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Alphabet murders

UNSOLVED1970Rochester, New York, and surrounding towns3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Between November 1971 and November 1973, three preadolescent girls disappeared while running errands in Rochester, New York, and were later found strangled after being sexually assaulted. Each victim's first and last name began with the same letter, and each body was discarded in or near a town or village whose name began with the same letter — giving rise to the case's name.

Carmen Colón, age 10, disappeared on November 16, 1971, after leaving a pharmacy on West Main Street. Motorists later reported seeing a girl matching her description running from a car on Interstate 490 before being led back to the vehicle. Her body was found two days later near Churchville. An autopsy found she had been raped, suffered a skull and vertebral fracture, and was manually strangled. Wanda Walkowicz, age 11, disappeared on April 2, 1973, while walking home from a delicatessen; her body was found the next day near Webster. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a ligature, and white cat fur was found on her clothing despite her family owning no such pet. Michelle Maenza, age 11, disappeared on November 26, 1973, near a shopping plaza; witnesses reported seeing her in a beige or tan vehicle and later saw a man holding a girl by the wrist near a car with a flat tire. Her body was found on November 28 near Macedon; she had been beaten, raped, and strangled, and white cat fur was again found on her clothing.

Investigators interviewed more than 800 potential suspects but never charged anyone. Carmen Colón's uncle, Miguel Colón, was considered a strong suspect due to circumstantial evidence, including a recently purchased car matching witness descriptions and an unexplained thorough cleaning of its trunk; he provided no credible alibi and later fled briefly to Puerto Rico before surrendering to authorities. He died by suicide in 1991 following a domestic violence incident. Dennis Termini, a Rochester firefighter and serial rapist known as the "Garage Rapist," was also investigated; he died by suicide in January 1974 after police pursued him during an attempted abduction. DNA testing in 2007 excluded him as Walkowicz's killer, though no comparable evidence existed for the other two victims. Kenneth Bianchi, later convicted as one of the "Hillside Stranglers," worked in Rochester at the time and was investigated but never charged. Joseph Naso, convicted in 2013 of murdering four women in California whose names also shared initials, was named a person of interest, but DNA testing excluded him as a match to evidence from Walkowicz's case.

The murders remain unsolved. In 1995, Carmen Colón's mother, Guillermina Colón, publicly appealed for information. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle published further appeals in 2009, generating new leads that did not result in an arrest. Police have stated the investigation remains open.

Key facts

Victims
Wanda Walkowicz, Michelle Maenza, Carmen Colón
Date
1970
Location
Rochester, New York, and surrounding towns
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1971-11-16

    Carmen Colón, 10, disappears in Rochester, New York, after leaving a pharmacy.

  2. 1971-11-18

    Colón's body is found near Churchville, New York.

  3. 1971-11-22

    Carmen Colón's funeral is held.

  4. 1972-03

    Investigators travel to San Juan to question Miguel Colón; he briefly flees before surrendering on March 26.

  5. 1973-04-02

    Wanda Walkowicz, 11, disappears while walking home from a delicatessen.

  6. 1973-04-03

    Walkowicz's body is found near Webster, New York.

  7. 1973-04-06

    Wanda Walkowicz's funeral is held.

  8. 1973-10-21

    WOKR broadcasts a televised reconstruction of Walkowicz's abduction.

  9. 1973-11-26

    Michelle Maenza, 11, disappears near a shopping plaza in Rochester.

  10. 1973-11-28

    Maenza's body is found near Macedon, New York.

  11. 1973-12-01

    Michelle Maenza's funeral is held.

  12. 1974-01-01

    Dennis Termini attempts to abduct a teenage girl at gunpoint; he later dies by suicide during a subsequent police pursuit.

  13. 1995

    Guillermina Colón, Carmen's mother, makes her first public statement about the case.

  14. 2007-01

    Termini's body is exhumed for DNA comparison; results exclude him as Walkowicz's killer.

  15. 2009

    The Democrat and Chronicle publishes articles renewing public appeals for information.

  16. 2011-04

    Joseph Naso is arrested in Reno, Nevada, and named a person of interest in the Alphabet murders.

  17. 2013-08-20

    Joseph Naso is convicted of four murders in California.

  18. 2013-11-22

    Naso is sentenced to death; DNA testing had already excluded him from the Walkowicz case.

Best coverage

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People

  • Miguel Colón

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Uncle of Carmen Colón; investigated as a strong suspect in her murder but never charged; died by suicide in 1991. (Note: role listed as law_enforcement is inaccurate per schema constraints; he was an uncharged suspect, not law enforcement.)

  • Wanda Walkowicz

    VICTIM

    11-year-old girl abducted and murdered in Rochester, New York, in April 1973.

  • Dennis Termini

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Rochester firefighter and serial rapist investigated as a suspect; excluded by DNA testing from the Walkowicz murder; died by suicide in 1974. (Note: role listed as law_enforcement is inaccurate per schema constraints; he was an uncharged suspect.)

  • Joseph Naso

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in 2013 of four murders in California; named a person of interest in the Alphabet murders but excluded by DNA testing from the Walkowicz case.

  • Michelle Maenza

    VICTIM

    11-year-old girl abducted and murdered in Rochester, New York, in November 1973.

  • Carmen Colón

    VICTIM

    10-year-old girl abducted and murdered in Rochester, New York, in November 1971.

  • Kenneth Bianchi

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Investigated as a suspect due to residence and employment near murder sites; never charged in this case; separately known as one of the Hillside Stranglers. (Note: role listed as law_enforcement is inaccurate per schema constraints; he was an uncharged suspect.)

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Rochester, New York, and surrounding towns

43.1566, -77.6088

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Between 1971 and 1973, three girls — Carmen Colón, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza — were abducted, sexually assaulted, and strangled in Rochester, New York, each victim's first and last name sharing the same initial. The case remains unsolved.
Where did the murders happen?
Rochester, New York, and surrounding towns.
Who was convicted?
Joseph Naso (Convicted in 2013 of four murders in California; named a person of interest in the Alphabet murders but excluded by DNA testing from the Walkowicz case.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in New York

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAlphabet murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSThree Rape-Murders Stir Rochester AreaThe New York Times · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSJoseph Naso now wants an attorney for murder trialSFGate · 2026-07-10