ELLERY, N.Y. (WKBW) — New tips spanning multiple countries are breathing new life into the decades-old cold case of Ellery Jane Doe in Chautauqua County.
The leads stem from an Australian podcast called Catching Evil, which featured episodes about Christopher Wilder, a prolific race car driver known as the Snapshot Killer. He murdered 8 women in 1984 in the U.S.
Tom Tarpley, an investigator with the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office, said one Australian woman believes she encountered Wilder in New York City.
"She had gone shopping that afternoon at Bloomingdale's, and on her way back to the hotel she was staying in, she decided to get something to eat. She went into a fast-food type establishment. And after she got her food and started walking to find a table in the restaurant, there, she was approached by a man who wanted to show her a book that he had of models," Tarpley said.
The timing is significant to investigators.
"The receipt that she had from Bloomingdale's is time-stamped, date and time-stamped, December 4th, which of course is two days before Ellery Jane Doe's body is found here in Chautauqua County," Tarpley said.
The tip helps fill a critical gap in the investigation.
"We didn't know if he was even in the area and available to either have killed her here or dumped her body here. So now we have a witness telling us that essentially 48 hours before she is found, that Christopher Wilder is in the state of New York," Tarpley said.
Wilder was known for driving long distances. So, the drive from New York City to Western New York would not have been abnormal for him.
WATCH: New tips from Australian podcast could link to Ellery Jane Doe case
Tarpley said Wilder had friends in Western New York and may have even been involved in other homicides in the area.
Another podcast tip is about a mysterious note, written on Blue Boy Hotel stationery, which was found in Ellery Jane Doe's coat pocket.
"One of the viewers of that Catching Evil podcast did some research and found that a gentleman who was connected to Mr. Wilder, who had actually raced with him here in New York State, received an award from one of the racing organizations in November of 1983 at the Blue Boy Motel in Vancouver, British Columbia," Tarpley said.
That man was from the Netherlands. DNA testing on Ellery Jane Doe has not been able to identify her. But they do indicate that she was likely from Europe and possibly the Netherlands.
Investigators are hoping someone who remembers seeing Wilder in Western New York in December 1983 will come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Tarpley at unsolvedchautauqua@sheriff.us.
This story was reported on air by a journalist and has been converted for this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
