Mary Rita Brown

The Rita Brown case is a very good example of a difficult-to-profile case. The behaviors at the scene of the crime do not lead us to a clear determination of motive and, therefore, further investigation and information would be needed to make any kind of accurate determination. Unfortunately, since almost two decades have passed, this case is shrouded in mystery and only a critical piece of information held by some citizen out there may bring us new understanding of what happened to the seventy-year-old widow Rita Brown the evening of June 8, 1985 at 26 Wavy Lane, Wantagh, New York.

As a profiler, I first studied the elements of the crime scene itself to decide exactly what the perpetrator did while he was there. In this case, we know more about what he DIDN'T do than what he did. First, let's start with what little we actually know. The killer DID stab Rita Brown and set fire to the house with accelerant he brought in a gas can, known to be of the type used by the Grumman (aircraft) Corporation years ago. We know he used a boning knife (five inch stainless steel blade with a wooden handle secured by three rivets - sold for $14 and made by the R.H. Forscher Co.) to inflict the stab wounds. He didn't exhibit lots of rage in the killing but did just enough to render her incapacitated. He didn't ransack the house. He didn't take her jewelry. There is no evidence of a robbery. There is no evidence of any strange ritual behavior. There is no evidence of a break-in. There is no evidence of rape.

So, WHY was Rita Brown killed? She had no enemies, was a meek and nonconfrontational woman, and wasn't known to open her door to strangers after dark. Because there are pieces of information that cannot be answered today, we may have an incomplete puzzle of the events of that night. We have no clear record of alibis from the night many years ago, and the fire may have destroyed key pieces of evidence that would clear up many unanswered questions. However, the evidence that does exist may benefit from recent advances in DNA analysis and assist in linking a suspect physically to the crime even though many years have passed and therefore the case may still find its way to a court of law and justice achieved for the friends and family of Rita Brown.

So, we come to the public years later to help us learn the truth and identify a suspect. We ask the public what they might know about the motives for Rita Brown's death. There are four main theories.

Left at the scene with the victim was her own jewelry and a very odd pendant that no one in the family recognizes and is not the kind of jewelry the victim was known to wear. Did the killer leave it on purpose? Did he drop it accidentally? Did she rip it off his neck?

Can anyone out there identify the origin of this pendant? Does anyone know where it could have been purchased? Does anyone know someone living near Rita Brown or having any connection with Rita Brown owning this particular piece of jewelry? Does anyone remember Rita Brown herself owning this particular pendent?

Does anyone recognize this knife? Does anyone know a person who carried this knife about or had it in his or his family's collection? Does anyone know if Rita herself actually owned this knife?

Does anyone know someone connected in any way to Rita Brown or her family or the neighborhood that had a Grumman gas can?

Does anyone know anything about the lawn service Rita Brown used or any of the people employed by that service?

Has anyone come in possession of any important information about Rita Brown's homicide before the crime, at the time of the crime, or in the subsequent years? Does anyone out there know of any motive for someone to kill Rita Brown?

Did anyone observe odd behaviors in their friends, relatives, or neighbors around the time of Rita Brown's death? Did anyone know someone whose whereabouts could not be accounted for the evening of June 8, 1985 or early morning of June 9, 1985? Did anyone know someone who was disposing of items or asking curious questions or making peculiar statements about the homicide?

Any information at all would be of assistance to solving this cold case and bringing closure to the family and friends of Rita Brown. Please email the SHE tipline at tthe address below or call our toll-free phone line. The information will be kept confidential and you are not required to give your name.

tipline@she-dc.com