A Graduate Student Drove to a Delaware Forest to Study Native Plants. She Never Made It Out Alive

On Sept. 20, 1986, Maryland resident Jane Marie Prichard drove her 1980 Chevrolet Blazer to a Delaware forest to conduct field research for the master’s degree in botany she was pursuing.

Prichard, 28, was a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. Although she lived in Clarksburg, Md., she’d stayed the night at a friend’s home in Lewes, Del., then set out early that morning for Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna, about an hour away.

By 7 a.m., she had settled on a spot in the forest to study native plants for her thesis work.

Roughly three hours later, gunshots rang out. Prichard was fatally wounded.

Two campers walking through the forest later that day discovered her body, according to a Cold Case Review from the New Castle County Police Department.

She had been shot in the back and neck with a shotgun and died from blood loss, First State Update reported, citing police.

Many hunters were in the area that day, but investigators determined her death was not the result of an accidental shooting, according to police reports referenced by The News Journal.

The Cold Case Review notes that Prichard was last seen alive shortly after 10 a.m. by a hunter, who gave detectives detailed descriptions of her clothing, vehicle and the scientific equipment she had with her.

Since 1986, authorities have continued searching for her killer. The suspect has been described as “a Caucasian male, with a beard, approximately 5’09″ to 5’10”, medium build, wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans,” according to the review.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-395-8110 or email coldcase@newcastlede.gov.

For those who wish to remain anonymous, Delaware Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit that offers cash rewards of up to $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest. Tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-TIP3333, visiting www.delawarecrimestoppers.com or using the P3 Tips mobile app.