Information sought in 20-year-old cold case murder
Walker County investigators hope to turn up new clues in the murder of a Chattanooga pharmacist nearly 20 years after her brutal stabbing.
An autopsy determined Julie Ann McDonald, 42, had been dead between three and four days when friends found her body on June 11, 2000, in the living room of her house at 75 Arnold Lane, northeast of LaFayette.
Investigators said they believe McDonald, a pharmacist at Memorial Hospital, knew her killer, but they have not determined a clear motive for her murder.
According to investigators at the time of her death:
They found no signs of forced entry at her house.
McDonald was last seen in Fort Oglethorpe on June 7 around noon.
Her Ford Explorer was found in the driveway, and the only item that seemed to be missing from her house was her checkbook.
Catoosa County deputies arrested and charged Chattanooga residents Clarence George and Alphonso Pitts with bringing stolen property into the state shortly after the murder. George, then 39, was also charged with driving on a revoked license, while Pitts, then 41, faced charges of giving false information.
George told investigators he had used some of the victim’s checks in Catoosa County during the days after McDonald’s death. Investigators do not know when George acquired the checks.
Investigators considered the checkbook to be important to their investigation.
Pitts had partied with George before the pair’s arrest; however, he did not appear to have been involved in the murder.
Although police questioned the men and Andrea Rice, McDonald’s former roommate, in connection
with the murder, no one was charged.
A man matching George’s description was seen near McDonald’s house before the murder.
Investigators ask Walker County residents to consider the facts related to the case and to ask themselves some questions, hoping it might jog their memories.
Did anyone see something that seemed unusual or suspicious in the area?
Does someone know more details than were available through media reports?
Has someone made a boast or threat related to the crime?
Has anyone heard any rumors related to the murder?
A seemingly trivial bit of information may be the key to solving the crime, investigators said.