On March 21, 1969, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Detective Sergeant Don Bennett received a call about a murder.

This case was different, though.

The victim was found in a location most commonly associated with the end of an investigation, not the beginning.

In this case, a young woman's body was found lying on top of a grave at a local cemetery.

When I got here that morning with the fellas from our crime scene crew, we saw that there was a heel print.

And then from that heel print leading kind of into the cemetery were some scuff marks, some drag marks.

Not very deep or distinct, but you could see them.

Beyond the drag marks, there was a body lying in front of this head stall that says,

William Downing Senior.

One-third of all murder cases in America remain open.

Each one is called a cold case, and only one percent are ever solved.

This is one of those rare cases.

From A&E, this is Cold Case Files, the podcast.

The body of a woman was found on top of a grave.

She'd been shot twice in the head.

Next to her body was the suitcase and a pile of women's clothing, and she'd been covered by a towel.

Detective Sergeant Bennett describes the crime scene.

Just a warning. His description is a little graphic.

Her face was bloody. Blood had run down the left side of her face and had dried.

Beside the blood, dried blood on her face.

It was very obvious there was a silk stocking tied very tightly around her neck,

like a garote that had been, she'd probably been strangled with.

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