Cold Case Murder Of Girl In Huntington Solved

HUNTINGTON, VA — Fairfax County Police say a 1972 cold case murder in Huntington has been solved. Police had renewed the call for public information last year.

Karen Lee Spencer, 12, who lived in the 2500 block of Belleview Avenue, was last seen alive on Nov. 29, 1972. The Hayfield Secondary School student's body was found days later in what was known as Fifer’s Field, a wooded area near the Huntington Metro. An autopsy revealed Spencer died from repeated blunt force trauma to the upper body.

Police had identified several persons of interest, including James “Jimmy” Edwards, believed to be Spencer's boyfriend. He was 16-years-old at the time of the killing and denied being involved. Edwards died on August 23, 1997.

In 2018, two acquaintances of Edwards told detectives that he revealed that he killed a girl and buried her in a field when he was a teenager. Detectives received additional tips and continued investigating for a year and a half. That allowed detectives to rule out other persons of interest with exculpatory information.

The Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney later determined there would have been enough evidence to arrest and prosecute Edwards.