Murder unsolved for 30 years not 'cold'

Jan. 21—SOUTH SHORE — Thirty years have passed since neighbors discovered the nude remains of a young woman beneath a deep January snow, leaving her family with 30 years' worth of unanswered questions.

The biggest questions of all — who murdered Evelyn Fleck, a young mother and wife who mostly kept to herself, and why — remain hidden inside of an aging sheath of reports and collected evidence.

Despite the alarming discovery of Fleck's body in her own back yard on Jan. 21, 1994, partially concealed by an old refrigerator and a blizzard's snowfall, and numerous interviews with witnesses and possible suspects, no arrest has ever been made in connection to her murder.

Although the case is officially 30 years old, Kentucky State Police never considers a case "cold."

Shane Goodall, KSP Post 14's public relations officer, said with newer technologies and investigative tactics, Fleck's case is solvable. In fact, Goodall said if the crime had occurred in 2024, "it would be solved."

Flipping through the case file, Goodall said Fleck's last evening alive acquainted her with three suspects — two men who gave her a ride to her home at 276 Main Street and her estranged husband with a shaky alibi.

According to Goodall, Fleck and her husband were separated but weren't officially divorced, and interviews with close friends revealed the relationship was turbulent at best, with some even alleging abuse.

Evelyn's husband told investigators he wasn't at the Main Street home on the night before her body was found, saying he worked on a vehicle late into the night and then retired home to his mother's house, Goodall retold.

Goodall said interviews with the husband regarding small details about his actions on the days prior changed as time went on until, eventually, he stopped communicating with investigators completely.

Goodall said Fleck was strangled either in the evening or during the night of Jan. 20, 1994, while in bed.

Her body presented multiple bruises on her shoulder and thighs, and scrapes on her feet.

Goodall said after a review of crime scene photos there was no sign of a forced entry before Evelyn Fleck was killed in bed and then dragged through the home before being placed in the back yard beneath the old refrigerator.

But Evelyn's estranged, allegedly abusive husband said he left the home about 3 p.m. on the 20th after shoveling snow and dropping off groceries, however he later told investigators he stayed at the Main Street home until approximately 8 in the evening before leaving to stay elsewhere.

The following day, the file stated the estranged husband called the Main Street home three times with no answers, until a paramedic picked up and shared the news that his wife had been found dead.

Goodall said although it's been some time since the case was open, KSP reassesses its "old" unsolved cases every three months, attempting to contact more witnesses or comb through evidence with fresh eyes.

"It may take years," Goodall said. "There's a lot going on behind the scenes."

As part of a follow-up, records indicate investigators attempted to contact Fleck's husband in 2017 and it was noted he had remarried, had children and moved to the Philippines.

"It may appear as though these cases are stagnant but they're really not," Goodall said.

"There will be an arrest at some point," Goodall added.