Mystery Quilt May Hold Key To Solving Cold Case Murder Of San Jose Mother
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) - Prosecutors are hoping to solve a cold-case murder by asking the public to help identify a patchwork quilt that was used to cover the body of a San Jose woman found strangled inside her car at an airport parking lot 25 years ago.
On March 8, 1989, Cathy Zimmer, a 38-year-old mother of two, drove her children to school, had lunch with a friend and attended two classes at San Jose State University, but then missed an optometry appointment, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
Two days later, San Jose police located her Chrysler New Yorker in the short-term parking lot at the San Jose airport and found her body in the backseat wrapped in the quilt, Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani said.
Zimmer's family said they did not recognize the quilt, but have never given up in their quest to find out who murdered her, Kajani said.
The district attorney's cold case unit Thursday released a photo of the quilt in an effort to find out who may have made it or owned it—information that could lead to the identity of her killer, Kajani said.
The quilt has an orange border and is filled with brightly colored patches, many with floral designs.
Anyone with information about the blanket or Zimmer's death is urged to call investigator Michael Brown of the district attorney's office at (408) 808-3760.