• This undated prison photo released by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murder Carlton Gary. Gary, who was sent to death row in a notorious 1970s Georgia serial murder case has been linked by DNA evidence to the 1975 rape and strangulation of a Syracuse, N.Y., woman, cold-case investigators say. Photo: HO, AP / Georgia Deaprtment of Correction
Photo: HO, AP
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This undated prison photo released by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murder Carlton Gary. Gary, who was sent to death row in a notorious 1970s Georgia serial murder case has been linked by DNA evidence to the 1975 rape and strangulation of a Syracuse, N.Y., woman, cold-case investigators say. less
This undated prison photo released by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murder Carlton Gary. Gary, who was sent to death row in a notorious 1970s Georgia serial murder case has been linked ... more
Photo: HO, AP
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This undated image released by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows death-row inmate Carlton Gary in Georgia. Lawyers for Gary set for execution March 15, 2018, are asking Georgia's parole board to spare his life, arguing that newly discovered evidence raises doubts about their client's guilt. He was convicted in 1986 on three counts each of malice murder, rape and burglary for crimes committed in 1977. less
This undated image released by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows death-row inmate Carlton Gary in Georgia. Lawyers for Gary set for execution March 15, 2018, are asking Georgia's parole board to spare ... more
Photo: AP
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Click through for a series of unsolved cases in the Capital Region.

Jaliek Rainwalker was 12 when he vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home in November 2007. Police believe foul play was involved but no one was ever charged in his disappearance. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive)
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Click through for a series of unsolved cases in the Capital Region.

Jaliek Rainwalker was 12 when he vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home in November 2007. Police believe foul play was
... more
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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Jocelyn McDonald, right, and her husband, Stephen Kerr, attend a candlelight vigil held on behalf of their adoptive son Jaliek Rainwalker, 12, on Friday, Nov. 9, 2007, at the Salem United Methodist Church in Salem, N.Y. Jaliek was last seen Nov. 1, 2007, at their Washington County home. Police believe foul play was involved but no one was ever charged in his disappearance. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less
Jocelyn McDonald, right, and her husband, Stephen Kerr, attend a candlelight vigil held on behalf of their adoptive son Jaliek Rainwalker, 12, on Friday, Nov. 9, 2007, at the Salem United Methodist Church in ... more
Photo: CINDY SCHULTZ
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Dennis and Barbara Reeley, the adoptive grandparents of Jaliek Rainwalker, on the fifth anniversary of the boy's disappearance. Jaliek was 12 when he vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home in November 2007. Police believe foul play was involved but no one was ever charged in his disappearance. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less
Dennis and Barbara Reeley, the adoptive grandparents of Jaliek Rainwalker, on the fifth anniversary of the boy's disappearance. Jaliek was 12 when he vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home ... more
Photo: Cindy Schultz
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Greenwich Police Chief George Bell during a news conference about the ongoing investigation of missing Jaliek Rainwalker on Jan. 14, 2008, at the Greenwich Police Department. Jaliek was 12 when he vanished from his adoptive parents' Washington County home in November 2007. Police believe foul play was involved but no one was ever charged in his disappearance. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) less
Greenwich Police Chief George Bell during a news conference about the ongoing investigation of missing Jaliek Rainwalker on Jan. 14, 2008, at the Greenwich Police Department. Jaliek was 12 when he vanished from ... more
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger Jamie Laczco leads members of the Lower Adirondack and Northcountry Search and Rescue teams searching for missing 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker in a wetland adjacent to the Battenkill Country Club in Greenwich on Nov. 13, 2007. Jaliek was last seen Nov. 1, 2007, at his adoptive parents' Washington County home. Police believe foul play was involved but no one was ever charged in his disappearance.  (John Carl D'Annibale/Times Union) less
State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger Jamie Laczco leads members of the Lower Adirondack and Northcountry Search and Rescue teams searching for missing 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker in a ... more
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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Thomas Messick, 82, of Brunswick did not meet up with his hunting party on Nov. 15, 2015, a short distance off Lily Pond Road as part of a hunting party that entered the woods near Horicon in Warren County. Family members said Messick had poor vision, limited hearing and a history of cardiac issues. No evidence and no clues have ever been found, despite weeks of searching. (Provided photo) less
Thomas Messick, 82, of Brunswick did not meet up with his hunting party on Nov. 15, 2015, a short distance off Lily Pond Road as part of a hunting party that entered the woods near Horicon in Warren County. ... more
Photo: JOHN CARL D'ANNIBALE
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Beverly Messick of Brunswick holds a photograph of her with her husband, Thomas Messick, who disappeared without a trace at age 82 while hunting in November 2015. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
Beverly Messick of Brunswick holds a photograph of her with her husband, Thomas Messick, who disappeared without a trace at age 82 while hunting in November 2015. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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After Thomas Messick went missing in November 2015 while hunting, his dog, Willie, began spending his days looking out the window of the Messicks' Brunswick home. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
After Thomas Messick went missing in November 2015 while hunting, his dog, Willie, began spending his days looking out the window of the Messicks' Brunswick home. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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A search party assembles on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, to look for Thomas Messick, an 82-year-old hunter from Brunswick who went missing three days earlier in the town of Horicon in Warren County. State Police helicopters, state Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers, search-and-rescue teams, specially trained search dogs and hundreds of volunteers, family and friends searched the area for weeks without finding any trace of Messick. (State Department of Environmental Conservation) less
A search party assembles on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, to look for Thomas Messick, an 82-year-old hunter from Brunswick who went missing three days earlier in the town of Horicon in Warren County. State Police ... more
Photo: S.Edkin
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Frederick "Fritzie" Drumm, 68, was last seen Nov. 24, 2015, when Ruth Drumm left the couple's Burgoyne Road in Saratoga to go to a breakfast. He wasn't there when she returned. There was no indication of foul play, no activity on his credit cards and investigators turned up no evidence or leads. Drumm was an avid hunter whose property includes 170 acres of hilly farmland, woods, brush and water from the nearby Fish Creek.(Provided photo) less
Frederick "Fritzie" Drumm, 68, was last seen Nov. 24, 2015, when Ruth Drumm left the couple's Burgoyne Road in Saratoga to go to a breakfast. He wasn't there when she returned. There was no indication of foul ... more
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Searchers comb the fields south of Burgoyne Road for Fred Drumm on Nov. 27, 2015, in Schuylerville, N.Y. More than 150 people, including search-and-rescue teams, volunteer firefighters, a helicopter and specially trained search dogs, looked for Drumm after he went missing on Nov. 15, 2015. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive) less
Searchers comb the fields south of Burgoyne Road for Fred Drumm on Nov. 27, 2015, in Schuylerville, N.Y. More than 150 people, including search-and-rescue teams, volunteer firefighters, a helicopter and ... more
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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Vader, a search dog, runs through the fields near Fish Creek under the direction of his handler Gwen Siemers of the Long Island Search and Rescue, background left, during the continuation of the search for Fred Drumm on Nov. 27, 2015 in Schuylerville, N.Y. Joining Siemers is Tanya Liard, also of LI Search and Rescue. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive) less
Vader, a search dog, runs through the fields near Fish Creek under the direction of his handler Gwen Siemers of the Long Island Search and Rescue, background left, during the continuation of the search for ... more
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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Forest Ranger Anthony Goetke outlines the search parameters for the missing Fred Drumm on Nov. 27, 2015, in Schuylerville, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive)
Forest Ranger Anthony Goetke outlines the search parameters for the missing Fred Drumm on Nov. 27, 2015, in Schuylerville, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive)
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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Eighteen-year-old Jennifer "Moonbeam" Hammond was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2003. She was last seen that August selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door at the Creek and Pines mobile home park on Middleline Road in Milton. Her remains were found deep in the woods of Greenfield on Oct. 29, 2009. In 2017, Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said the similarities between the disappearances of Hammond and Christina White and are uncanny: Both were red-headed, one age 18 and the other 19, who disappeared in the early 2000s from mobile home parks in Milton. Years later, hunters found their remains less than 5 miles apart, hidden in the woods of Greenfield. Neither slaying has been solved. (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office) less
Eighteen-year-old Jennifer "Moonbeam" Hammond was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2003. She was last seen that August selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door at the Creek and Pines mobile home park on ... more
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Nineteen-year-old Christina White was last seen by family members June 30, 2005, leaving her home in Saratoga Village mobile home park in Milton. A year later, on March 10, 2006, a hunter found her skeletal remains in the Daketown Forest in Greenfield. Authorities believe she was stabbed to death. (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office) less
Nineteen-year-old Christina White was last seen by family members June 30, 2005, leaving her home in Saratoga Village mobile home park in Milton. A year later, on March 10, 2006, a hunter found her skeletal ... more
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State Police cars parked along Lake Desolation Road in Greenfield, N.Y., as investigators search for further human remains found deep in the woods on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. A State Police forensic expert confirmed the remains were Jennifer "Moonbeam" Hammond, who was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2003. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union archive) less
State Police cars parked along Lake Desolation Road in Greenfield, N.Y., as investigators search for further human remains found deep in the woods on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. A State Police forensic expert ... more
Photo: John Carl D'Annibale
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Suzanne Gloria Lyall of Ballston Spa, shown in an undated family photo, was a 19-year-old computer sciences major when she vanished on March 2, 1998. She is believed to have stepped off a CDTA bus on the UAlbany uptown campus at 9:45 p.m. after her shift at Crossgates Mall. (Family photo)
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Suzanne Gloria Lyall of Ballston Spa, shown in an undated family photo, was a 19-year-old computer sciences major when she vanished on March 2, 1998. She is believed to have stepped off a CDTA bus on the
... more
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Suzanne Lyall's parents, Mary and Doug Lyall, speak with Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue, right, at a groundbreaking for the state Missing Persons Remembrance near the Empire State Plaza in Albany on April 6, 2006, Suzanne's birth date. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less
Suzanne Lyall's parents, Mary and Doug Lyall, speak with Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue, right, at a groundbreaking for the state Missing Persons Remembrance near the Empire State Plaza in Albany on April 6, 2006, ... more
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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A missing poster for Suzanne Lyall. 
A missing poster for Suzanne Lyall. 
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The July 7, 1908, murder of small-town beauty Hazel Irene Drew in Sand Lake inspired the TV series "Twin Peaks." The 20-year-old blonde, blue-eyed Drew had worked as a domestic servant since age 14 in what was then a resort community. Frank Smith, described as a "dimwitted" teenage farmhand, and Rudolph Gundrum, 35, a charcoal peddler, were the last people to report seeing her alive, walking on a remote section of heavily wooded Taborton Road. Drew’s lifeless and bloated body was discovered four days later floating face down in nearby Teal's Pond. She died of a blow to the back of the head, her skull crushed with a blunt weapon. Despite a string of eccentric suspects, her murder remains unsolved. (Courtesy of Bob Moore, Sand Lake Historian) less
The July 7, 1908, murder of small-town beauty Hazel Irene Drew in Sand Lake inspired the TV series "Twin Peaks." The 20-year-old blonde, blue-eyed Drew had worked as a domestic servant since age 14 in what was ... more
Photo: Courtesy of Bob Moore, Sand Lake Historian
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A new season of "Twin Peaks," which originally aired on ABC in 1990, returned to television, airing on Showtime beginning May 21. The unsolved July 7, 1908, murder of small-town beauty Hazel Irene Drew in Sand Lake inspired the series. less
A new season of "Twin Peaks," which originally aired on ABC in 1990, returned to television, airing on Showtime beginning May 21. The unsolved July 7, 1908, murder of small-town beauty Hazel Irene Drew in Sand ... more
Photo: Showtime
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On June 27, 2004, Scotia-Glenville High School soccer player Craig Frear, 17, walked into the woods behind a friend's apartment in Cambridge Manor, Scotia. Dozens of searches have failed to turn up any trace of him.  (Provided photo/Times Union archive) less
On June 27, 2004, Scotia-Glenville High School soccer player Craig Frear, 17, walked into the woods behind a friend's apartment in Cambridge Manor, Scotia. Dozens of searches have failed to turn up any trace ... more
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State Police along with a police dog search an area off of Alplaus Avenue on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, in Glenville, N.Y. State Police were in the area resuming the search for Craig Frear, who disappeared in 2004. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) less
State Police along with a police dog search an area off of Alplaus Avenue on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, in Glenville, N.Y. State Police were in the area resuming the search for Craig Frear, who disappeared in ... more
Photo: Paul Buckowski
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Veronica Frear, mother of a Craig Frear, a Scotia High School soccer player who disappeared in 2004, stands in his room on Aug, 2, 2011, in Scotia, N.Y. The room was left undisturbed in the family's home since his disappearance. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) less
Veronica Frear, mother of a Craig Frear, a Scotia High School soccer player who disappeared in 2004, stands in his room on Aug, 2, 2011, in Scotia, N.Y. The room was left undisturbed in the family's home ... more
Photo: Michael P. Farrell
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Looking forward to a spring-break vacation in Florida, Karen Wilson, a 22-year-old UAlbany senior and an intern for the state Assembly, left her uptown campus dormitory on March 27, 1985, for a Colonie tanning salon. She never came back. (Provided photo)
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Looking forward to a spring-break vacation in Florida, Karen Wilson, a 22-year-old UAlbany senior and an intern for the state Assembly, left her uptown campus dormitory on March 27, 1985, for a Colonie tanning
... more
Photo: HAND OUT
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Trooper Jeff Guildersleeve, in baseball cap at left, prepares his group for the search for University at Albany student Karen Wilson on April 11, 1985. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive)
Trooper Jeff Guildersleeve, in baseball cap at left, prepares his group for the search for University at Albany student Karen Wilson on April 11, 1985. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union archive)
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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Trooper Ronald K. Wall of Troop E, right, and University at Albany students search for Karen Wilson along tracks just west of Fuller Road and south of Railroad Ave. April 11, 1985, in Colonie, N.Y. (Times Union archive) less
Trooper Ronald K. Wall of Troop E, right, and University at Albany students search for Karen Wilson along tracks just west of Fuller Road and south of Railroad Ave. April 11, 1985, in Colonie, N.Y. (Times Union ... more
Photo: BOB RICHEY
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State Police and Albany Police Department scuba divers search for the body of Karen Wilson at 6 Mile Waterworks in Albany, N.Y., in this undated image. (Times Union archive)
State Police and Albany Police Department scuba divers search for the body of Karen Wilson at 6 Mile Waterworks in Albany, N.Y., in this undated image. (Times Union archive)
Photo: BOB RICHEY
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Eight family members died in a fire on June 2, 1978, in their Ontario Street, Cohoes, apartment. Eleanor, 9; Evelyn, 8; Francis, 5; John Jr., 4; Edward, 2; and 4-month-old twins Patricia and Sarah Gratto were buried with their 31-year-old father, John, in a Troy cemetery. The sole survivor, wife and mother Virginia Gratto, 29, suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation. She said she fled the apartment alone through a door that investigators later found to be locked. Investigators found the fire started in two places. In 1979, a grand jury concluded the cause was arson. Detectives have pried into her life in the years since and she remained a suspect. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union) less
Eight family members died in a fire on June 2, 1978, in their Ontario Street, Cohoes, apartment. Eleanor, 9; Evelyn, 8; Francis, 5; John Jr., 4; Edward, 2; and 4-month-old twins Patricia and Sarah Gratto were ... more
Photo: LMF
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Detectives and firefighters were immediately suspicious of Virginia Gratto, who fled the burning building without her twin babies, Sarah and Patricia, who were sleeping a few steps from Gratto when the fire struck their Cohoes apartment in June 1978. (Times Union archive) less
Detectives and firefighters were immediately suspicious of Virginia Gratto, who fled the burning building without her twin babies, Sarah and Patricia, who were sleeping a few steps from Gratto when the fire ... more
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Virginia Gratto, center, left the state not long after the funeral services for her husband, John Gratto Sr., and their seven children in June 1978. (Times Union archive)
Virginia Gratto, center, left the state not long after the funeral services for her husband, John Gratto Sr., and their seven children in June 1978. (Times Union archive)
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Virginia Gratto, center, with her mother, Ms. Frank Bellrose, left, and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Evelyn Pembroke, right, react during the burial of John Gratto Sr. and their seven children on June 6, 1978. Gratto, pregnant with her eighth child, left the area that year and later married an apple farmer in Washington state. (Times Union archive)

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Virginia Gratto, center, with her mother, Ms. Frank Bellrose, left, and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Evelyn Pembroke, right, react during the burial of John Gratto Sr. and their seven children on June 6, 1978.

... more
Photo: Times Union Archive
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Virginia Gratto, left, and John Gratto Sr. had a troubled marriage that was marked by abuse and financial hardship. (Times Union archive)
Virginia Gratto, left, and John Gratto Sr. had a troubled marriage that was marked by abuse and financial hardship. (Times Union archive)
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Audrey May Herron finished her shift at the Greene County Long-Term Health Care Center in Catskill at 11 p.m. Aug. 29, 2002, said good-bye to co-workers and got into her 1994 black Jeep to head home to Freehold, about 15 miles away. She was never seen again and the SUV was been recovered. (State Police composite) less
Audrey May Herron finished her shift at the Greene County Long-Term Health Care Center in Catskill at 11 p.m. Aug. 29, 2002, said good-bye to co-workers and got into her 1994 black Jeep to head home to ... more
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Shirley Olmsted holds a picture of her daughter, Audrey May Herron, on Friday, May 13, 2016, in Hannacroix, N.Y. Herron is shown in 1996 with her daughter Sonsia Court, who was 4 years old at the time. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less
Shirley Olmsted holds a picture of her daughter, Audrey May Herron, on Friday, May 13, 2016, in Hannacroix, N.Y. Herron is shown in 1996 with her daughter Sonsia Court, who was 4 years old at the time. (Cindy ... more
Photo: Cindy Schultz
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Denise Krohn's two goldendoodles, Quigley, age 6, (golden-colored) and Kirby, age 2, (black) were shot and killed in February 2016 during a burglary in the Montgomery County town of Florida. (Photo provided)
Denise Krohn's two goldendoodles, Quigley, age 6, (golden-colored) and Kirby, age 2, (black) were shot and killed in February 2016 during a burglary in the Montgomery County town of Florida. (Photo provided)
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Denise Krohn's two goldendoodles, Quigley, age 6, (golden-colored) and Kirby, age 2, (black) were shot and killed in February 2016 during a burglary in the Montgomery County town of Florida. (Photo provided)
Denise Krohn's two goldendoodles, Quigley, age 6, (golden-colored) and Kirby, age 2, (black) were shot and killed in February 2016 during a burglary in the Montgomery County town of Florida. (Photo provided)
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Pat and Denise Krohn, left and center, and Assemblyman Jim Tedisco holding up photos of Kirby and Quigley at a rally Saturday, Feb. 28, 2016, at Florida Town Hall in  Montgomergy County to push for passage of a law that would make it a felony offence to harm an animal while committing another felony crime in New York state. (Provided photo) less
Pat and Denise Krohn, left and center, and Assemblyman Jim Tedisco holding up photos of Kirby and Quigley at a rally Saturday, Feb. 28, 2016, at Florida Town Hall in  Montgomergy County to push for passage of ... more
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On Aug. 19, 1994, family members found 81-year-old Wilomeana "Violet" Filkins dead in her ground floor apartment in East Greenbush. Autopsy results showed Filkins died from several blows to the back of her head. (State Police) less
On Aug. 19, 1994, family members found 81-year-old Wilomeana "Violet" Filkins dead in her ground floor apartment in East Greenbush. Autopsy results showed Filkins died from several blows to the back of her ... more
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This 1994 archive photo shows East Greenbush police removing the body of Wilomeana "Violet" Filkins, who was killed in her Coventry Apartmentts residence. (Times Union archive)
This 1994 archive photo shows East Greenbush police removing the body of Wilomeana "Violet" Filkins, who was killed in her Coventry Apartmentts residence. (Times Union archive)
Photo: Luanne M. Ferris
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The body of SUNY Cobleskill student Katherine Kolodziej, 17, was discovered in Richmondville in November 1974. Around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 2, 1974, Kolodziej left The Vault, a popular college bar, to walk back to campus alone. She was never seen alive again. Her body was found 26 days later on Thanksgiving, barefoot and naked from the waist down and carefully placed on a stone wall. The Long Island teenager had been stabbed in the back seven times with two different weapons. Among those questioned about the case were convicted serial killers Theodore "Ted" Bundy and Lewis Lent.  (Times Union archive)

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The body of SUNY Cobleskill student Katherine Kolodziej, 17, was discovered in Richmondville in November 1974. Around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 2, 1974, Kolodziej left The Vault, a popular college bar, to walk back to

... more
Photo: Times Union Archive
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In this 2011 image, State Police BCI Investigator Tom Cioffi talks about the 1974 homicide of Katherine Kolodziej. A box with her case file sits next to him at Princetown State Police Station in Schenectady. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less
In this 2011 image, State Police BCI Investigator Tom Cioffi talks about the 1974 homicide of Katherine Kolodziej. A box with her case file sits next to him at Princetown State Police Station in Schenectady. ... more
Photo: Lori Van Buren
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Robert "Bobby' Gutkaiss, 15, of Stephentown vanished on June 30, 1983. He was last seen leaving his job as a berry picker, walking on Route 22. His decomposed body was found eight days later off East Road in Stephentown. Police ruled his death a homicide and suspect he was sexually abused, but no one was ever arrested. (Provided photo)


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Robert "Bobby' Gutkaiss, 15, of Stephentown vanished on June 30, 1983. He was last seen leaving his job as a berry picker, walking on Route 22. His decomposed body was found eight days later off East Road in ... more
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A state police cruiser parked at the scene where 15-year-old Robert "Bobby' Gutkaiss' decomposing body was found in July 1983. The Stephentown teen vanished on June 30, 1983, after leaving his job as a berry picker, walking on Route 22. His decomposed body was found eight days later off East Road in Stephentown. Police ruled his death a homicide and suspect he was sexually abused, but no one was ever arrested. (State Police) less
A state police cruiser parked at the scene where 15-year-old Robert "Bobby' Gutkaiss' decomposing body was found in July 1983. The Stephentown teen vanished on June 30, 1983, after leaving his job as a berry ... more
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Edward "Mitt" Croley , 14, disappeared March 27, 1991, from the area of Northern Boulevard and Livingston Avenue. He said he was going to school that morning but never arrived at the Maywood School in Colonie. On Jan. 8, 1992, woodcutters found Mitt’s skeletal remains in woods near Route 144 in Selkirk His death was ruled a homicide after a forensic examination showed the teen suffered a severe skull fracture from blunt force trauma. (State Police photo) less
Edward "Mitt" Croley , 14, disappeared March 27, 1991, from the area of Northern Boulevard and Livingston Avenue. He said he was going to school that morning but never arrived at the Maywood School in Colonie. ... more
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Mei-Ling White, 9, was found dead in a wooded area near her home in Troy's south end four days after she was reported missing from the Phelan Court Apartments. She was last seen at 7 a.m. July 21, 1989, when she left to collect bottles and cans to turn in for the nickel deposits. Mei-Ling had been sexually assaulted. Authorities said it could not be determined if she was strangled, choked or smothered to death. She was 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 70 pounds, had brown eyes and medium-length, curly black hair. She was wearing a red sweater, shorts and clear plastic shoes when she disappeared. Police believed throughout the investigation that Mei-Ling's killer was a neighborhood resident. (Provided photo) less
Mei-Ling White, 9, was found dead in a wooded area near her home in Troy's south end four days after she was reported missing from the Phelan Court Apartments. She was last seen at 7 a.m. July 21, 1989, when ... more
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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The decomposed body of Robert Darling Jr. of Gloversville was found on Oct. 10, 1984, by hunters in a heavily wooded area off Benson Road in Benson, Hamilton County. Darling’s roommate was the last person to report seeing him, on Aug. 3, 1984, inside their apartment. An autopsy determined Darling was a homicide victim and investigators found he was involved in the city's drug trade and carried large amounts of cash. (State Police)

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The decomposed body of Robert Darling Jr. of Gloversville was found on Oct. 10, 1984, by hunters in a heavily wooded area off Benson Road in Benson, Hamilton County. Darling’s roommate was the last person to

... more
Photo: State Police
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The body of Jacqueline McCalop, 43, of Catskill was found by the Rip Van Winkle Bridge near Hudson on Sept. 30, 2000. McCalop was stabbed multiple times. She was reported missing on Sept. 24, 2000, 10 days after relatives last saw her.  (State Police)

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The body of Jacqueline McCalop, 43, of Catskill was found by the Rip Van Winkle Bridge near Hudson on Sept. 30, 2000. McCalop was stabbed multiple times. She was reported missing on Sept. 24, 2000, 10 days

... more
Photo: State Police
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Solved:

In October 2017, Schenectady County officials said DNA evidence links Stanislaw Maciag to the killing of 17-year-old Suzanne Nauman, above, and Phyllis Harvey, 37 both of Schenectady. Nauman's naked body was found by volunteer workers at the Schenectady Municipal Golf Course on May 30, 1995. She had been strangled, and had leaves and dirt stuffed in her mouth. Harvey's remains were found on the back porch of a Lansing Street home in Schenectady in March 1996. Maciag, a Polish immigrant, committed suicide in prison in 1997. (State Police)

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Solved:

In October 2017, Schenectady County officials said DNA evidence links Stanislaw Maciag to the killing of 17-year-old Suzanne Nauman, above, and Phyllis Harvey, 37 both of Schenectady. Nauman's naked

... more
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On July 6, 1988, a passing truck driver found 28-year-old Pamela Ann Devizzio's remains in a ditch on the side of Putnam Road, just east of Jacob Drive. Devizzio's father had reported her missing to Saratoga Springs police the day before her body was found. (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office) less
On July 6, 1988, a passing truck driver found 28-year-old Pamela Ann Devizzio's remains in a ditch on the side of Putnam Road, just east of Jacob Drive. Devizzio's father had reported her missing to Saratoga ... more
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About 3 a.m. July 8, 1993, police found 37-year-old Betty Conley dead inside a Charlton Xtra Mart, where she worked as a clerk. Cash had been stolen from the register. (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office)
About 3 a.m. July 8, 1993, police found 37-year-old Betty Conley dead inside a Charlton Xtra Mart, where she worked as a clerk. Cash had been stolen from the register. (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office)
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On Aug. 6, 2001, family members reported 28-year-old Peter Lorang of Charlton missing after a week without contact. His disappearance has not been ruled a homicide but investigators have labeled the circumstances as "suspicious." (Saratoga County Sheriff's Office) less
On Aug. 6, 2001, family members reported 28-year-old Peter Lorang of Charlton missing after a week without contact. His disappearance has not been ruled a homicide but investigators have labeled the ... more
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The body of Terri Kay Roark, 31, was found on the Northway on March 29, 1988, after she apparently was shoved out of a vehicle on the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge. The same day, a driver spotted a gray duffel bag on the median near Malta, and items inside belonged to Roark. Months after her body was found, Roark was identified by investigators who linked her to an address in Texas. Eight days before her body was found, she was last seen at a mental health facility in Tulsa, Okla. Over the years, highway patrol departments from around the country have tried to find links between Roark's death and those of others along the nation's highways. (Provided photo) less
The body of Terri Kay Roark, 31, was found on the Northway on March 29, 1988, after she apparently was shoved out of a vehicle on the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge. The same day, a driver spotted a gray duffel bag ... more
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Albany resident William "Willie" Woolheater was 22 years old when he vanished on Feb. 26, 1981. He said he was taking a bus to New Orleans but a few days after he was to have left, Woolheater called his mother and would not say if he'd made it to Louisiana. Investigators have never been able to confirm if he boarded a bus or went south. Woolheater, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was prescribed medication, had been working as a cook at The Sign of the Tree Restaurant at the Empire State Plaza. (State Police)

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Albany resident William "Willie" Woolheater was 22 years old when he vanished on Feb. 26, 1981. He said he was taking a bus to New Orleans but a few days after he was to have left, Woolheater called his mother

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Photo: (State Police)
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State Police continue to investigate William "Willie" Woolheater's Feb. 26, 1981 disappearance. (State Police)

State Police continue to investigate William "Willie" Woolheater's Feb. 26, 1981 disappearance. (State Police)

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A woman found dead in the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Albany in July 1982 was not identified until 1987 when a family member spotted her picture on a missing persons poster in Florida. Paula Hall Durden, 21, of Daytona Beach was found in the Southern Boulevard motel with ID for "Shannon White." An autopsy showed she died from strangulation and a blow to the skull with a blunt object. Albany Police detectives questioned her former boyfriend but he was not charged. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union) less
A woman found dead in the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Albany in July 1982 was not identified until 1987 when a family member spotted her picture on a missing persons poster in Florida. Paula Hall Durden, ... more
Photo: Cindy Schultz
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Hai Yan Li, left, and Jin Chen and their sons Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, were found dead inside their Western Avenue home in Guilderland on Oct. 8, 2014. (Photo provided by State Police)

Hai Yan Li, left, and Jin Chen and their sons Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, were found dead inside their Western Avenue home in Guilderland on Oct. 8, 2014. (Photo provided by State Police)

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Members of the Albany County District Attorney's office prepare to enter the scene of a quadruple homicide at 1846 Western Avenue lead by acting Senior Investigator Kelly Strack early Thursday morning Oct. 9, 2014, in Guilderland, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less
Members of the Albany County District Attorney's office prepare to enter the scene of a quadruple homicide at 1846 Western Avenue lead by acting Senior Investigator Kelly Strack early Thursday morning Oct. 9, ... more
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
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A large memorial set up at the base of the Guilderland Elementary School sign Wednesday afternoon Oct. 15, 2014 in Guilderland, N.Y. Guilderland Elementary School is where the two children went to school preceding their murder. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less
A large memorial set up at the base of the Guilderland Elementary School sign Wednesday afternoon Oct. 15, 2014 in Guilderland, N.Y. Guilderland Elementary School is where the two children went to school ... more
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A killer suspected of an Albany woman's slaying in 1970 was executed Thursday in Georgia for the rape and slayings of three other women decades ago.

Carlton Gary, who was known as the "stocking strangler" for the Georgia killings, was put to death by injection of compounded pentobarbital, a barbiturate, at the state prison in Jackson. He was the first inmate executed by Georgia this year.

Gary was charged with the 1970 killing of 84-year-old Nellie Farmer at the Wellington Hotel in Albany. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and agreed to testify against a co-defendant who was later acquitted of the killing.

Gary escaped from a New York state prison and fled to Georgia where he carried out the series of killings that led to his execution.

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Strapped to a gurney with his eyes closed on Thursday, Gary didn't respond when Warden Eric Sellers asked if he wished to make a final statement or have a prayer recited. The warden exited the execution chamber at 10:17 p.m. Records from past executions show the lethal drug generally starts flowing within a couple of minutes of the warden exiting.

Gary took several quick breaths within a few of minutes of the warden exiting and then yawned before becoming still. He died at 10:33 p.m., Sellers told witnesses.

Gary was convicted in 1986 in Georgia on three counts each of malice murder, rape and burglary for the 1977 deaths of 89-year-old Florence Scheible, 69-year-old Martha Thurmond and 74-year-old Kathleen Woodruff.

Though charged only in those deaths, prosecutors say Gary attacked nine elderly women in the west Georgia city of Columbus from September 1977 to April 1978. Most were choked with stockings, and seven of them died.

Gary had been linked by Albany police to the 1970 strangling murder of Nellie Farmer in her rented room at the Wellington Hotel.

Though initially charged with that Albany slaying, the murder charge was dropped after Gary agreed to plead guilty to robbing Farmer and to testify against another man who was also arrested for the Farmer murder, John Lee Mitchell.

Mitchell maintained his innocence and was acquitted of the murder in a 1971 jury trial in Albany, and Gary was sentenced to serve 10 years in New York state prisons. After escaping from prison in New York, Gary surfaced in Georgia.

Police arrested Gary six years after the last killing, in May 1984. He became a suspect when a gun stolen during a 1977 burglary in the upscale neighborhood where all but one of the victims lived was traced to him.

At trial, prosecutors introduced evidence from all nine attacks, arguing that common factors established a pattern. The victims were all older white women who lived alone and were sexually assaulted and choked, usually with stockings. They were attacked at home, usually in the evening, by someone who forced his way inside. All but one of the Georgia victims lived in the Wynnton neighborhood, and all lived near where Gary lived at the time of the crimes.

Prosecutors also presented evidence that they said connected Gary to similar crimes in New York state.

In a clemency petition and in filings before state and federal courts, Gary's lawyers had argued that evidence not available to his trial attorney — either because the necessary testing didn't exist yet or because it wasn't disclosed by the state — proved he wasn't the "stocking strangler."

The state countered in court filings that the evidence Gary's lawyers cited had already been considered by the courts and that his convictions and sentence had repeatedly been upheld by state and federal courts over the past three decades.

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the only authority in Georgia with the power to commute a death sentence, declined Wednesday to spare his life after holding a closed-door hearing to listen to arguments for and against clemency.

Appeals filed by Gary's attorneys with state and federal courts were also rejected.