Marc Hoover.

One of Cincinnati’s most troubling homicides involved the murder of a brilliant 18-year-old University of Cincinnati student named Nancy Theobald. While attending college, Nancy worked at an Arby’s restaurant that once stood on 263 Calhoun Street in Cincinnati. On November 16, 1977, Nancy finished her shift and left before 11p.m. She didn’t drive and lived in a nearby apartment at 2971 Deckebach Avenue in Cincinnati with her brother and sister. On occasion, she would call her brother for a ride home.

However, on this evening, she had walked home and then disappeared into the night.

When Nancy didn’t return home, her brother Michael called the Cincinnati Police Department to report her missing.

According to him, he was concerned because his sister was reliable and would never leave the house without telling anyone. The police were concerned and took the disappearance seriously. Nancy graduated from Indian Hill High School in 1977. She was an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society. She had also studied abroad in France during her senior year. After graduation, she enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. She majored in finance.

Michael told the police his sister was an excellent student who took her education seriously. She had recently started working at Arby’s. The police spoke with her co-workers. Their views were similar to her brother’s. Nancy was a dependable worker who was well liked by her co-workers.

The last time Michael saw his sister was before she went to work at Arby’s. He expected to pick her up that evening, but she didn’t call. Investigators asked Nancy’s friends and coworkers if they knew where she had gone. After a week, Nancy’s inner circle started to become increasingly worried.

They knew she would never miss school or not contact her friends, family or boyfriend. The police were never able to locate anyone who saw Nancy leave Arby’s the evening she disappeared.

Nancy’s disappearance was solved on December 26, 1977, when a farmer discovered her body in West Chester, Ohio. The coroner gave few details about Nancy’s death. He stated that she had been strangled and not sexually assaulted. Nancy’s dental records would confirm her identity. Her father somehow knew his daughter was deceased because he knew she would never just walk away from her life.

Autopsy results revealed that she was strangled to death. Several women were murdered in Cincinnati in 1974. The deaths were believed to be the work of a serial killer. However, police had their doubts. Nancy’s lifestyle did not fit with those of other murder victims who led questionable lifestyles. She lived a clean life. Drugs and risky behavior were not part of her lifestyle.

Nancy may have been killed by a stranger who knew her schedule and watched her. Three different police agencies worked together to find Nancy’s killer. In her case, investigators were unable to determine whether she was killed where her body had been found or whether she died elsewhere.

Today, the case remains unsolved after nearly 50 years. Police have interviewed several potential suspects, but no arrests have been made. In 2018, a cold case team decided revisited the case. Nancy’s brother Joseph revealed that his sister had been raped and brutally beaten before her death. These details were not revealed publicly. Initially, the coroner had stated Nancy wasn’t sexually assaulted. A rope was also tied around her neck and her hands were bound behind her back.

In researching this unsolved case, I discovered that police had been able to collect some DNA samples. It is likely that the blood on Nancy’s sweater belonged to her murderer. Unfortunately, her parents didn’t live long enough to find out who killed their beloved daughter. But her siblings continue to fight for justice. Her siblings want to know who killed their sister.

Can you provide any information about this case? Is it possible that you have been holding onto a tip that could solve this case? Maybe you know of a written confession or a deathbed confession. You can contact the Butler County Sheriff’s Office at 513-785-1000 if you have any information about this case.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.