Episode #194: Michele Evanik - Murdered (1978)

keystonecoldcases
Feb 27
1 min read

In the summer of 1978, someone got away with murder in Norristown, Pennsylvania. A carnival lit up the night. Music, laughter, bright lights—and by morning, a 17-year-old girl was found murdered, her body left in a local park. Investigators have long believed her death may be connected to the carnival she attended just hours before she was killed. Telling her story keeps her name alive. It ensures she is more than a headline, more than a cold case. This is the story of Norristown Area High School senior, Michele Evanik.

Michele Evanik

Birth: 10/09/1960 – Death: 07/01/1978

Ethnicity: Caucasian Sex: Female

Height: Weight: (if available

Other pertinent information (ex: for missing persons, last seen wearing…)

Hometown: Norristown, PA – Montgomery County

Crime Scene: Elmwood Park, Norristown

Last Known Location Alive: At a carnival in the Eagleville section of Montgomery County, adjacent to Norristown

Injury Description: Blunt force trauma to the head caused by what police determined was a tire iron

Additional Information: Michele was found wearing only a bra, though investigators never publicly confirm she had been sexually assaulted. Suspicion fell on the family at first. Locals later believed it to be related to a motorcycle gang.

DNA: the investigation predates the collection of DNA