New Clue Emerges in 1979 Pennsylvania Murder of Janet Walsh

Brittany Smith, a prosecutor in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, reviewed the unsolved murder of Janet Walsh, who was 23 when she was killed on September 1, 1979. Smith showed correspondent Peter Van Sant the victim's purse, which had remained in evidence for 34 years with its contents preserved.

The purse contained mints, gum, makeup, a brush and keys. Smith said the items created a sense of connection to Walsh, who had lived in the small town of Monaca, about 30 miles outside Pittsburgh. Walsh had grown up next door to Sue Niedergal, who described their childhood friendship.

Their bedroom windows faced each other, and Niedergal's mother bought them princess phones so they could talk between houses. Walsh's brother, Francesco Caltieri, recalled her playing the oboe, singing, playing piano and sewing her own clothes. By high school Walsh dated Scott Walsh exclusively.

The couple married on August 14, 1976, when both were 20. Scott Walsh worked in a steel mill after high school. The couple separated in the summer of 1979 after three years of marriage, citing financial pressures from a new house and vehicles. Janet Walsh moved into the ground floor of a two-family house and took an office job at a local refrigeration company.

m. She did not appear for work later that morning. Her boss called her mother, prompting family members to check on her. Her father saw her body in bed with hands bound and something around her throat. Francesco Caltieri said his brother prevented him from viewing the scene to protect his final memory of her.

Detective Andy Gall, then a 25-year-old rookie patrolman, responded to his first homicide. Janet Walsh was found face down wearing only a short nightgown. Her hands were tied behind her back with the tie from her own bathrobe, and a light blue bandana was tied tightly around her neck.

She appeared to have been suffocated. Pennsylvania state trooper Rich Matas, also investigating his first murder, noted the scene was very neat and orderly with no signs of bruising, cuts, lacerations or forced entry. The front door was chained shut from inside, leading police to believe Walsh knew her killer and had let him in.

Initial suspicion fell on Scott Walsh, her estranged husband. He had been seen at her residence hours before the body was discovered, delivering a support check as required by their separation agreement. He provided no alibi for the early morning hours after she returned home and failed two polygraph tests on the question of whether he killed his wife.

Walsh told investigators he was not involved. Janet Walsh's mother asked him directly if he had anything to do with the death, and accepted his denial. Police also learned of a stranger who had been watching Walsh on the dance floor that night.

The purse and its contents were documented and stored as evidence in 1979. Smith, who was not yet born at the time of the murder, examined the items decades later as part of a renewed investigation. CBS News first aired the report in 2015 and updated it in 2016.

Detectives considered whether new technology could help solve the case after 34 years. The investigation continued to focus on individuals who may have had contact with Walsh on the night she died.