What and Who Does It Take to Solve a Nearly 40-Year-Old Cold Case?

May 18, 1984, was a typical Friday afternoon for Kathleen “Kathy” Luongo. Twenty-eight and, according to those who knew her, full of life, Luongo was a seamstress in Warwick, Rhode Island. A lively person who had long dreamed of becoming a mother, Kathy had been married for two years and had a toddler. 

At about 5 p.m. that day, Luongo headed to the gym at Holiday Health in Warwick Mall. Later she joined two friends for dinner at September's, a local restaurant. Friends would later recount that Kathy had been her usual cheerful self that evening. She ate a simple grilled cheese sandwich and drank no alcohol. 

The hands of the clock had ticked past 8:30 pm by the time Luongo arrived home, according to her husband’s later report to the police. 

At the house, Luongo and her husband, David, fell into an argument. David Luongo would tell police that Kathy Luongo left the house in her 1976 Toyota Celica—blue with a RI plate bearing LUONGO. 

That was the last time Kathy Luongo was reported seen alive.

Two days later, at 12:22 p.m., Sunday, May 20, 1984, a passerby spotted Kathy's body in the back of her own car, parked behind Warwick City Hall. She was laid out in the back seat, her head positioned behind the driver's seat with the car keys nestled beside her. The autopsy report would later confirm her cause of death as “homicide by manual strangulation.”

As the 39th anniversary of her murder approaches this May of 2023, the case remains cold. Over the course of nearly four decades, sporadic media coverage has shed intermittent light on the investigation. However, it was the tenacious efforts of two amateur detectives, Ben Kean and Nelson Taylor, that propelled the case back into the public consciousness in 2020. Kean's father had known the Luongo family in the 80s. Taylor was a journalist-turned-real-estate-broker. Together, they created a compelling Facebook page, garnering significant attention from both the general public and media outlets such as NBC 10 and the Providence Journal. They claimed to have reached more than 600 individuals connected to Luongo.

Amidst the resurgent interest surrounding the case, Detective Sergeant Gregory Johnson from the Warwick Police Department affirms the department's ongoing commitment to the investigation. Meanwhile, Joseph Richardson, a 20-year-licensed private investigator and expert in cold-case homicides has joined the pursuit. Richardson, who happens to share a personal bond with Kean and Taylor, emphasizes the critical role of DNA evidence and phone records in unraveling the truth behind this unsolved case.

In 2020, when Kean and Taylor became interested in the case, they knew that, beneath the surface of their marriage, Kathleen and David Luongo were navigating choppy waters. Those close to Kathy had revealed she was unhappy and contemplating divorce. She had suggested marriage counseling to David, but David had refused. "Lately we’ve been having problems," David would later admit.

On the day of her disappearance, Kathy came home around 8:30 p.m., David would later tell police, and asked to go out with David. An argument ensued. David would tell police that this fight was minor. He told the police that Kathleen had left her wedding ring behind on the bedroom dresser. But a friend would later recount David telling him, "she threw the ring at me." 

Based on the timeline provided by Kean and Taylor, supported by original investigators' reports and witness statements, a series of witnesses spotted her distinctive blue Toyota Celica around town in the hours following her disappearance.

At 5:40 a.m., the first sighting occurred. A person noticed her car threading its way through Rte. 4 in Exeter.

Between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., another sighting. This time, the car abruptly pulled out in front of another motorist on Post Rd., near City Hall. This witness described the  driver as a male figure, almost uncomfortably large for the compact vehicle. Notably, the witness recalled the presence of "something green" nestled in the car's rear, matching the last known attire of Kathleen—her green jacket. 

Around 6:25 to 6:30 p.m., an off-duty police officer and his girlfriend reported seeing her car on Division St., near the Rte. 95 overpass in East Greenwich. 

Fast forward to Sunday, 12:22 p.m., when the parking lot behind Warwick City Hall bathed in sunlight on an otherwise peaceful morning.

"It seemed like a typical quiet Sunday morning. The parking lot was pretty empty, except for her car," recalled William Forsstrom, a former Warwick Fire Department responder.

The alarm was raised by a passing civilian. "Some gentleman came to the fire station, said somebody's lying in the car in the parking lot," Forsstrom recounted during an interview recording provided by Kean.

Forsstrom and his team rushed to the scene. "She was lying in the back of the car, in a hatchback. Her keys were in there, next to her," he recalled. "We were able to lift the hatchback up enough for me to put my arm in and retrieve the keys. We unlocked the car."

It became apparent that she was deceased.

Forsstrom noted a disturbing anomaly at the scene. One of the Warwick Police officers got into the front seat of the car and pushed the seat back. Forsstrom questioned the action, "I'm not a cop and it didn't seem right to me. How are you going to tell the size of a person who was driving the car if you go and screw up the evidence?"

Taylor and Kean expressed their disbelief at the handling of the original investigation. "When you look at the timeline and how things were handled, it's hard not to suspect the evidence was botched," Kean said, his voice tight with frustration.

The onsite medical examiners initially ruled Kathleen's death as an overdose. However, the autopsy report later revealed her death as homicide by strangulation.

“How they said it was an overdose is crazy,” Taylor said. “They missed several crucial days when they could have launched a potential investigation."

Johnson, the detective from the Warwick Police Department who is now overseeing the cold case investigation, suggested that some physical evidence may have led to the initial misdiagnosis. "There might have been some mucus around her mouth that gave the appearance of an overdose," he said. "But it certainly to me would look like a wrongful death."

Taylor shared his theory regarding the timeline of events. "Kathleen was likely deceased well before her car was placed in the lot by the fire station," he said. The second witness, Taylor guesses, may have encountered Kathleen's lifeless body in the rear of her car as it was driven on Saturday night. Taylor's theory aligns with the estimated time of Kathleen's death, which was inferred from undigested food found in her stomach. However, the exact details of the autopsy report have never been disclosed.

Taylor raises important questions about the discovery of Luongo's body at the fire station, . "So, where was she from Saturday night to Sunday morning? Why was she left by the fire station days later?" The parking lot was a central location in Warwick, also situated near the Warwick Police Department and Warwick City Hall.

Taylor believes that Kathleen was intentionally placed where she would be found. “[This] indicates someone she knew and who may have cared about her as opposed to a stranger. A risky move,” Taylor said. 

The narrative took a twist when Taylor received an anonymous, handwritten letter. "It was mailed to our office," Taylor said. The sender of this cryptic note was a former co-worker of Kathy at Hospital National Trust Bank in the late '70s. According to the letter, Kathy had shown up for work multiple times with visible bruises on her face, indicating a possible history of domestic abuse. 

Meanwhile, a seemingly unconnected thread emerged via Ben Kean. "My father, Ed Kean, had a connection to David," Ben said. "They had orchestrated an arrangement for David to stay in a secluded cabin near Pascoag for a week, almost right after Kathy’s body was discovered." Kean went on to explain how his father had arranged for a trusted confidant to impersonate David, keeping up appearances at his own residence during his absence.

Ed Kean's role extended further: He facilitated an association between David and a well-connected attorney, Frank Lind, who, coincidentally, happened to be Ben Kean's grandfather.

Detective Sergeant Johnson hinted at a singular focus. "Other than the initial suspect [David], there really hasn't developed much more than that," he said, adding, "there are some questionable things with his actions around that time."

When prompted about why he hasn't made the attempt to speak with David Luongo himself, Johnson responded, "that would have to be done with counsel. He invoked his right to counsel back then during the initial investigation, so that would still apply."

Johnson spoke of the delicate nature of cold case investigations. "When you submit evidence to try to indict a person, you get one shot at it. You want to get it right. The investigators back then were probably afraid of rushing the indictment, and then not getting it. You don't get a second chance." He sighed. "It's unfortunate the case grew cold, and looking at it 40 years later is difficult. But, you know, I certainly have not forgotten about it. And I want to get around to it."

Joseph Richardson, a seasoned private investigator with 20 years of experience in cold case homicides, said he always takes a cautious approach. With a firm belief in the power of facts and objective analysis, Richardson refuses to jump to conclusions, he said.

"As an investigator, I try not to assume anything," he said. "Having a theory or a hypothesis is one thing, but allowing it to guide you to a predetermined conclusion can be detrimental to the case. The only path to a true conclusion lies in examining the actual facts and circumstances."

Richardson asserted the significance of DNA evidence and phone records. "In 1984, there were no surveillance cameras, license plate readers, or GPS. Communication relied on face-to-face interactions, phone calls, or mail," he explained. "Obtaining and analyzing phone records becomes crucial. What information can the forensic analysis of those records provide? Who called and who was called that weekend from Luongo's house?"

Acknowledging the tendency to focus on the husband, he asserted, "It's a common reaction, not just among law enforcement but also the public, to assume it's the husband. However, if there's any DNA evidence from Kathy's body or vehicle that does not match David's, it could potentially exonerate him."

Exploring the potential avenues for DNA evidence, Richardson spoke of blood samples, hair fibers, and possible traces under Kathy's fingernails. "If there was a struggle, DNA could have been left behind. Retesting the original evidence using modern technology in 2023 could provide significant breakthroughs," he said. He paused for a moment, and added, "although I cannot confirm or reveal details from police sources, I believe the DNA evidence may have been analyzed twice. This could be the key to solving the case."

As the investigation into Kathy Luongo's cold case gains momentum, Ben Kean and Nelson Taylor press forward, fueled by the expertise of Richardson and Johnson. The answer to the question—who and what does it take to solve an almost 40-year-old cold case?—seems clear: It takes a steadfast belief in justice, an unyielding determination to unearth the truth, and a collective endeavor that defeats time. As the pieces of the puzzle align and new leads emerge, the possibility of closure may draw closer.

Information about this piece

Bio:

Sunny Li, a Computer Science and Behavioral Decision Sciences student at Brown University with a passion for unraveling true crime mysteries.

Commentary: Chasing Cold Case Closure

Writing this piece was a roller-coaster of emotions, exposing me to a side of investigative journalism that is both taxing and rewarding. My goal was to paint a realistic and gripping picture of the tedious efforts involved in solving a decades-old cold case. Balancing the need for factual accuracy with creating an engaging narrative was a constant challenge. It required extensive research, interviews, and fact-checking to ensure I provided accurate and meaningful information to the reader. A major success was being able to convey the intricacies of the case and the multiple individuals involved in the pursuit of justice. With their personal narratives, the story gained depth and complexity, underlining the human element at the core of such investigations. I hope this story brings the unsolved case of Kathy Luongo back into the public consciousness, serving as a reminder that justice, though delayed, must not be denied.

Sources:

• Interview with Nelson Taylor, March 6th, 

• Interview with Ben Kean, March 19th, 2023

• Interview with Detective Sergeant Gregory Johnson, April 5th, 2023

• Interview with Ben Kean, April 26th, 2023

• Interview with Joseph Richardson, May 4, 2023

• Interview recordings with William Forsstrom, January 17, 2021

• Luongo Homicide Timeline, obtained from Nelson Taylor

• "Pandemic ignites new interest in 1984 cold case murder," NBC 10 News, March 1, 2020

• "1984 Warwick cold-case murder attracts nonprofessional sleuths trying to ‘widen the net’" Providence Journal, May 20, 2022

• "What Happened to Kathleen Luongo?" Facebook Page dedicated to Kathy Luongo's case, created by Ben Kean and Nelson Taylor.