Harsh Cruelty and Few Clues — The Case of Carol Ryan
Her morning murder is unresolved to this day
When a fisherman found Carol Ryan, 42, in a municipal driveway right before sunrise, he thought she might have been the victim of a fatal gunshot. But as she moved, fighting for her life, a gaping wound on her behind became apparent, and efforts were coordinated to get the beaten woman to a hospital for immediate surgery.
Ryan had been discovered close to Route 91 on September 1, 1996, in Jamesville, a town outside Syracuse, New York, where she was originally from. The Associated Press reported that someone had inserted an explosive into her vagina, then detonated the device.
Five hours later, despite medical care, she succumbed to her injuries.
“This was a horrible, horrible way to die,″ District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.
She had last been seen at The East Room bar in the Eastwood neighborhood of Syracuse, where she left around 2 a.m. to walk back to her apartment. The mother tended to travel everywhere by foot for her chosen method of transportation. While she left alone, extending “an open invitation” for breakfast with anyone who wished to share a meal together, Ryan never made it home. She was almost unrecognizable from a brutal physical assault and some authorities…
