Liddie Matthew Evans, 31, originally from Flint, Michigan, was murdered on December 17, 1977. Her body was found three days later in the Flint River in Fayette County, Georgia. She had been shot in the head, placed in a sleeping bag, and her leg was chained to a concrete block.

Investigators early on focused on a roofer, Carl Millard Patton Jr., after blood was found in the trunk of his car; he was arrested shortly after Evans’ body was found but released for lack of evidence. The case remained cold until advances in DNA testing allowed evidence to be compared with samples from Evans’ family. That development led to Patton’s arrest in February 2003. Patton’s wife, Norma Patton, testified against him in exchange for immunity, alleging Patton and an associate, firefighter Joseph Cleveland, killed Evans and Cleveland together; Norma said she helped clean up and dispose of the bodies.

Patton pleaded guilty to the murders of Evans and Cleveland and received two life terms, in addition to life sentences for two other killings. The case touched multiple families over decades; anyone who knew Liddie Evans or has information about her last days is asked to come forward.