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Authorities in Pickaway County are renewing an effort to solve a cold case from the early 1980s.
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Vicki L. Koch of Circleville was reported missing by family members after she disappeared on August 14th of 1980.Her body was found a little more than one month later in remote field in Madison County.
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Deputy Chief Bob Chapman with the Circleville Police Department is assigned to the case, and he says it's good to bring cold cases out in to the public from time to time in an effort to generate new information and leads.
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“We’ve on-and-off over the years have reexamined and gone through things in the file, and we’re always reexamining information to see if anything was missed,” said Deputy Chief Chapman. “We’re reexamining some physical evidence that we had from 1980. BCI is currently doing that now. And after reaching out to some of the prior witnesses from 1980 and so forth, we’ve decided it’s time to share this with the public in the hopes of getting some more tips or information. Unfortunately as time goes on information starts to dry up, but it’s an unsolved case, and it still needs to be looked at.”
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On the night of her disappearance, Vicki had been due for a visit with family in Sandusky but she never arrived. Initial information gathered from family and friends revealed that Vicki had last been seen about four to five days prior to the date her disappearance was reported, when she attended an event with friends in Ross County.
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On Friday, August 15th of 1980, family members gained access to Vicki's Lancaster Pike apartment, and found no sign of her whereabouts. Later that same day, Vicki's red Chevy Nova was found parked about a mile-and-a-half from her residence. Both the apartment and the vehicle were processed by the state's bureau of criminal investigation, and the Circleville Police Department. Her remains were discovered on September 17th of 1980.
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“She was discovered just a little over a month after she was reported missing in another county, being Madison County,” said Deputy Chief Chapman. “Outside of that, I can’t share anymore of those details because the information is so limited.”
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The case remains open and unsolved. It's since been submitted to Federal Bureau of Investigation's Violent Offender Apprehension Program, and police have been working with other departments in the state to try and figure out the events that led to Vicki's disappearance and subsequent killing.
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“We’re working with Madison County and Pickaway County. We try to work together on things like this because of the importance and magnitude of the situation,” said Deputy Chief Chapman. “I’ve also been getting assistance from the Perkins Township Police Department in Sandusky, which is where Vicki was from.”
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Authorities are asking the public to submit any tips they may have regarding the case. Tips on the case can be submitted to:
- Ohio Attorney General: www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/LawEnforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Koch
- Circleville Police Department Major Crimes Tips: majorcrimes@circlevillepolice.com
- Dep. Chief Bob Chapman Office 740-477-8229, Dispatch 740-474-8888, email at bchapman@circlevillepolice.com