In the winter of 1979 a 22-year-old Iranian immigrant, Deedah Godzari, was found dead in a New York City hotel room on December 2. She and another unidentified woman had been sexually assaulted; both victims’ heads and hands had been severed and the room set on fire, apparently to hinder identification. Godzari remained nameless for about two months until photos of her clothing led to her identification.

Investigators later linked the killings to Richard Cottingham, known as the Times Square Killer and the Torso Killer, who targeted sex workers. Cottingham was arrested and in 1984 was convicted in the murders of Deedah Godzari, the unidentified woman, and other victims in New York and New Jersey. Godzari’s skull has never been recovered.

Godzari had a daughter, Jennifer Weiss, who was adopted shortly after birth; as an adult Weiss searched for her biological mother and, through interactions with Cottingham, obtained information about Godzari’s final days and assisted authorities in resolving other cold cases. Does anyone have additional information about Godzari’s life in the US or leads about the missing skull?