Nearly five decades after Preston Frazier was found shot to death on an abandoned farm in West Caln Township, Pennsylvania State Police are still trying to solve his murder — and they are now putting $5,000 behind the effort. Frazier, of Coatesville, was last seen alive on the night of April 7, 1977, and investigators say the killing occurred sometime between then and April 10, 1977.
According to dailylocal.com, law enforcement is offering the $5,000 reward for information that solves Frazier's murder. The case has remained open for nearly 50 years, with the Pennsylvania State Police Troop J Embreeville Station Criminal Investigation Unit continuing to investigate.
The Final Hours Before He Vanished
Before he disappeared, Frazier had been at the Coach and Four Inn in Coatesville, according to wfmz.com. He was last seen alive on the night of April 7, 1977, in the area of Lincoln Highway and 3rd Avenue in Coatesville City, the station reports. Frazier had graduated from the Coatesville Area School District in 1969, per the same account.
Investigators say Frazier was found dead at an abandoned farm after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Accounts of the exact road name differ: the station's report places the farm on Old Savage Road in West Caln Township, while a report from local21news.com identifies the location as Old Save Road, also in West Caln Township.
Decades-Old Case, Fresh Push for Tips
The Pennsylvania State Police flagged the case again Friday in a social media post titled Case File Friday, part of an ongoing effort to generate new leads in Chester County cold cases. Anyone with information about Frazier's unsolved 1977 murder is urged to call Trooper Christopher Johnson at 610-486-6280, per the station's reporting. Tips can also go through PSP Tips, by calling the hotline at 1-800-472-8477 or submitting a tip online.
Frazier's case is not the only unsolved killing to touch Coatesville in recent memory. The outlet notes that Armere Da'Jour Naylor was shot to death in the city on March 8, 2024, and that his murder remains an active investigation, with authorities yet to identify a suspect or make an arrest.
