More than four decades after 21-year-old Wanda Line was found beaten to death in her Columbus apartment, Franklin County detectives are taking another hard look at one of the city's oldest unsolved homicides. The renewed push comes as the sheriff's office releases a short video outlining the case and how investigators are putting old evidence back under the microscope.
In the clip, deputies say they have reopened the file and are sending material to modern labs in hopes that testing unavailable in the 1980s will finally shake loose some leads, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. The segment is also posted on YouTube, where the department offers a brief case overview and asks the public to share any information that might help.
According to the official case listing, Line, born July 9, 1962, was found beaten to death on Jan. 3, 1984, in an apartment at 100 Darien Avenue in Columbus. Investigators say she was last seen the previous day, details that are documented by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which also lists the case number and includes a portal for tips.
New Forensics, Old Files
Law enforcement agencies across the country have increasingly leaned on genetic genealogy and other advanced forensic tools to crack long-cold homicides, a strategy Franklin County highlighted at a recent cold-case summit. Similar techniques helped solve a 45-year-old Columbus case earlier this year, according to reporting by Spectrum News, giving detectives fresh motivation to move old evidence back into the lab.
How To Help
Investigators are urging anyone with information to contact the Franklin County Sheriff's investigative unit or submit a tip through the Ohio Attorney General's cold-case portal, as noted on the AGO's case page. Officials add that there are currently no arrests tied to the new video and that even small details could be crucial to moving the investigation forward.
For the families, friends, and neighbors who have waited decades, the renewed attention is a reminder that cold files do not have to stay that way. The sheriff's office says it plans to keep the public updated as the review of Line's case continues.
