Eileen Zarlenga was 29 when she was abducted from her Patricia Drive apartment in Girard, Ohio on the night of January 25 or the early hours of January 26, 1988, leaving her three-year-old daughter alone inside. Family members stressed that Zarlenga would never have willingly left the child, and that has been cited as a reason to believe she may have known her attacker. Her body was found on January 30 in woods along Gladstone Road in Jackson Township, Mahoning County; she had suffered multiple stab wounds and investigators reported evidence of sexual assault.

The Girard Police Department and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office have revisited the case multiple times. New evidence emerged in 2010, and in 2012 a judge authorized DNA testing of preserved evidence to compare against state and national databases. Local authorities continue to appeal for information and offer rewards for tips that could identify the perpetrator.

If anyone knew Eileen, lived in the area then, or has information that hasn’t been shared with investigators, please come forward.