Cause of death was homicide.
Tirell D. Ocobock, 18, whose body was found in April 1976 near S.W. 2nd and Urish Road. She had been beaten to death. Christie said the department had assigned a full-time investigator to the case and followed up about 150 leads in the past three months. Christie said detectives hoped to take advantage of advancements in forensic technology that enhance the chance of identifying the killer. Ocobock's body was found April 26, 1976, at the side of a dirt road in what investigators said was commonly known as a lovers' lane. She was naked from the waist up and lying near old auto parts in a roadside dump area. Detectives said three bloody tree limbs found at the site may have been used to kill her. Authorities also found a sweater, large denim purse and small brown dog near the body of Tirell D. Ocobock, who had been employed at an animal hospital and was a freshman at Washburn University. The dog was taken to a humane shelter. Ocobock had been last seen alive at about 7:15 a.m. at her home on the day she died. Her body was found just before 2 p.m. Christie said Tuesday that the Capital Area Major Case Squad initially investigated the case. More than $8,000 in rewards was offered, but no arrests have been made. Further probes were later conducted by the sheriff's department and Kansas Department of Investigation. Authorities tried unsuccessfully during the 1980s and 1990s to link serial killer Tony Joe LaRette to the slaying. LaRette, who lived in Topeka at times during the 1970s, was executed in 1995 in Missouri for a murder committed in 1980 in St. Charles, Mo.
Tirell D. Ocobock, 18, whose body was found in April 1976 near S.W. 2nd and Urish Road. She had been beaten to death. Christie said the department had assigned a full-time investigator to the case and followed up about 150 leads in the past three months. Christie said detectives hoped to take advantage of advancements in forensic technology that enhance the chance of identifying the killer. Ocobock's body was found April 26, 1976, at the side of a dirt road in what investigators said was commonly known as a lovers' lane. She was naked from the waist up and lying near old auto parts in a roadside dump area. Detectives said three bloody tree limbs found at the site may have been used to kill her. Authorities also found a sweater, large denim purse and small brown dog near the body of Tirell D. Ocobock, who had been employed at an animal hospital and was a freshman at Washburn University. The dog was taken to a humane shelter. Ocobock had been last seen alive at about 7:15 a.m. at her home on the day she died. Her body was found just before 2 p.m. Christie said Tuesday that the Capital Area Major Case Squad initially investigated the case. More than $8,000 in rewards was offered, but no arrests have been made. Further probes were later conducted by the sheriff's department and Kansas Department of Investigation. Authorities tried unsuccessfully during the 1980s and 1990s to link serial killer Tony Joe LaRette to the slaying. LaRette, who lived in Topeka at times during the 1970s, was executed in 1995 in Missouri for a murder committed in 1980 in St. Charles, Mo.
Cause of death was homicide.
Tirell D. Ocobock, 18, whose body was found in April 1976 near S.W. 2nd and Urish Road. She had been beaten to death. Christie said the department had assigned a full-time investigator to the case and followed up about 150 leads in the past three months. Christie said detectives hoped to take advantage of advancements in forensic technology that enhance the chance of identifying the killer. Ocobock's body was found April 26, 1976, at the side of a dirt road in what investigators said was commonly known as a lovers' lane. She was naked from the waist up and lying near old auto parts in a roadside dump area. Detectives said three bloody tree limbs found at the site may have been used to kill her. Authorities also found a sweater, large denim purse and small brown dog near the body of Tirell D. Ocobock, who had been employed at an animal hospital and was a freshman at Washburn University. The dog was taken to a humane shelter. Ocobock had been last seen alive at about 7:15 a.m. at her home on the day she died. Her body was found just before 2 p.m. Christie said Tuesday that the Capital Area Major Case Squad initially investigated the case. More than $8,000 in rewards was offered, but no arrests have been made. Further probes were later conducted by the sheriff's department and Kansas Department of Investigation. Authorities tried unsuccessfully during the 1980s and 1990s to link serial killer Tony Joe LaRette to the slaying. LaRette, who lived in Topeka at times during the 1970s, was executed in 1995 in Missouri for a murder committed in 1980 in St. Charles, Mo.
Tirell D. Ocobock, 18, whose body was found in April 1976 near S.W. 2nd and Urish Road. She had been beaten to death. Christie said the department had assigned a full-time investigator to the case and followed up about 150 leads in the past three months. Christie said detectives hoped to take advantage of advancements in forensic technology that enhance the chance of identifying the killer. Ocobock's body was found April 26, 1976, at the side of a dirt road in what investigators said was commonly known as a lovers' lane. She was naked from the waist up and lying near old auto parts in a roadside dump area. Detectives said three bloody tree limbs found at the site may have been used to kill her. Authorities also found a sweater, large denim purse and small brown dog near the body of Tirell D. Ocobock, who had been employed at an animal hospital and was a freshman at Washburn University. The dog was taken to a humane shelter. Ocobock had been last seen alive at about 7:15 a.m. at her home on the day she died. Her body was found just before 2 p.m. Christie said Tuesday that the Capital Area Major Case Squad initially investigated the case. More than $8,000 in rewards was offered, but no arrests have been made. Further probes were later conducted by the sheriff's department and Kansas Department of Investigation. Authorities tried unsuccessfully during the 1980s and 1990s to link serial killer Tony Joe LaRette to the slaying. LaRette, who lived in Topeka at times during the 1970s, was executed in 1995 in Missouri for a murder committed in 1980 in St. Charles, Mo.
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