nobody Stopped to Save Carmen by Tom Ryan via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): 3 Sheriff’s Detectives Given Carmen’s Case via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Missing Girl, 10, Found Slain by Tom Ryan via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Can You Help Find A Killer? via newspapers.com.
- YouTube: News10NBC (Rochester, NY): Inside the Evidence: The Double Initial Murders by News10NBC.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Arrest Near in Slaying? by Tom Ryan via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): ‘Secret’ Colon Quiz in P.R via newspapers.com.
- Stackpole Books: Alphabet Killer: The True Story of the Double Initial Murders, by Cheri Farnsworth. Kindle version.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Carmen Slaying ‘Suspect’ Cleared by Tom Ryan via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Colon Murder May Go Unsolved by David Medina via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Carmen-Wanda Link Doubted by Police by David Medina via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Missing Girl, 11, Found Slain by David Medina via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Murder Lead Falls Through by Paula Musto via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Police Discount Slaying Coincidences by Jerry Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): ‘Leads’ But No Suspects in Slaying by David Medina via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Police: No Clues In Hunt for Girl by Gerald Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): She Waited on Song, Saw Murder Suspect by Gerald Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): The Double-Initial Murders by Peter Prichard via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): No Leads in Slaying of Girl, 11 by Gerald Goldberg and John McGinnis via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Bianchi print tests could take several weeks by Gary Gerew via newspapers.com.
- WHEC (Rochester, NY): Double Initial Murders: Michelle Maenza via Internet Archive.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Face-to-Face with Slayer, Girl? By Gerald Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Police Pursue New Lead in Slaying of Girl by Gerald Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Maenza Murder Case: Suspect Is Cleared via newspapers.com.
- The U.S. Sun: The Name Killer – Chilling mystery of The Alphabet Murders where three little girls were abducted, raped & killed ‘because of their NAMES,’ by Aliki Kraterou.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): New Clues Checked in Slaying by Gerald Goldberg via newspapers.com.
- “Little Deaths”: My Investigation into the Double-Initial Murders, by Sarah Rose George. Bard College.
- The Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, NY): Polygraph Test Passed By Suspect via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Suspect Quizzed In Death via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Police Give Suspect ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ via newspapers.com.
- Daily News (New York, NY): Flood of Tips Fails to Flush Rape-Killer of 3 Girls by Jack Marsh via newspapers.com.
- The Journal News (White Plains, NY): L.A. strangler suspect in 3 N.Y. deaths by Sue Smith via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): City native suspect in murder of 2 women by Michael Zeigler and Michael Cordts via newspapers.com.
- The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY): Bianchi Doubted As Girls’ Killer via newspapers.com.
- The Guardian: Has the alphabet murderer finally been caught? by Chris McGreal.
- Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY): N.Y. native grilled in deaths in 3 cities via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Police to study Bianchi print for link to ‘double initial’ case via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Bianchi ordered to submit print via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): Bianchi’s prints don’t match those in Maenza killing by Steve Crosby via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): No evidence linking Bianchi, local deaths by Laura Meade via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): DNA evidence, tips fuel hunt for killer from 1970s by Gary Craig.
- NBC News (New York, NY): Eerie similarities noted in NY, Calif. Cold cases by Jason Dearen and Scott Sonner.
- KCRA 3 (San Rafael, CA): Joseph Naso, a convicted serial killer, gets death.
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY): No evidence links Joseph Naso to Rochester’s Double Initial killings by Gary Craig.
- WHEC (Rochester, NY): Double Initial Murders: One killer? via Internet Archive.
- ABC 4: NY Court Halts Family DNA Searches for Crime Suspects.
- Spectrum News 1 (Albany, NY): New York can resume family DNA searches for crime suspects, court rules.
- New York State: Investigative Genetic Genealogy.
- Democrat and Chronicle: Time refuses to heal a mom’s double-initial agony by Jack Jones via newspapers.com.
- Democrat and Chronicle: A Day Like Every Other…Almost by Mark Starr via newspaper.com.
- all that’s interesting: The Chilling Story Of The Alphabet Murders That Targeted Girls With Double Initials by Genevieve Carlton.
- PetaPixel: Alleged Serial Killer Stung By Courtroom Photo Critique by David Becker.
- Websleuths: NY: The Alphabet Killings, Rochester.
- Crime Junkie: CONSPIRACY: North Fox Island & The Oakland County Child Killer, Part 1.
- Crime Junkie: CONSPIRACY: North Fox Island & The Oakland County Child Killer, Part 2.