Twenty-seven years after the murder of Lori Zimmerman, her mother still looks for answers to her death. A case that even once included the services of a psychic to search for clues to her killer, Zimmerman’s slaying perplexes and frustrates investigators and family.
Lori was 15 years old when she disappeared on April 6, 1984. When she did not return home that night, her mother filed a missing-person report with the Hagerstown Police Department. Her body was discovered a week later in a wooded area, buried under rocks and large pieces of cardboard. She had been strangled.
According to Sgt. Rick Bachtell of the Maryland State Police, no one has come forward that would lead to any possible new developments. However, Bachtell keeps in close contact with Lori’s mother.
“We keep in touch, and I speak with her every few weeks,” Bachtell told The Washington Examiner. “Obviously this is something that she thinks about on a daily basis.”
The investigation has included nontraditional methods. Four years after Lori was killed, then-lead investigator Sgt. Keith Wattenschaidt met with psychic Dorothy Allison in a segment on NBC’s show “Unsolved Mysteries.” The attempt didn’t yield a suspect, and Bachtell said he doesn’t foresee using a psychic again in the case.
“There’s nothing that would reflect any need for additional review in that area,” Bachtell said.
Bachtell could not say whether the investigation has used new technologies such as DNA testing of the physical evidence. Still, he stressed the case was not closed.
“We absolutely want to solve this for the community and the family,” he said.
