On Feb. 28, 1990, officers responded to the I-81 in Virginia after reports of an accident involving a 1989 Chevrolet Sprint. Upon arrival, they found Salyer dead at the wheel. Initially, authorities conducted the scene as an accident until a bullet casing was found in the vehicle’s backseat.
According to Project Cold Case, after her shift was over, Salyer had driven home at night as she was accustomed to daily, northbound on I-81 when a bullet pierced her window and fatally struck her. Immediately, Salyer’s car rolled across the highway to the oncoming traffic before coming to a stop.
Authorities were unable to find any more evidence at the scene that could provide clues to identify the victim’s killer. As a result, the case went cold. Later, investigators concluded a serial killer likely carried out the murder after discovering similar modus operandi was used in several other homicides across the country.
“There are some similarities that would almost lead us to a person like a serial killer that just goes around randomly shooting at people in different states, and there’s no rhyme, reason, or pattern. It just happens whenever the mood strikes them,” said the former Bristol Police Chief Tom Stone, reported The Roanoke Times.
A second-generation officer of the Bristol Police Department, Sergeant Steve Crawford, remains committed to solving the crime. At the time of the murder, his father was the Bristol Police Department supervisor.
If anyone has any information that could bring closure to this case, please contact the Bristol Police Department at (276) 645–7400.
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