Woman reaches out to notorious killer for insight on sister's death

A Connecticut woman has written to a convicted serial killer, seeking information about her sister's unsolved murder from 1975. Maryann Collette, whose sister Patricia Newsom was found dead at age 18, has reached out to Richard Cottingham, known as the 'Torso Killer,' in an attempt to gain new insights into the decades-old case

In a desperate bid for information, Collette penned a letter to the imprisoned Cottingham about her sister Patricia Newsom's 1975 killing. At just 18, Newsom's lifeless body turned up in a Connecticut ditch - tied up, silenced, and hidden in a tarp.

"I still have so many questions I need answered," Collette shared with The Independent. "There are enough similarities, so why not ask him? I can't rule him out yet."

Cottingham's murderous spree left at least 17 women dead across New York and New Jersey from 1968 to 1980. He's now locked up for life in NJ. His brutal method of chopping up his victims' bodies led to his chilling moniker, 'Torso Killer'. 

East Haven police Capt. Joseph Murgo, who reopened Newsom's case in 2020, said there is no physical evidence linking Cottingham to the murder. However, police have received tips suggesting a possible connection, as Cottingham was "active in the area at the time of Patricia's death" nearly 50 years ago.

Collette provided details about her sister's case in her letter, hoping Cottingham might respond with new information. "I made it clear that nobody is looking to pin anything on him - we're just interested in information. We have tried to rule him out and not one person has been able to do so. So maybe he can rule himself out," she said.

For 50 years, Newsom was a nameless victim until DNA finally linked her to Collette this past April. The police were trying to identify the remains of a woman, Jane Doe, found around the same time as that of Patricia's disappearance, buried at State Street Cemetery in Hamden, Connecticut. The cemetery had fallen into disrepair, with many unmarked graves and inaccurate burial records. 

Once the body was exhumed, the DNA was sent to Identifinders International, a forensic genetic genealogy service that found a match. On a friend's advice, Collette had just put her DNA info into GEDmatch, a site for finding relatives through genetics.

"Suddenly, everything fell into place," Collette said. "What were the chances of someone saying to me, you need to get a DNA sample on GEDmatch. And that's how they found her identity so quickly."

In early April, Collette and the East Haven Police Department were notified that Patricia had been located after 48 years.

"I always knew in my heart that she was gone," Collette said. "I always knew."

While the identification brings some closure, Collette still seeks answers about her sister's final days and her killer's identity. East Haven police previously investigated one suspect, Glenn Askeborn, who lived in the area when Newsom's body was found. Askeborn, who also went by Samantha Glenner, served time for another murder but died in October 2022 before any charges were filed in Newsom's case.

Murgo told the New Haven Register he would await Cottingham's response before taking further action. "If he does respond, I'll plan a visit to conduct an official interview," Murgo said.  "For now, we're just hoping for a reply."

As she awaits a potential reply from Cottingham, Collette uses social media to help others search for missing loved ones. She emphasizes the importance of genetic genealogy databases in solving cold cases.

"People who have missing loved ones need to know there's hope," Collette said. "I'm one of the lucky ones – I know that. I have my sister back. So maybe now I can help somebody else find their person – their sister, mother, brother. Because not knowing is hell."

"When you google her name, there she is," Collette said, "and I love that when you google MY name, you find HER. That's how I know her memory is going to live on."