Sergeant Earl Marlin Heisler, 37, was killed while on patrol in James City County, Virginia, in the late hours of a Tuesday in September 1978. He had stopped a suspicious vehicle behind the Ramada Inn West on Route 60 after reports of burglaries at nearby Stratford Hall Apartments. While speaking with the car’s three occupants, Heisler saw a bag of marijuana on the backseat and began a search. The driver, identified as Ronald Thatcher, wrestled Heisler’s service weapon away and fired a single fatal shot to the officer’s face.

Thatcher fled the state after the killing but was located, extradited to Virginia, tried, and found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. After serving several decades of that sentence, Thatcher was granted parole in March 2018.

Did anyone in the area at the time notice the vehicle behind the Ramada Inn West or recognize the occupants?