Carole Varnes, 51, was shot and killed on the morning of March 11, 1994, in Toledo, Ohio. She had been leaving her home on West Oakland Street to go to a car parked behind the house when, at about 5:40 a.m., her adult son inside the home heard a scream, her car horn, and then a gunshot. He ran outside and saw a lone gunman fleeing. Officers found Carole lying across the front seat of her car; her purse appeared to have been stolen, and robbery was considered a possible motive.

Varnes worked 16 years as an anesthesiology technician at the Medical College of Ohio and was active in community groups including the Eagles Club #197 and the Volunteer Neighborhood Block Watch. Toledo’s Cold Case Unit has reviewed the investigation over the years and notes that the city has many unsolved homicides dating back to 1980; no publicly identified suspects or significant leads in this case have been announced and the homicide remains unsolved.

If anyone in the community remembers unusual activity near West Oakland Street that morning or has information about the case, law enforcement asks that they come forward.