The Cold Case Murder of Lieutenant Joe Clark Solved After 3 Decades
Detectives covering the case had never realized the murderer had been a lot closer than they ever realized
It was February 7, 1981, in Marietta, Ohio, when Lieutenant Joe Clark was enjoying an evening in with his wife. The forty-nine-year-old police officer had served the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for fourteen years, and he was considered a passionate and dedicated officer.
He was in the middle of a big case. He had been tasked with tackling a growing drug dilemma in the area. An article had just been published that morning. He had given an interview to a reporter discussing his plans to begin disrupting drug operations in the region by making several arrests in the coming days.
He had anticipated it was going to be a busy week. He and his wife, Patricia, enjoyed the calm before the storm and watched a basketball game together. Joe gets up and heads to the kitchen for a top-up of snacks for the two of them. He had only been gone for a moment when Patricia heard, what she believed, was an explosion in the kitchen. There had been tinkering of broken glass, and she had thought a lightbulb had exploded. Following the sound of glass breaking, there was a loud crash in the kitchen.
