Martha Cunningham, 34, vanished from Knoxville, Tennessee late in 1974 and was last heard from on New Year’s Eve, when she was expected at a church service on Park View Avenue. A devoted church member who played piano and sang in the choir, her absence prompted a search that ended in tragedy when hunters found her body in a remote, wooded area of East Knox County on January 18, 1975.

The scene suggested foul play: Cunningham’s body was bruised, her slip and dress were pulled up over her chest, and her stockings and panties were pulled down to her thighs. Despite those circumstances, investigators at the time found seizure medication with her and ruled the death natural, closing the case and leaving family questions unanswered.

In 2018 serial killer Samuel Little confessed to killing a woman named Martha in Knoxville, saying he had taken her into the woods on New Year’s Eve and strangled her. Investigators found details in his confession persuasive and considered him responsible. Little died in prison in December 2020.

Did anyone in Knoxville remember Martha from church or know if she had contact with strangers around New Year’s Eve 1974?