The Unsolved Murder Of A Young Nun In 1977

The Unsolved Murder Of A Young Nun In 1977 Sister Roberta "Robin" Elam was in the process of finishing her vows to become a fully-fledged nun when her life was brutally cut short in a horrific murder that has never been solved. Some believe that during the course of the shocking investigation, the identity of the killer may have been revealed — although it has never yet been proven. Sister Elam was found strangled and raped on a park bench located near her convent, Mount Saint Joseph, in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Elam had walked away from the convent for a moment of prayer and contemplation on June 13, 1977, when she suffered a terrible attack. Police told The Journal News that they believed the attacker had come at her from behind and pulled her backward over the bench. No weapons were found, just the sister's prayer book, and the police concluded she was probably strangled by hand. Her body was later found by a local caretaker at 1.50 p.m., partly undressed, with her underpants pulled down and her chest exposed, Oxygen reported.

There was no sign of a struggle, and police suspect the killer may have incapacitated her beforehand. Her strange murder took place in broad daylight and very close to a local golf course, sometime after 11 a.m. that day.