When relatives of 82-year-old Mary Alice Pratt hadn’t heard from the mother of 14, they naturally got worried. Her phone had been ringing all day, but no one had answered.
Two granddaughters went to check on Pratt at her row house near Capitol Hill, but the door was looked. They grew more worried and kicked in the door.
What they saw confirmed their worst fears.
The body of their grandmother lay on the living room floor. Glass and blood were everywhere. Pratt was partially clad in her nightgown. She had been beaten to death, almost beyond recognition, police said.
A ring had been taken from her hand.
That was 10 years ago, June 3, 1998, and police are still looking for Pratt’s killer or killers. Early in the investigation, detectives had developed promising leads and had several suspects in mind. But the trail grew cold, and police now would like the public to help.
Pratt lived alone in the house on the 1300 block of Emerald Street Northeast, for 20 years. When the weather was nice, she would walk the H Street corridor and visit with friends along the way. Pratt was very religious, and her hairdresser told a reporter at the time that after each appointment Pratt would gather all the stylists and customers into a circle to hold hands and pray.
Neighbors told police that she often would wait outside of drug and alcohol counseling meetings at 12th and H streets to pray with some of the addicts as they came out.
Anyone with information may contact police at the new tip line at 888-919-2776 or through a text messaging number: 50-411. All calls are confidential, and you will not be required to give your name. The Metropolitan Police Department offers a $25,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder.
