Unsolved Murder Monday: Betsy Aardsma

On November 28th, 1969, 22-year-old Betsy Aardsma went to the Penn State library to do research for an English paper. While she was in the stacks on the second floor, an unknown assailant stabbed her in the chest. Approximately twenty minutes later, a student discovered Betsy on the floor and summoned help, but it was too late. Several students later reported seeing a man flee the library, stopping to say, "Somebody better help that girl." A janitor cleaned up the area before the police arrived, compromising the crime scene and destroying any potential evidence. Because Betsy was wearing a red dress, it wasn't obvious that she had been stabbed, so no one realized she had been attacked until she was examined at the campus medical center. Betsy's boyfriend was originally a person of interest, but he was cleared since he was 100 miles away at the time of the attack. Alleged pedophile Richard Haefner (who had once dated Betsy) was also a person of interest, but there was never enough evidence to charge him, and he passed away in 2002. Thousands of men were interviewed by police, but no one has ever been charged with Betsy's murder. You can find out more in this short documentary by investigative reporter David DeKok:

If you have any information about this crime, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at 814-355-7545. Betsy was an intelligent, caring, and artistic person who would've done great things with her life. Her family deserves justice.

More resources:

The True Crime Files: The Unsolved Murder of Betsy Aardsma

Historic Mysteries: Betsy Aardsma: The Unsolved Penn State Library Murder

Morbidology: Murder at Penn State - Betsy Aardsma

After 45 years, the unsolved murder of Betsy Aardsma in Penn State library remains a mystery