OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The 1986 murder of an Oak Hill teen still remains unsolved nearly 40 years later.
Theresa Ann Woods, a 13-year-old girl from Oak Hill, disappeared on February 20, 1986, in front of a 7-Eleven on Jones Avenue.
Nearly four months later, on June 5, 1986, her remains were discovered along Laurel Creek in Fayette County, nearly 10 miles from where she was last seen.
Evidence at the scene indicated that Theresa was the victim of a homicide, but her death remains an unsolved mystery.
Theresa had recently moved to Oak Hill from Powellton, in 1985 with her mother, Betty, and step-father, Rick Holcomb.
She began attending Collins Middle School in September 1985, where she was known as a bright but shy student.
Despite her academic success, her friends and classmates remembered her as a quiet and reserved individual.
Every day after school, Theresa would walk from Collins Middle School to the Main Street location where her mother and stepfather worked.
The walk was less than a mile, and she usually made the journey with her friend, Angel Skaggs.
However, on February 20, 1986, Skaggs was unable to accompany her.
The last known sighting of Theresa was outside the 7-Eleven, where she was seen leaning against a pole, just a short distance from her school.
On the day she vanished, Theresa was wearing blue jeans, a blue jean jacket, a lavender blouse, grey suede boots, a necklace, dangly earrings, and was carrying a pocketbook. She had shoulder-length red hair.
Despite efforts to find answers, Theresa’s case remains unresolved, leaving her family and the community searching for closure.
