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Police need help to solve 42-year-old murder mystery

It's not often law enforcement approaches the media with a story they want to tell. That was the case with this one and, after working on it, I see why.

Posted Updated

By
Arielle Clay
, WRAL reporter
It’s not often law enforcement approaches the media with a story they want to tell. That was the case with this one and, after working on it, I see why. This story struck me so deeply that it literally kept me up to 3 a.m. one morning, as I tried to sort out the details in my mind. It’s tragic, mysterious and, at times, maddening.

The murders of Jesse McBane and Patricia Mann were dubbed the Valentine’s Day Killings back in 1971. They were a young couple in love whose lives were cut short when someone kidnapped and sadistically killed them in Orange County after a Valentine’s Day dance. The story was big. It got tons of local and national coverage.

The rumors swirled, even back then, that the killer was a prestigious man in the community. Someone connected to the hospital where Patricia was a nursing student. To this day, no one has ever been arrested. Investigators believe the killer is still alive.

This case has gone cold and been reopened several times in the past 42 years. Now, investigators are sharing new details, including a shocking break in the case. They hope our story will bring more information from the community that may help catch a killer. Join me Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on WRAL-TV for the rest of the story.

 

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