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Kentucky Cold Case Detectives Solve ‘Brutal’ 1976 Murder

Carol Sue Klaber’s case is now considered closed after DNA helped to unequivocally identify the suspect as Thomas W Dunaway.

Verity Partington
4 min readMar 17, 2023
Image: Boone County Sheriff’s Department

Detectives in Kentucky have announced they have solved a cold case murder dating back to the 1970s that had left both investigators and the victim’s family haunted.

Carol Sue Klaber’s killer has been identified as Thomas W Dunaway, although he unfortunately died a number of years ago and so will not be able to face prosecution.

A case that haunted a community

Carol was just 16 years old and loved to play both the violin and the acoustic guitar, with her passion for music also shared by her older brother Thomas.

On June 4th 1976, she had dropped her bike off at the family home and had gone out again on foot. She was last seen in the Park Hills area getting into a gray Chevrolet or Pontiac Grand Prix, but this would be the final sighting of the teenager alive.

A day later, Carol’s body was discovered dumped in a roadside ditch in Walton. Kentucky State Police determined she had died as a result of blunt force trauma, strangulation and sexual assault in an attack that investigators described as…

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Verity Partington
Verity Partington

Written by Verity Partington

A writer and author of crime thrillers living in the UK. Partial to books, stationery, papercrafts and walking. You can find her books on Amazon here: https://a

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