CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA: The family of Alicia Showalter Reynolds, who was killed nearly three decades ago, have reportedly been urging investigators to probe her death in connection with Gilgo Beach murderer suspect Rex Heuermann.
Reynolds’ family led the calls after noticing a likeness between Heuermann and a police sketch of a person who reportedly killed her in March 1996.
Alicia, who graduated from Johns Hopkins University, was working on a vaccine for a parasitic infection when she mysteriously went missing while driving from Baltimore to Charlottesville, according to Daily Mail.
She was reportedly on a 150-mile journey to go shopping with her mother, Sadie Showalter. They were scheduled to meet at around 10.30 am, but she never arrived at the mall.
Showalter, who had been waiting at the mall, initially believed her daughter might get late due to bad weather or unforeseen circumstances. But the hours continued to tick by without any signs of her.
At 6 pm on the same day, Alicia's automobile was reportedly discovered abandoned on the shoulder of Route 29 close to Culpeper, Virginia.
A white paper napkin, which is often used to indicate a vehicle had suffered a mechanical issue, was also found placed under the windshield wiper. But surprisingly later it was discovered that there was nothing wrong with the car, as per the news outlet.
Investigators led a two-month-long search for Reynolds only to find her body dumped in woods 15 miles east of Culpeper.
However, after nearly 27 years, the investigation into Reynolds’ murder remains active, with her family still searching for answers.
Who is Route 29 Stalker?
Reynolds was believed to have been murdered by an unidentified assailant known only as the Route 29 Stalker after three witnesses reportedly told investigators that they had seen her talking to a clean-cut White male who was driving a dark-colored pick-up truck.
Forensic sketch artists drew up various impressions of the man she was last seen with, but still to this day that individual has not been identified.
Following Reynolds’ death, 23 women came forward to inform investigators that in February and March of 1996, an unidentified man, who was probably between the ages of 35 and 45, had tried to get them to stop on or near Route 29.
The man allegedly used methods such as yelling, honking his horn, flashing his lights, and waving to get their attention.
Many of the women said when they ignored the individual, he allegedly became angry and started mouthing swear words and beating his hands on the steering wheel before he finally drove off.
Three women who did stop said he allegedly took them to a nearby payphone without any issues. Some women reported seeing a green tarp in the back of the man's truck.
One woman told police she was on her way home when she was pulled over along Virginia 234 by a man in a small blue truck who noticed something was amiss with her vehicle.
She accepted his offer of a ride, but not long after they had driven a short distance, the man reportedly assaulted her and brandished a screwdriver at her. The woman escaped by jumping out the passenger side door.
The investigator believes the man the woman encountered was the real Route 29 Stalker, who was last seen with Reynolds.
Is Rex Heuermann connected to Alicia Showalter Reynolds’ murder?
Barbara Josenhans, Alicia's younger sister is urging detectives to delve deeper into the case after discovering a connection between Heuermann and a police sketch of the Route 29 Stalker.
Heuermann would have been about 32 or 33 years old at the time of Alicia's death, Barbara said, highlighting the similarities in his physical characteristics, especially the cheekbones.
“It's the cheeks, there's something about the cheeks,” Alicia's younger sister told The Sun, adding, “It's quite striking [...] he would've been around 32 or 33 at the time. I wonder if he's ever been questioned about it. If he hasn't he should be.”
She stated several other coincidences including the fact that in 1994, Heuermann's mother resided in Palmyra, Virginia, which is about 50 miles from where Alicia was last seen alive.
Furthermore, in a deposition for an unrelated lawsuit, Heuermann admitted to traveling to Virginia on multiple occasions throughout 2018.
“She was a good sister. She was 25 when she died and I was 20. We were very different people [...] but we were just on the cusp of our adult relationship,” Barbara recalled.
'It was incredibly unfair that this happened to Alicia. It was random and unpredictable. It's weird to think that had she has been killed in a car accident, it would've been easier to handle in some ways than her being murdered. It doesn't make sense, but psychologically, it does,” she added.
