Cold and Missing: Sigrid Stevenson

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages. 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560 Listener discretion is advised. 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,520 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,300 Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. 9 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:39,800 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 10 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,960 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:43,960 Hi everyone. 12 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,920 I know I haven't been on a few episodes. 13 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:55,000 And I just want to take a quick moment to say thank you to everyone in your outreach 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:01,920 towards me and Ali during the unexpected passing of my mother. 15 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,760 This is honestly probably the first time in my life that I really paid attention to myself 16 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:15,680 emotionally and took care of myself and just honored and continue to honor my mother in 17 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:21,840 respecting my grief process, which included not engaging with Cold and Missing in the 18 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:27,400 way that I had previously, but I've missed recording and I've missed being in the booth 19 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,560 with my beautiful and supportive wife. 20 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:40,360 And I've just, I've missed being a part of what our mission is here, which is to help 21 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,760 people find answers. 22 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:51,680 My mother was a true crime sleuth, just like Ali and I. 23 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:57,280 She is still someone, I still actively talk to her all the time. 24 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:08,240 She's someone who stood for what my wife stands for in the mission of creating this podcast. 25 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:16,200 And she also, I know it's Halloween and around Halloween and she loved just spooky season 26 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,040 horror films as well. 27 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,040 And so do I. 28 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,000 Yeah, she was a part of this community. 29 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:30,160 So anytime you see a pink flower that really stands out to you, that's my mom saying hello. 30 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:35,520 But with that, I am grateful to be back and I'm looking forward to this episode. 31 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,240 But what do you have for us this week? 32 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:44,680 So today we are covering a cold case and this comes from Ewing Township, New Jersey. 33 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,880 All right, let's get into it. 34 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,000 And just as a content warning at the top, there are some brief mentions of sexual assault. 35 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:56,120 So today we are talking about the cold case of Sigrid Stevenson. 36 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:02,280 And this takes place in September, 1977 in Ewing Township, New Jersey. 37 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,480 But first a little bit about Sigrid. 38 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,640 Sigrid was 25 years old in 1977. 39 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:12,800 She was enrolled at Trenton State College, which is now known as the College of New Jersey. 40 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,760 There she was pursuing her masters in music with hopes of one day becoming a teacher. 41 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,800 Sigrid loved playing the piano. 42 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:21,120 It was her passion. 43 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,860 And so many memories of her friends from college involved her sitting at the piano bench. 44 00:03:25,860 --> 00:03:28,480 She was a fearless free spirit. 45 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:34,080 At this time in 1977, she had hitchhiked through Canada and New England as a summer trip and 46 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,220 she followed her own path. 47 00:03:36,220 --> 00:03:41,080 Sigrid loved playing the piano so much that she often snuck into buildings and spent the 48 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,060 night in them so she could play into the night and early in the morning. 49 00:03:45,060 --> 00:03:49,120 She was passionate and kind and marched to the beat of her own drum. 50 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,040 And now a timeline of events. 51 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:58,320 On Friday, September 2, 1977, Sigrid returns back to campus after her hitchhiking adventure 52 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,640 across Canada and New England. 53 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,440 According to reports at this time, she was renting a room from a college professor during 54 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,600 the summer, but classes were set to start on Thursday after the Labor Day holiday. 55 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,780 So she would have been moving back into her dorm on Tuesday or Wednesday. 56 00:04:13,780 --> 00:04:19,200 On Saturday, September 3, a friend of Sigrid said that they saw her at the movies about 57 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,880 15 miles from campus that afternoon. 58 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,440 That evening, Sigrid headed over to Kendall Hall on campus to watch the final performance 59 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,740 of the play JB. 60 00:04:29,740 --> 00:04:35,100 And just as a side note, this is a play about the retelling of Job from the Bible. 61 00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:40,040 After the show, Sigrid chatted with some of the cast and crew in the basement dressing room. 62 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,780 Sigrid told them that she was locked out of her rented room and had planned to spend the 63 00:04:43,780 --> 00:04:46,480 night in Kendall Hall to practice the piano. 64 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,720 Again, this is something that she had done in the past. 65 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,280 She planned to sleep in a practice room or under the stage. 66 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:57,920 That night, while at Kendall Hall, Sigrid wrote in her journal that she kept hearing loud 67 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:01,280 banging coming from the theater that was keeping her up. 68 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:04,920 The cast and crew were tearing down the set from JB. 69 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:10,160 Sigrid wanted to wake up early so she could practice the piano and leave before 11 a.m. 70 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,480 when the guard comes by. 71 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,200 Sigrid had gotten into trouble for being in locked buildings before and wanted to avoid 72 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,420 the confrontation. 73 00:05:19,420 --> 00:05:26,040 On Sunday, September 4, 1977, at around 1130 p.m., a guard was doing his rounds when he 74 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,960 noticed Sigrid's green bicycle was locked up in front of Kendall Hall. 75 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,360 The campus was mostly deserted at this time. 76 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:38,040 There were only around 50 people on campus and with the next day being Labor Day, the 77 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,840 guard seemed to think that the bike was out of place. 78 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:43,760 So he unlocked Kendall Hall and went in to look around. 79 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,660 That's when he makes the awful discovery of Sigrid's body. 80 00:05:47,660 --> 00:05:51,560 She was center stage in the theater, surrounded by a pool of blood. 81 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:52,560 She was nude. 82 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,560 Her jeans were found nearby and her shirt was pulled up over her head. 83 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:01,280 Her wrists had been tied behind her back and she was covered up by a piano cover. 84 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,200 Sigrid's feet were bare and there were dirt and blood on the bottom of them. 85 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,360 Sigrid was beaten so badly that she was unrecognizable. 86 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,480 When her friends came to the police station to confirm her ID, they were only able to 87 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,620 tell it was her by her hair. 88 00:06:14,620 --> 00:06:18,880 The attack was brutal and blood was sprayed across the sheet of music on the piano that 89 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:20,500 she had been practicing. 90 00:06:20,500 --> 00:06:25,880 In the theater, police found Sigrid's wallet with her driver's license, $7 in cash, and 91 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:27,560 some travelers checks. 92 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,440 Police assume because she was found nude that she had been raped, but her autopsy will show 93 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:32,720 that she was not. 94 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,560 On Monday, September 5th, the Mercer County Medical Examiner, Dr. Abmed, determines that 95 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:43,520 Sigrid was beaten to death with a blunt object and had died as a result of blood clots and 96 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,080 a severe loss of blood. 97 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,120 Sigrid had 15 deep scalp wounds which fractured her skull and face. 98 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,400 Her nose was broken and so were two of her ribs. 99 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,920 She also had bruises on her chest and elbow. 100 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:01,200 Police are back on the college campus and searching Kendall Hall. 101 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,760 They find Sigrid's backpack in a different part of the hall and inside was her journal. 102 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:11,660 She had recently wrote about how she was out of practice and her fingers were stiff. 103 00:07:11,660 --> 00:07:16,600 Police begin to question the cast of JB, which was around 16 people. 104 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:21,160 One member of the play mentioned to police that they had seen Sigrid playing the piano 105 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,760 in Kendall Hall over the summer. 106 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,320 He was surprised to see her since the building was always locked and the theater company 107 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,320 had to find someone with a key to unlock it for them. 108 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:35,000 I did read reports that there was a door on Kendall Hall that if you pulled with enough 109 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,080 force would open even if it was locked. 110 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,240 Police didn't notice any signs of forced entry at Kendall Hall. 111 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:47,520 Tuesday, September 6th, police have no firm leads on who would kill Sigrid and beg the 112 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,120 public to come forward with any information that they might have. 113 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,560 Police refused to say what time they believe that she was killed. 114 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:59,420 Personally, I think she was killed Sunday morning based off of her journal entry. 115 00:07:59,420 --> 00:08:03,520 Also since she was killed on stage next to the piano she was playing and she had plans 116 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,820 to play in the morning, but again nothing is confirmed by police. 117 00:08:07,820 --> 00:08:12,100 Police also don't have the murder weapon, but they theorize that either the killer brought 118 00:08:12,100 --> 00:08:17,340 something in and carried it back out or that a 2x4 was used. 119 00:08:17,340 --> 00:08:22,340 A 2x4 was used to prop the piano that Sigrid was playing when she was attacked and it was 120 00:08:22,340 --> 00:08:24,760 missing after the murder. 121 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,000 Police continue to question the cast. 122 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,520 One member of the cast, Sidney Porcelain, was a well-known psychic in New Jersey. 123 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,540 He had helped police on prior cases and offered to help here. 124 00:08:36,540 --> 00:08:41,060 Police initially looked at him as a person of interest, but after they were able to confirm 125 00:08:41,060 --> 00:08:47,520 the 24 hours after the play of his alibi they let him handle Sigrid's backpack in journal. 126 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,660 When he handled the backpack he said quote, 127 00:08:49,660 --> 00:08:52,200 I suddenly know how she was killed. 128 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:57,960 She was hit on both the right and left sides of her head, but more strongly on the right. 129 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,200 When he handled the journal he said quote, 130 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,320 I felt something was wrong with my fingers because my own fingers felt strange when I 131 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,960 held the notebook. 132 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:12,000 Sigrid did write that her fingers were stiff as mentioned earlier, but police say that 133 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,240 Sidney did not open or read the journal at all. 134 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,600 On Wednesday, September 7th, as more and more students returned to campus for the start 135 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,700 of the school year, Sigrid's friends are questioned by police as well. 136 00:09:23,700 --> 00:09:27,080 One of her friends, Marie DePascal, said quote, 137 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,560 I think she was too friendly for her own good. 138 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:31,720 She would talk to anybody. 139 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:35,700 The school urges students to walk with a friend at night and to lock their doors when they 140 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:38,920 step out for a minute and when they're napping and sleeping. 141 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,640 Police had ruled out robbery as a motive since all of her money and travelers' checks were 142 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:44,700 in her wallet. 143 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:49,100 Over the next several weeks, police turned to question the campus security, which consisted 144 00:09:49,100 --> 00:09:53,300 of 12 armed officers and 8 security guards. 145 00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:57,360 The Ewing Township police also had to turn in their billy clubs and handcuffs to the 146 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,080 state police to search for evidence of blood or hair. 147 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,360 Investigators are interested in campus security, as one of their biggest clues in this case 148 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,300 was actually the piano cover that Sigrid was covered up by. 149 00:10:09,300 --> 00:10:15,260 The cover came from a $10,000 Mason & Hamlin grand piano that was kept in the concert room 150 00:10:15,260 --> 00:10:18,060 of Bray Hall, which is no longer on campus. 151 00:10:18,060 --> 00:10:20,280 It was demolished in 1999. 152 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:25,600 Bray Hall was about 75 feet from Kendall Hall and was another locked building. 153 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:30,240 Furthermore, the concert room where the grand piano was kept was also locked and had no 154 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:34,420 windows since thousands of dollars of musical equipment was kept there. 155 00:10:34,420 --> 00:10:38,720 To get the cover from Bray Hall to Kendall Hall, you would need three keys. 156 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,320 One for the concert room, one for Bray Hall, and then one for Kendall Hall. 157 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:47,680 The supervisor of the graduate music program and the chair of the music department did 158 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:49,780 not have all three keys. 159 00:10:49,780 --> 00:10:54,880 The janitors assigned to Bray and Kendall Hall did not have all three keys. 160 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,420 Only campus security would have had all three keys. 161 00:10:58,420 --> 00:11:02,440 Now while there was rumor to be a door in Kendall Hall that if you pulled hard enough 162 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:07,080 would come unlocked, everybody insists that there was no way to gain access to the concert 163 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,180 room without keys. 164 00:11:09,180 --> 00:11:14,780 The head of the graduate music program, Stanley Austin, said, quote, Believe me, if there 165 00:11:14,780 --> 00:11:19,440 was a way anyone could have gotten access to the concert room and the grand piano, Sigrid 166 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,020 would have found it, end quote. 167 00:11:22,020 --> 00:11:26,240 Someone in the music department swore that they had seen the cover on the grand piano 168 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,180 just weeks before Sigrid's murder and there would have been no reason that it would have 169 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:32,980 been moved before the murder took place. 170 00:11:32,980 --> 00:11:36,840 Someone in the music department swore that they had seen the cover on the grand piano 171 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:41,100 just weeks before Sigrid's murder and there would be no reason that it would have been 172 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:43,640 moved before the murder took place. 173 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:47,680 One campus security guard is brought in for questioning since he had been friendly with 174 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:51,240 Sigrid, but he is let go and no charges are filed. 175 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:55,740 The next update I could really find on this case comes in 1979. 176 00:11:55,740 --> 00:12:00,900 It's been two years since the murder and police are no closer to solving it then than 177 00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:03,020 they were in 1977. 178 00:12:03,020 --> 00:12:08,940 The Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor, Paul O'Gara says, quote, We have no individual 179 00:12:08,940 --> 00:12:13,840 suspects, only a large group of people who were on campus at that time. 180 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:18,180 For that matter, it could have been somebody wandering through campus, end quote. 181 00:12:18,180 --> 00:12:22,080 And then after this, the case truly seems to go cold. 182 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,780 The next article I could find on this comes from 2016. 183 00:12:26,780 --> 00:12:29,960 So that's 39 years after the murder. 184 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,740 Students at the college have said that there is a ghost in Kendall Hall and that Sigrid 185 00:12:33,740 --> 00:12:35,920 is the spirit behind it. 186 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,060 Students say they have heard footsteps when nobody is there, doors open and shut on their 187 00:12:40,060 --> 00:12:41,300 own. 188 00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:45,600 And one student claims that in the bathroom, she saw a paper towel float from one side 189 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:49,640 of the room and into the trash can on the other side of the room. 190 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,220 Another psychic visited the campus in 2016, but they wish to remain anonymous when they 191 00:12:54,220 --> 00:12:55,980 spoke to the newspaper. 192 00:12:55,980 --> 00:13:00,620 They told the local paper, quote, When she was on stage, this guy was watching her for 193 00:13:00,620 --> 00:13:02,300 a little while. 194 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:06,540 Either her back was turned while she was on the piano, or she was too involved with her 195 00:13:06,540 --> 00:13:08,300 music to notice. 196 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:11,780 I think he was in uniform and had curly hair. 197 00:13:11,780 --> 00:13:14,660 He had something on his pants, something like keys. 198 00:13:14,660 --> 00:13:16,300 She knew him but not well. 199 00:13:16,300 --> 00:13:19,180 He made in advance, but she fought back. 200 00:13:19,180 --> 00:13:25,100 He got angry, and when he got tough, she scratched and did something near his eye. 201 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:26,700 That's when he got violent. 202 00:13:26,700 --> 00:13:28,780 He knew she was there that night. 203 00:13:28,780 --> 00:13:32,060 And this guy was sick, borderline stalker. 204 00:13:32,060 --> 00:13:35,380 There was a place on stage where he could hide and watch her. 205 00:13:35,380 --> 00:13:39,840 He made advances at her before, but she had ignored him, made small talk. 206 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,920 But that night was different. 207 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:46,200 After he killed her, he discarded his clothes in a dumpster behind a store. 208 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,660 He didn't appear to be old, probably in his late 20s or 30s, so he'd be in his 50s or 209 00:13:50,660 --> 00:13:51,660 60s today. 210 00:13:51,660 --> 00:13:55,220 I think he has health problems and has moved far away." 211 00:13:55,220 --> 00:13:56,220 End quote. 212 00:13:56,220 --> 00:14:00,440 After this story runs in the newspaper, a woman writes in who is a freshman on campus 213 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,600 the year Sigrid was murdered. 214 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:08,000 She claims that no one on campus talked about it and it almost seemed forbidden by the administration. 215 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,500 She laments the fact that there is no plaque or scholarship to remember Sigrid by. 216 00:14:12,500 --> 00:14:16,500 She says, quote, the fact that her murder has become a ghost story is further insult 217 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:18,340 to this young woman's dignity. 218 00:14:18,340 --> 00:14:21,940 Not only was she brutally murdered, her killer was never found. 219 00:14:21,940 --> 00:14:25,920 And now her murder has been reduced to entertainment for college students. 220 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:27,060 End quote. 221 00:14:27,060 --> 00:14:31,480 And that is really the last update that I could find on this case. 222 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:39,060 So if you know anything about the murder of Sigrid Stevenson in September of 1977, please 223 00:14:39,060 --> 00:14:46,160 call the Mercer County Sheriff's Office at 609-989-6125. 224 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:51,380 And the sources for the timeline today come from The Millville Daily, The Courier News, 225 00:14:51,380 --> 00:14:56,540 Courier Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Peninsula Times Tribune, The Jersey Journal, 226 00:14:56,540 --> 00:15:01,180 The Record, Oakland Tribune, Daily News, and Ashbury Park Press. 227 00:15:01,180 --> 00:15:04,940 So that is the case of Sigrid Stevenson. 228 00:15:04,940 --> 00:15:14,620 I mean, I'm never expecting anything, I guess, when I am learning about a new case. 229 00:15:14,620 --> 00:15:19,820 But it certainly wasn't this. 230 00:15:19,820 --> 00:15:35,180 And my first reaction, honestly, is that it was just major echoes of the 70s and women's bodies, 231 00:15:35,180 --> 00:15:47,700 like lives, names, history experiences were just discarded in such a careless way. 232 00:15:47,700 --> 00:15:53,340 And there's so much of it at that time because it's, you think of, I mean, I think of the 233 00:15:53,340 --> 00:16:00,140 70s and I think of like a serial killer, like, I hate to call it this, but like era, the 234 00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:03,460 viciousness in the details. 235 00:16:03,460 --> 00:16:11,340 And then I'm not even going to say like lack of follow through, the failure of follow through. 236 00:16:11,340 --> 00:16:20,860 It's, I mean, one just like unacceptable that I'm so glad that you brought this case to 237 00:16:20,860 --> 00:16:21,860 us. 238 00:16:21,860 --> 00:16:24,980 I'm really sad that I didn't know about it until now. 239 00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:28,900 But yeah, my first reaction is like, I'm disgusted. 240 00:16:28,900 --> 00:16:33,580 I'm like amped up and super angry about this. 241 00:16:33,580 --> 00:16:35,060 Totally. 242 00:16:35,060 --> 00:16:38,020 And I don't know if you had this experience, but I know it's something that I had when 243 00:16:38,020 --> 00:16:39,060 I was researching it. 244 00:16:39,060 --> 00:16:42,980 It's like I knew a bunch of cigarettes in college. 245 00:16:42,980 --> 00:16:47,820 You know, I was, I studied theater and our theater building and the music department, 246 00:16:47,820 --> 00:16:52,900 like they all shared, you know, a building where all our classes were, where the theaters 247 00:16:52,900 --> 00:16:54,020 were. 248 00:16:54,020 --> 00:16:59,860 And I knew people who would sleep in the building to like get extra practice or to stay up late 249 00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:00,860 and work on something. 250 00:17:00,860 --> 00:17:02,980 I used to sleep in the theater green room. 251 00:17:02,980 --> 00:17:06,900 Like I bought a blanket and a pillow to keep down there because I would nap down there 252 00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:07,900 so often. 253 00:17:07,900 --> 00:17:17,140 And this to me was like, I know so many people like Sigrid and I myself like saw my myself 254 00:17:17,140 --> 00:17:20,880 kind of reflected in her of just like being so passionate about what you're studying and 255 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:24,180 like eating, sleeping, breathing the piano. 256 00:17:24,180 --> 00:17:28,220 Like I don't play the piano, but that's how I felt about theater when I was in college. 257 00:17:28,220 --> 00:17:35,180 And it's disgusting to me to think of like that theater space where it is so vulnerable. 258 00:17:35,180 --> 00:17:38,980 Like, you know, like you're moving through your college years, you're practicing this 259 00:17:38,980 --> 00:17:44,200 vulnerability on stage and music, playing music can be a very vulnerable experience. 260 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:48,460 And there she was probably playing barefoot the piano since she was found without her 261 00:17:48,460 --> 00:17:54,900 shoes on and she was attacked and like center stage. 262 00:17:54,900 --> 00:17:59,860 Like it's just, it's like almost theatrical in like how it all happened. 263 00:17:59,860 --> 00:18:05,980 And I just really deeply felt for Sigrid in this case. 264 00:18:05,980 --> 00:18:10,140 It was just so astonishing to me that this could happen. 265 00:18:10,140 --> 00:18:11,140 Yes. 266 00:18:11,140 --> 00:18:19,100 I, I, I hear you because I too, same thing, but like those little rooms and the, yeah, 267 00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:21,960 my second reaction was how dare you? 268 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:29,100 Like you like ripped someone from their moment of like, what sounds like to me, like her 269 00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:33,260 vocation, like prayer to me. 270 00:18:33,260 --> 00:18:35,180 I might, yeah. 271 00:18:35,180 --> 00:18:39,220 My question is more directly for you is who do you think did it? 272 00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:44,420 And I know, you know, I know you believe that it was someone who knew her, knew the building, 273 00:18:44,420 --> 00:18:48,000 knew the space because that's the only way. 274 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,500 And I know it was like Labor Day weekend, but that campus was empty. 275 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:59,300 Someone had to know and I have some opinions, but. 276 00:18:59,300 --> 00:19:00,300 Yeah. 277 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:03,660 I mean, to me it comes down to those three keys. 278 00:19:03,660 --> 00:19:06,660 Who had access to those three keys? 279 00:19:06,660 --> 00:19:11,740 Who would have access to all three of those keys to get the piano cover from the grand 280 00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:17,380 piano in a completely different building in a very secure locked tight room. 281 00:19:17,380 --> 00:19:23,820 I mean, even the graduate music director, he like kind of joked and said, if there was 282 00:19:23,820 --> 00:19:29,420 a way for somebody to get into the concert room and get access to the grand piano, Sigrid 283 00:19:29,420 --> 00:19:31,220 would have found it already. 284 00:19:31,220 --> 00:19:36,380 So the only way to get it was with a key. 285 00:19:36,380 --> 00:19:43,020 But also firefighters are very, very, very strong and like part of their job is to like 286 00:19:43,020 --> 00:19:45,620 break through into spaces. 287 00:19:45,620 --> 00:19:49,020 But there was no sign of forced entry anywhere. 288 00:19:49,020 --> 00:19:50,980 But did they actually look? 289 00:19:50,980 --> 00:19:53,300 I don't think that they looked. 290 00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:57,860 I really don't think they did because of, I mean, this is just my own like reaction, 291 00:19:57,860 --> 00:20:00,140 honestly, in speculation. 292 00:20:00,140 --> 00:20:05,920 I personally think that even if the police didn't look, the music department looked. 293 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:07,220 Those who loved Sigrid looked. 294 00:20:07,220 --> 00:20:08,220 Yeah, you're right. 295 00:20:08,220 --> 00:20:11,440 And there was no sign of forced entry. 296 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,900 The concert room was very secure because of the thousands of dollars. 297 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:15,900 So they were very careful. 298 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:17,860 Like there were no windows in that room. 299 00:20:17,860 --> 00:20:21,820 It was an interior room and it was always locked. 300 00:20:21,820 --> 00:20:28,100 And even, you know, the music department's heads, they only had keys to the music hall 301 00:20:28,100 --> 00:20:33,180 or sorry, they only had keys to the concert room and Bray Hall, but they wouldn't have 302 00:20:33,180 --> 00:20:35,300 keys to Kendall Hall. 303 00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:38,900 Now there is a rumor that there was a door that if you yanked hard enough, even if it 304 00:20:38,900 --> 00:20:40,180 was locked, you could get in. 305 00:20:40,180 --> 00:20:46,100 And so perhaps in theory, you only needed two keys, but whoever had access to those 306 00:20:46,100 --> 00:20:53,420 two keys would also need to know where that door is and know that it was a potentially 307 00:20:53,420 --> 00:20:54,420 a weak point. 308 00:20:54,420 --> 00:20:58,120 And again, like I couldn't find specifics on this door. 309 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:03,300 It was just kind of a rumor talked about at the time that there was a door that with enough 310 00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:05,940 force could be opened even if it was locked. 311 00:21:05,940 --> 00:21:06,940 Okay. 312 00:21:06,940 --> 00:21:15,260 I mean, again, I'm not sure if I have this like phrased in a question, but I instantly 313 00:21:15,260 --> 00:21:19,460 was like renting a room from a professor or whatever. 314 00:21:19,460 --> 00:21:22,420 I was just like, that's odd. 315 00:21:22,420 --> 00:21:27,860 And like the misinformation, there was like maybe one or two, there were two professors 316 00:21:27,860 --> 00:21:31,220 or there was just one professor that she rented from. 317 00:21:31,220 --> 00:21:39,620 Yeah, so in 1977, the newspaper report said that she was renting a room from a professor, 318 00:21:39,620 --> 00:21:41,620 which I know you find strange. 319 00:21:41,620 --> 00:21:45,820 I don't find that strange because I was very close with a lot of my theater professors 320 00:21:45,820 --> 00:21:50,700 and I could see myself if I needed to in the summertime being like, Hey, can I rent a room 321 00:21:50,700 --> 00:21:51,700 from you? 322 00:21:51,700 --> 00:21:55,180 Like that makes sense to me in some aspects. 323 00:21:55,180 --> 00:22:02,620 Honestly, I think it depends on like, I hate that it plays a factor here, but like age 324 00:22:02,620 --> 00:22:13,340 and you know, partner status and if a person had kids or you know, like, I don't know anything 325 00:22:13,340 --> 00:22:15,020 about those individuals. 326 00:22:15,020 --> 00:22:20,820 So all what I immediately thought was like, the professor or not cool with kids or not. 327 00:22:20,820 --> 00:22:23,040 That's like a creepy old man thing to do. 328 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:24,800 That's the first thing that I thought. 329 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,140 I was like, that's creepy. 330 00:22:27,140 --> 00:22:29,900 And I think that's fair. 331 00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:33,140 But like, again, I could also have seen myself in college. 332 00:22:33,140 --> 00:22:34,460 Yeah, same for me. 333 00:22:34,460 --> 00:22:37,500 I mean, you know, I was very close with my advisor. 334 00:22:37,500 --> 00:22:43,100 I'm just saying like the possibility of it being like a skeevy thing is real. 335 00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:48,800 Yeah, but she was also staying there all summer and she had been like hitchhiking around. 336 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:50,620 So she had been in and out. 337 00:22:50,620 --> 00:22:53,720 I'm not sure why she was locked out of a room that she was renting. 338 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,180 That was the part that was strange to me. 339 00:22:55,180 --> 00:22:58,100 Like why couldn't she get back in? 340 00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:03,980 Later when I was researching this, not the reports from 1977, but other reports said 341 00:23:03,980 --> 00:23:10,780 that she might have been dating a firefighter, but I couldn't find anything from that time. 342 00:23:10,780 --> 00:23:16,340 And I wasn't sure if those were just like details that got tacked on as part of like 343 00:23:16,340 --> 00:23:20,500 the ghost story and the lore of her. 344 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:26,260 But from the 1977 articles, I couldn't find that she was dating anybody, seeing anybody 345 00:23:26,260 --> 00:23:30,140 or staying with anybody besides this rented room from a professor. 346 00:23:30,140 --> 00:23:31,140 Okay. 347 00:23:31,140 --> 00:23:36,100 But again, for me, it just comes down to those three keys because somebody would have had 348 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:39,420 to have the key for the concert room. 349 00:23:39,420 --> 00:23:41,340 So that's where I would start. 350 00:23:41,340 --> 00:23:47,180 If I was investigating it, I would start with whoever had those keys and work my way out 351 00:23:47,180 --> 00:23:48,180 from there. 352 00:23:48,180 --> 00:23:56,020 Yeah, the fact that this is not solved is, again, I mean, maybe I'm like this, it's 353 00:23:56,020 --> 00:23:57,020 unacceptable. 354 00:23:57,020 --> 00:23:58,020 How? 355 00:23:58,020 --> 00:23:59,020 Like how? 356 00:23:59,020 --> 00:24:00,780 Oh, man. 357 00:24:00,780 --> 00:24:06,820 And there were only around 50 people on campus when the murder took place. 358 00:24:06,820 --> 00:24:11,740 So to me, I'm like, that's kind of a small pool to start from. 359 00:24:11,740 --> 00:24:16,940 You know, the assistant prosecutor a few years later says like, everybody that was on campus 360 00:24:16,940 --> 00:24:18,500 is essentially a suspect. 361 00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:22,260 But then again, it could have been somebody just wandering through campus. 362 00:24:22,260 --> 00:24:24,820 Because it was the Labor Day weekend. 363 00:24:24,820 --> 00:24:28,140 I guess I don't know if that area was busy or not. 364 00:24:28,140 --> 00:24:31,380 But you know, a lot of people go in and out of town, essentially. 365 00:24:31,380 --> 00:24:39,860 So there is an opportunity for, you know, the, I guess, like trope of like the person 366 00:24:39,860 --> 00:24:43,060 passing through town, that guy passing through town or whatever. 367 00:24:43,060 --> 00:24:44,060 Right. 368 00:24:44,060 --> 00:24:51,940 And I tend to count that out because of this piano cover that came from another part of 369 00:24:51,940 --> 00:24:54,500 campus in a locked room. 370 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:57,820 Like you would have to know that it was there to go get it. 371 00:24:57,820 --> 00:25:01,420 You know, if it's in an interior room with no windows, like. 372 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:03,620 It also signals to me that it was personal. 373 00:25:03,620 --> 00:25:09,060 That person was like, some part of them, whether they felt bad or not, knew it was wrong. 374 00:25:09,060 --> 00:25:12,740 Knew that they not even wrong, but like, I'm not supposed to do this. 375 00:25:12,740 --> 00:25:13,740 Right. 376 00:25:13,740 --> 00:25:17,380 I mean, I'm sort of shame in it or whatever. 377 00:25:17,380 --> 00:25:24,820 But like, I guess I don't really need to like say more about the state of her. 378 00:25:24,820 --> 00:25:31,140 But to me, the details of it is, it sounded very personal. 379 00:25:31,140 --> 00:25:33,780 Yeah, it's brutal. 380 00:25:33,780 --> 00:25:34,780 It's brutal. 381 00:25:34,780 --> 00:25:35,780 Unhinged. 382 00:25:35,780 --> 00:25:36,780 Unhinged. 383 00:25:36,780 --> 00:25:39,780 That like, oh god. 384 00:25:39,780 --> 00:25:44,500 That poor, those, her parents, they. 385 00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:45,500 Yeah. 386 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:51,300 And you know, her parents at this time are in California, so they are completely across 387 00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:53,020 the country while she's out here. 388 00:25:53,020 --> 00:25:54,940 They have both passed. 389 00:25:54,940 --> 00:25:55,940 Yes. 390 00:25:55,940 --> 00:25:56,940 Right. 391 00:25:56,940 --> 00:25:57,940 Yeah. 392 00:25:57,940 --> 00:25:59,540 Like died without answers. 393 00:25:59,540 --> 00:26:00,540 I. 394 00:26:00,540 --> 00:26:04,140 It's heartbreak. 395 00:26:04,140 --> 00:26:11,100 It is heartbreaking, like in the wake of what happened, that it was almost like next to 396 00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:12,100 nothing. 397 00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:18,140 I'm really glad that you brought this to us. 398 00:26:18,140 --> 00:26:23,860 And you know, I kind of agree with the woman who wrote in one of the last things I said, 399 00:26:23,860 --> 00:26:29,300 that it is kind of a tragedy that Sigrid has been reduced to a ghost story. 400 00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:31,500 You know, I'm somebody, I love a good ghost story. 401 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:32,500 I love. 402 00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:36,100 Like, I personally, I believe in ghosts. 403 00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:41,820 I believe that spirits can communicate with us after they've passed on. 404 00:26:41,820 --> 00:26:47,260 If energy can neither be created nor destroyed, that energy has to go somewhere. 405 00:26:47,260 --> 00:26:54,340 But in this case, I do think that it's very easy to say this is a ghost story and forget 406 00:26:54,340 --> 00:27:00,420 that Sigrid was a very real person who could be alive today, who should be alive today. 407 00:27:00,420 --> 00:27:01,420 Yeah. 408 00:27:01,420 --> 00:27:05,300 You know, 19 should be like happy in like her later years. 409 00:27:05,300 --> 00:27:06,300 Exactly. 410 00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:14,540 You know, it's to me, it's very heartbreaking that she's reduced to a ghost story when her 411 00:27:14,540 --> 00:27:19,820 case is talked about now, as opposed to a cold case that could still be solved. 412 00:27:19,820 --> 00:27:22,380 We see cases get solved years later. 413 00:27:22,380 --> 00:27:27,180 I mean, we saw it with the Betty Rolfe case, you know, years and years later, it can be 414 00:27:27,180 --> 00:27:28,180 solved. 415 00:27:28,180 --> 00:27:30,300 So like, this is still something that still can be solved. 416 00:27:30,300 --> 00:27:34,860 So I think there should be more respect to it. 417 00:27:34,860 --> 00:27:39,020 And I think you can acknowledge, you know, if there is spirit at Kendall Hall, like, 418 00:27:39,020 --> 00:27:44,100 I think it's okay to acknowledge that it could be Sigrid saying, look at my case, something 419 00:27:44,100 --> 00:27:45,100 happened to me. 420 00:27:45,100 --> 00:27:46,100 Help me. 421 00:27:46,100 --> 00:27:47,100 Help me. 422 00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:49,740 Yeah, like, please help me, someone. 423 00:27:49,740 --> 00:27:56,260 Like, I mean, instantly, I felt that reaction of just like, there is something you can, 424 00:27:56,260 --> 00:27:57,860 there is something we can do. 425 00:27:57,860 --> 00:27:58,860 Absolutely. 426 00:27:58,860 --> 00:28:05,620 And again, just like, it is a small suspect pool of 50 people, essentially, that were 427 00:28:05,620 --> 00:28:10,820 on campus and an even smaller pool when you start to get into who had keys and who could 428 00:28:10,820 --> 00:28:11,820 get them. 429 00:28:11,820 --> 00:28:17,100 Her name and like what she did, you know, the piano, like the uniqueness surrounding 430 00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:21,900 this like, again, to echo you, very real person. 431 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:27,620 I felt, and like the smallness of the community, like, someone knows something. 432 00:28:27,620 --> 00:28:29,860 Oh, like, oh, Sigrid was blah, blah, blah. 433 00:28:29,860 --> 00:28:33,140 Like, someone knows something. 434 00:28:33,140 --> 00:28:38,340 And it could even be like, somebody who acted strangely after this happened, you know, somebody 435 00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:44,820 who got up, you know, quit their job unexpectedly and moved, you know, like those things that 436 00:28:44,820 --> 00:28:49,220 we kind of look for today that police kind of encourage whenever cases get cold, like 437 00:28:49,220 --> 00:28:51,340 to think back, did someone miss appointments? 438 00:28:51,340 --> 00:28:55,060 Did someone start acting strangely, change their facial hair, change their appearance, 439 00:28:55,060 --> 00:29:00,500 anything like that, which I think in today's age, we kind of know to look for. 440 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:03,900 But in 1977, I don't think that was communicated as well. 441 00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:08,340 So like, well, no, and people also had the attitude of not that guy. 442 00:29:08,340 --> 00:29:09,340 There's no way. 443 00:29:09,340 --> 00:29:11,660 Oh, no, no, not him. 444 00:29:11,660 --> 00:29:14,580 I think this case is solvable. 445 00:29:14,580 --> 00:29:19,460 And you know, if I got to sit down and just open the case file, I would think that there 446 00:29:19,460 --> 00:29:22,780 were people that were of interest to the police. 447 00:29:22,780 --> 00:29:26,820 Like we know that a security guard was brought in for additional questioning because him 448 00:29:26,820 --> 00:29:30,540 and Sigrid had been friendly. 449 00:29:30,540 --> 00:29:35,500 We know that a couple of the cast members were brought in for additional questioning, 450 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:37,580 but their alibis were all able to be confirmed. 451 00:29:37,580 --> 00:29:40,500 So I would be curious, why was the security guard let go? 452 00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:42,380 Were you able to confirm an alibi? 453 00:29:42,380 --> 00:29:51,380 Like, because that does seem to be where newspaper reports kind of point to, saying that only 454 00:29:51,380 --> 00:29:55,300 campus security would have had all three keys. 455 00:29:55,300 --> 00:30:01,300 But again, if you know anything about the murder of Sigrid Stevenson in September of 456 00:30:01,300 --> 00:30:10,420 1977, please call the Mercer County Police at 609-989-6125. 457 00:30:10,420 --> 00:30:14,540 And we will be posting pictures that we have of Sigrid up on our Instagram. 458 00:30:14,540 --> 00:30:20,340 So if you're not following us there, please do at Cold and Missing will pop right up. 459 00:30:20,340 --> 00:30:23,340 Also on our website, we'll have transcripts of this episode. 460 00:30:23,340 --> 00:30:28,780 So you can read if that's easier for you or somebody that you love to engage with this 461 00:30:28,780 --> 00:30:30,380 podcast, please find us there. 462 00:30:30,380 --> 00:30:38,660 And any additional information like our videos from YouTube are also up on our website, www.coldandmissing.com. 463 00:30:38,660 --> 00:30:43,380 And while you're in your podcast app, if you wouldn't mind giving us a rate and a written 464 00:30:43,380 --> 00:30:50,300 review if you're an Apple podcast, it helps others find this podcast, find this case. 465 00:30:50,300 --> 00:30:55,140 And gets people involved and activated on these cases. 466 00:30:55,140 --> 00:31:02,380 So just by rating and reviewing, you are supporting the Missing and Murdered, which is the main 467 00:31:02,380 --> 00:31:08,660 purpose of this podcast is to get answers for missing and murdered people. 468 00:31:08,660 --> 00:31:09,980 But that's all I have. 469 00:31:09,980 --> 00:31:12,660 So thank you again for listening to Cold and Missing. 470 00:31:12,660 --> 00:31:15,060 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 471 00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:17,540 I am your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 472 00:31:17,540 --> 00:31:18,780 And stay safe, y'all. 473 00:31:18,780 --> 00:31:23,220 Have a good week and stay safe, y'all.