April Barnett, 18, was found strangled near a rest area along Interstate 71 in Ashland County, Ohio, on December 4, 1986. A resident of Akron, she had reportedly been working in or around the Austintown area, known then for a large truck stop and a transient population. Her death was quickly linked to a pattern of killings between 1985 and 1987 that targeted young women, many tied to truck stops and suspected sex work.

Investigators noted commonalities across the series: most victims were white females, often partially clothed or missing personal items, and were beaten, strangled, or suffocated before being dumped near highways. Authorities speculated the killer might have been a long-haul truck driver who used CB radio aliases such as Dr. No, Stargazer, and Dragon, but no forensic evidence definitively tied the cases and no arrest was made in Barnett’s murder. Coordination gaps across jurisdictions hindered the inquiry.

Does anyone have information about April Barnett, her last known movements, or contacts in the Austintown and I-71 corridor in late 1986?