New Details Sought In Cold Case Murder Of Huntington Girl

HUNTINGTON, VA—Fairfax County Police are seeking new information in the 1972 death of a 12-year-old girl in Huntington. Cold case detectives are seeking the public's help to give closure to the girl's family.

Karen Lee Spencer was found dead on Dec. 2, 1972 in Fifer's Field, a wooded area between Mount Eagle Park and North Kings Highway and southeast what's now Huntington Metro Station. An autopsy found she died from repeated blunt force trauma to the upper body.

She went missing on the night of Nov. 29, but her disappearance was not immediately reported.

Spencer lived in the 2500 block of Belleview Avenue in Huntington and was a student at Hayfield Secondary School. She would often play with neighborhood children in locations including Fifer's Field and the Fairhaven 7-Eleven. One of her friends was James “Jimmy” Edwards, who was 16 when she died. Edwards died in the 1990s.

Anyone with information or who knew Karen Lee Spencer or James Edwards is asked to contact the police department's Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800 or submit a tip online through Crime Solvers.