Article on the Dorothy Donovan murder

[Jed]

Here's an article about the Dorothy Donovan murder that last aired this past Friday.

DONOVAN CASE STILL UNDER SCRUTINY; POLICE SAY PROGRESS CONTINUES

By Jeff Brown
Staff writer( The Dover Post)

In the 10 years since 70-year-old Dorothy May Donovan was found murdered in her home outside Harrington, Delaware State Police in Kent County have picked up three additional murder cases where the trail leading to the murderer has grown cold.

Capt. Robert C. Hawkins, who heads the state police Homicide Unit, said his detectives are working these cases and several others, but it is on Donovan’s case where they feel they are making real progress.

As reported by Dover Post reporter Kate House on Jan. 10, 2001, Donovan’s death has gone unsolved since she was found by her son and a state police officer on June 23, 1991. Described by her daughters as a loving, religious woman, Donovan, a widow, lived alone in a remote farmhouse.

The murder case was reopened in 1999, when an FBI team went over the evidence with Hawkins. Records showed that at the time of the murder, a man was seen in Harrington area who matched the description of a hitchhiker Donovan’s son, Charles Holden, 51, said he had picked up earlier.

Holden had said the two men had argued during the drive, and the hitchhiker had threatened to kill him. Holden said later he had seen the man in the area of his mother’s home.

Authorities confirmed a man fitting the hitchhiker’s description had been seen in the area and at a Hardee’s restaurant in Harrington.

The FBI team found several odd things about the murder, starting with the remote location of Donovan’s home. They found it unusual that a stranger would try to break into a home apparently without worrying about waking the occupants or disturbing a pet. Whoever killed Donovan had probably known the woman, the team concluded.

The method of the murder also struck the team as odd. The killer had shown a lot of anger, which would be unusual for a stranger, they said.

The FBI team concluded the case was still solvable.

Since then, Hawkins said his team has re-interviewed about 60 people, and opened investigations on some of them.

The team has also used DNA evidence to eliminate someone who was known to have been at the scene, he said. That person was not considered a suspect.

“We’re especially interested in anyone who might have gained from this woman’s death or partially gained from this woman’s death,” Hawkins said.

Police have a suspect in mind, Hawkins said, but declined to name the person. He added investigators are focusing on discrepancies found in different interviews and statements.

In the meantime, like last year, Donovan’s daughters, Brenda Alexander, 50, of Wyoming and Diana Abbott, 47, of Ellendale say they continue to have hope their mother’s killer will eventually be brought to justice.

Crimestoppers is still offering a reward of $2,000 for the arrest and conviction of Donovan’s killer. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Capt. Hawkins at 739-5997.

[Or So It Seems]

Thank you for posting the article on Dorothy Donovan. I have been wondering about the status of the case for some time.

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

Originally posted by Jed
Here's an article about the Dorothy Donovan murder that last aired this past Friday.

DONOVAN CASE STILL UNDER SCRUTINY; POLICE SAY PROGRESS CONTINUES

By Jeff Brown
Staff writer( The Dover Post)

In the 10 years since 70-year-old Dorothy May Donovan was found murdered in her home outside Harrington, Delaware State Police in Kent County have picked up three additional murder cases where the trail leading to the murderer has grown cold.

Capt. Robert C. Hawkins, who heads the state police Homicide Unit, said his detectives are working these cases and several others, but it is on Donovan’s case where they feel they are making real progress.

As reported by Dover Post reporter Kate House on Jan. 10, 2001, Donovan’s death has gone unsolved since she was found by her son and a state police officer on June 23, 1991. Described by her daughters as a loving, religious woman, Donovan, a widow, lived alone in a remote farmhouse.

The murder case was reopened in 1999, when an FBI team went over the evidence with Hawkins. Records showed that at the time of the murder, a man was seen in Harrington area who matched the description of a hitchhiker Donovan’s son, Charles Holden, 51, said he had picked up earlier.

Holden had said the two men had argued during the drive, and the hitchhiker had threatened to kill him. Holden said later he had seen the man in the area of his mother’s home.

Authorities confirmed a man fitting the hitchhiker’s description had been seen in the area and at a Hardee’s restaurant in Harrington.

The FBI team found several odd things about the murder, starting with the remote location of Donovan’s home. They found it unusual that a stranger would try to break into a home apparently without worrying about waking the occupants or disturbing a pet. Whoever killed Donovan had probably known the woman, the team concluded.

The method of the murder also struck the team as odd. The killer had shown a lot of anger, which would be unusual for a stranger, they said.

The FBI team concluded the case was still solvable.

Since then, Hawkins said his team has re-interviewed about 60 people, and opened investigations on some of them.

The team has also used DNA evidence to eliminate someone who was known to have been at the scene, he said. That person was not considered a suspect.

“We’re especially interested in anyone who might have gained from this woman’s death or partially gained from this woman’s death,” Hawkins said.

Police have a suspect in mind, Hawkins said, but declined to name the person. He added investigators are focusing on discrepancies found in different interviews and statements.

In the meantime, like last year, Donovan’s daughters, Brenda Alexander, 50, of Wyoming and Diana Abbott, 47, of Ellendale say they continue to have hope their mother’s killer will eventually be brought to justice.

Crimestoppers is still offering a reward of $2,000 for the arrest and conviction of Donovan’s killer. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Capt. Hawkins at 739-5997.

Thanks alot for posting that! This case has been on my mind for quite some time and I just find it very strange. I only remembered it vaguely but yep, that's the case I was referring to.