Bonnie Sue ONeil, 39, was murdered in San Diego in late summer 1979. On August 27 she met a man identified as Carroll Edward Cole in a local bar and went with him to the appliance shop where he worked. According to Cole’s later statements, ONeil mentioned she needed to call her husband, and Cole then strangled her to death. Her body was left in the alley behind the appliance shop and her clothing was thrown into a nearby garbage bin.

Initial investigation apparently did not trace the crime to the appliance shop; Cole’s employers later said police never visited or questioned staff there after the body was found. The case remained unsolved until Cole, while imprisoned for other crimes, confessed and described the killing. His admission identified him as the person responsible for Bonnie Sue ONeil’s death.

If anyone knew Bonnie Sue ONeil, frequented that bar in 1979, or worked at the appliance shop, any memories or details could still help fill gaps in the timeline.