Our card this week is Christine Tortoro, the six of clubs from Connecticut.

In 1988, 21-year-old Christine was found murdered in Hartford, Connecticut.

Almost immediately, rumors started swirling about who could be responsible for her death.

But most rumors always have a source, and if you look hard enough, sometimes you can find

a threat of truth.

Follow that thread, and you might find the killer.

I'm Ashley Flowers, and this is The Death.

The Sun had barely risen on a warm, August day in Hartford.

And a man had a bit of a break between dropping off his wife at work and going into work himself,

so he picked up a donut and some coffee and drove to the gorgeous Riverside Park to enjoy

his Friday morning along the banks of the Connecticut River.

But as he got out of his car and walked to the water's edge, his breath caught in his

chest when he saw what looked like a figure washed up on the cement boat launch.

The closer he got, the more certain he was that it was the lifeless body of a woman.

The man remembered seeing a police sergeant at the entrance to the park when he came in,

so he immediately turned around and got him for help.

The sergeant followed the man back to the boat launch where he took in the sight of a

nude woman covered in vegetation, and then he quickly called for backup.

Detective Drew Jacobson, with Hartford Police, wasn't one of the responding officers, but

he had their initial reports to reference when he met with our team.

Right away, officers saw that she had some bruises on her neck and some pretty good

lacerations on her hand.

...