LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police investigators are asking for help to crack a sexual assault case that dates back nearly 40 years.
The department posted an update on the case to its Facebook page early Friday morning.
Wendy Atkins, a civilian investigator with LMPD's Special Victims Unit (SVU), said the alleged assault happened on June 13, 1986. That's when the female victim stopped at the Sav-A-Step convenience store on 8th Street in Jeffersonville after a night out with friends to get a Diet Coke for her husband.
The business was closed, however, and before the victim could leave the parking lot, two Black men approached her car, according to Atkins.
"She had her windows down, enjoying the summer air, and when she got to the exit of the parking lot, she felt a gun barrel on the left side of her head," Atkins said.
One of the men then punched her in the face before forcing her to sit in the passenger seat. Atkins said they abducted her and took her to Louisville in her 1973 Oldsmobile, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted in different locations.
Pictured: this image shows a 1973 Oldsmobile a Louisville rape victim was driving when she was abducted from a Jeffersonville convenience store and sexually assaulted in 1986. (LMPD/Special Victims Unit)
"She was raped multiple times, in multiple locations, in her vehicle on the side of the road here in Louisville," Atkins said.
During the ordeal, police said Atkins said the woman made sure to make note of any details that could help police find her attackers, if she survived.
"So she remembers very specific aspects of the people, and what was happening at the time," Atkins said.
The woman told investigators the men talked about going to the Southwick neighborhood in Louisville, which was a neighborhood with a public housing complex in the 1980s.
"She had never heard of it before," Atkins said, "but she put that in her memory bank as something she may need. She also remembered that one of the suspects called the other by the name of 'Kelly.'"
Atkins said the victim also gave investigators details about the houses she could see, as she was being sexually assaulted. The men drove her around Louisville for hours while they discussed possibly killing her and dumping her body or selling her to someone named "Big Daddy."
"Eventually, they ended up getting out of the vehicle, grabbed her ID, told her they know where she lives and not to report it to police," Atkins said. "They told her to count to 100 and not to look at them. And then she could drive off."
The woman said the suspects also threw several items from the car including a brown work jacket with "Mike" embroidered in a round patch, along with a ceramic mug, and a small light that plugged into the cigarette lighter port.
Atkins said the woman did exactly as she was told.
"She drove until she found the Sherman Minton bridge, crossed it and stopped at a gas station," said Atkins. "The gas station attendant came out, saw the shape she was in and called local law enforcement."
The Jeffersonville Police Department then began working with police in Louisville to find the suspects, and Louisville investigators ended up taking over the case.
"And this woman has sought justice since June 13, 1986," Atkins said. "The time is up, and it's time to get her some justice. She has suffered since that day, but she is now a survivor."
Now, armed with advanced forensics technology to analyze the 39-year-old evidence, LMPD detectives are stepping up their search for the men.
Atkins said the evidence that was collected in 1986 wasn't able to be pursued then because there were limitations in technology.
"Many of those limitations are gone now," she said. "Those perpetrators who committed that crime -- I want them to know that we do have evidence."
Atkins wants people to read and share their Facebook post. If anyone remembers any details from that night, use the link on the post to get to the department's tip page.
"We have so many unsolved crimes," Atkins said. "And this one can be solved."
Atkins said this case has become personal to her.
"This survivor has become a friend to me," she said. "We talk regularly. I have an obligation to do my best to help her to get some justice here."
Police say the composite photos show the men at the time of the assault 39 years ago. They would now be in their early to mid-60s. Investigators decided not to share age-progressed images because they're composite sketches.
"If you age progress a composite that may be a little bit off, you could throw it way off," she said. "I wouldn't want to take what she saw in 1986 and make that into something that is not what those people look like today. I would rather people think back to what those people looked like 39 years ago ... and if they match those composites and fit that description, give us a call."
Again, if the images look familiar to you or if you think you may know anything at all about the case, you're asked to leave an anonymous tip by calling 502-574-LMPD (5673). Anonymous tips can also be submitted online through LMPD's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.
More Local News:
Semitruck crashes, falls from Interstate 65 in Hospital Curve in downtown Louisville
Health department investigating reported rodent infestation at Louisville Kroger store
Officials say there's no public threat after paint washes into southern Indiana creek
Arrest made in Fern Creek shooting after victim showed police a picture of suspect
Lawsuit claims Louisville mayor ordered police 'cleanup' leading to violent arrest
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
