KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The murder of Carol Ann Cole, previously known as 'Bossier Doe," is a cold case that was thrust into the national spotlight after a major break earlier this year. The young woman, originally from the Kalamazoo area, was found murdered in a wooded area in Louisiana more than 30 years ago.
A composite sketch of the then-unidentified woman shared on social media by detectives led to a tip and ultimately a DNA test involving Cole’s relatives, giving answers in a case that many had forgotten.
Now detectives are still working hard to answer the other big question: Who killed Carol Ann Cole?
FOX 17 news told you about a person of interest in this investigation back in early March, right around the time Cole was identified as the victim. Even though detectives have that man on their radar, they’re not ruling ouit other possibilities.
They are trying to make sure they find the right suspect so Cole’s family can have the final closure they’re desperately looking for.
“She wasn’t a typical runaway. She wasn’t a rebellious teen,” said lead detective on the case, Shannon Mack of the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana.
Powered by the knowledge of knowing now exactly who their victim is, Mack is one step closer to finding who’s responsible for killing Cole, who was found stabbed to death in 1981.
“Every single day, running down leads on who could've killed her,” said Mack.
Mack and other detectives held a press conference Tuesday and released new information on the case, including details on a collect phone call that Cole made to her grandmother from Shreveport, La.
Family and detectives still don’t know exactly why Cole was in Louisiana.
Detectives say their biggest break came from Frances Aucoin, who only 13 years old when her brother and her father found Cole’s body in Bossier Parish. Aucoin told authorities she believes her own father, John Chesson, stabbed Cole to death.
Chesson is currently serving life in prison for the 1997 murder of his ex-wife’s mother-in-law, who was stabbed just like Carol Ann Cole.
“I can't at this point scoot him over into being suspect number one, because we do have other avenues to go down,” said Mack, "but he's not dropping off the list anytime soon."
While detectives work around the clock to solve this case, 950 miles away in Michigan, Carol Ann Cole’s family is still trying to raise the money for a proper memorial service.
“She's been unidentified for so long that I think she deserves a place where everybody can go and see her name,” said Mack.
