Cold case victim gets Facebook page

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) -- Millions of people have a page on Facebook -- even the dead. Now, a local murder victim has a page too, in the hope of finding her killer -- more than twenty years later.

The Providence Journal originally reported about the Facebook profile page for 20-year-old Kathy Perry, whose naked body was found in an industrial area off Rt. 2 in Warwick on Sept. 15, 1986. She'd been beaten to death, and her killer was never caught.

Like most people on Facebook, Kathy's page says where she went to school, and where she lived. It has a few photos of her. The "About" section, rather than being crafted in the first person, is an open letter asking for clues.

Kathy's page was the brainchild of Det. Sgt. Frederick Pierce, Jr., of the Warwick Police Department. He re-opened her case six years ago, and had hit several dead ends.

In an effort to make connections, Sgt. Pierce also had Kathy's page connect to some "Likes": West Warwick High School, the Seekonk Speedway, her school, the Newport School of Hairdressing, and even "Justice For Murder Victims." Clicking "Like" in such a fashion tells owners and friends of those pages that Kathy's page exists, and can help spread the word.

When Kathy's page went live on Facebook, new information started pouring in. "Because of Facebook, I've pretty much been able to find everybody that I needed to talk to!" Sgt. Pierce told Eyewitness News.

And in fact, there's one particular lead he's looking at right now that could be the break he's been waiting for.

"If it turns out that this new lead -- leads us to some type of conviction, and actually identifies the person that's responsible," said Sgt. Pierce, "then Facebook solved this case."

Not bad for the "place for friends."

Right now, Kathy has 700 of them -- all with their eyes peeled.

If you'd like to read her page, click here to go to Facebook.