State Police in Binghamton continue to investigate the 1983 ‘Cold Case’ murder of 19-year-old Bessie P. Williams of Johnson City.
On the evening of November 4, 1983, Bessie P. Williams was reported missing to the Johnson City Police Department when she did not return home to her apartment on Main Street in Johnson City. The last time she had been seen that day was at 1:15 p.m., when she was picking up her paycheck at the Quality Inn Lodge and Convention Center in Endwell.
On April 11, 1985, State Police in Binghamton responded to a report of human skeletal remains being found in a wooded area off King Street in the Town of Barker. A forensic examination determined the remains were those of Bessie P. Williams, and investigators determined the manner of her death was homicide.
Since the discovery of Bessie’s remains in 1985, State Police have attempted to identify a suspect. Residents of the area recall towing a vehicle in the fall of 1983, from a field bordering the wooded area where Williams’ remains were discovered.
The suspect was described in 1985 as an intoxicated white male, 25-30 years old, 5’07” – 5’10”, medium build with a noticeable “pot belly”, wearing work boots, jeans and a blue wind breaker. The suspect was operating a late 1970s white hatchback, possibly a Ford, with a reddish brown interior, stick shift but unknown New York State registration plates.
State Police have followed many leads and the case has remained open. Several interviews of potential witnesses have been completed over the years, however, this homicide has never been solved.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the New York State Police at (607) 561-7400. All calls will remain confidential.
