Known for her free-spirited and kind nature, Anne Paetz was a 23-year-old woman who loved to have fun and was always willing to help anyone in need. Her friends and family remember her as the life of the party. A graduate of Frankenmuth High School, Anne had attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Arts before returning to live with her family in Saginaw, Michigan. In the summer of 1999, she was navigating young adulthood, enjoying time with friends and her boyfriend.
In the early morning hours of Friday, July 2, 1999, Anne left her family’s home, telling them she was going out to buy cigarettes. She may have also intended to visit her boyfriend, who lived in a neighboring town. She borrowed her mother’s tan 1995 Ford Contour, as her own car was having mechanical trouble. It was the last time her family saw her alive.
Later that morning, around 6 a.m., police contacted Anne’s mother, Janet, to report that her car had been found abandoned on the side of a highway in Genesee County, about 20 minutes from their home. The car was discovered in an acceleration lane on Vienna Road, with the keys still in the ignition and the driver's side window rolled halfway down. There was fresh damage to the rear quarter-panel that had not been there before.
At first, the family was more confused than alarmed, but concern grew when they realized Anne had not returned home. Around the same time Janet and Anne's brother went to retrieve the car, a jogger running along Vienna Road in Thetford Township noticed what she initially thought was a mannequin lying face down in the grass. She alerted her husband, who confirmed it was a person and called 911. Police arrived at the scene, which was only about 10 to 15 miles from where the abandoned Contour had been found. The body was soon identified as Anne Paetz.
An autopsy determined that Anne had died from massive blood loss after being stabbed in the neck. The investigation into her homicide was launched by the Michigan State Police. For years, detectives struggled with a lack of significant leads. The primary piece of physical evidence was a small sample of male DNA recovered from a ring Anne was wearing. Despite the evidence, the case grew cold, leaving her loved ones without answers and her killer at large.
Over the years, Anne’s family has never given up hope for justice. The case has been featured on "The Deck" podcast, bringing renewed attention to the decades-old mystery. More than two decades after her death, the investigation received new support from the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program. Students in the program have worked with Michigan State Police detectives to digitize the case file, organize evidence, map out Anne's possible routes on the night she was killed, and research similar crimes from that era to identify any potential patterns or suspects.
As of July 2024, Anne Paetz's murder remains unsolved, but investigators are hopeful that advances in DNA technology may finally help identify the person responsible. The Michigan State Police continue to investigate, aided by the ongoing efforts of the WMU Cold Case Program. Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to contact the anonymous tip line at 1-800-422-5245 or submit a tip online at CrimeStoppersofFlint.com. Individuals can also email the Michigan State Police cold case unit directly at [email protected].
