Patricia Ann Kelley, 50, was a well-known St. Louis advocate who ran Missouri EnergyCare and Dollar Help, programs to aid poor and elderly residents with utility emergencies. On September 27, 1987, Kelley was found raped and strangled inside her first-floor office at Missouri EnergyCare. The room had been ransacked and several checks were missing. Investigators reported no sign of forced entry and believed Kelley likely knew whoever came through the door.

Nearly a year later, police charged 32-year-old laborer Jerry L. Little in connection with her slaying and publicly linked the killing to other St. Louis murders with a similar signature. Subsequent reporting described Little’s role in a set of murders that included Kelley’s and noted convictions that resulted in multiple life sentences. The killing of a visible community advocate shocked the city and people who relied on the services she helped run.

If anyone knew Kelley, worked with her programs, or recalls unusual visitors to that office in 1987, please share what might help complete the picture.