Jill Ellen Cull:1974, Columbus, Ohio

    

   Jill Ellen Cull was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 26th, 1953 to Georgia and George Cull. Jill had four sisters and a brother. 

   Georgia was a busy homemaker. Their father, George Cull, was on the Woodridge school board. He worked in marketing. 

  

   The family lived in Peninsula, Ohio which is within the boundaries of the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  

   Jill was an exceptionally bright student according to school officials. Jill graduated from Woodridge High School in 1972 and right after high school Jill wanted to get out and see the world. She traveled to Boston where she had family members, Florida and even lived in London, England for a while. Her Dad said she never had any trouble getting a job. She loved traveling. She was curious about the world, brave and very independent. 

   On October 19th, 1974, Jill was on the Ohio State University campus and she needed a ride. She did what so many people did then. She hitchhiked. The man who offered her a ride then attacked and raped her. She survived the attack and reported the crime. 

  In early November 1974, Jill disappeared. It was November 6th about 4p.m. when she was last seen leaving work. Jill worked at a restaurant and had told a friend there about a creepy man who kept hanging around and seemed to be stalking her. 

  Because she did not appear at the hearing about the rape trial on December 3rd, 1974, the case was dismissed. It is believed that she had already been murdered. 

  Jill was found in Rocky Fork Creek in January. Jill had been shot four times in the back with a small caliber weapon. She was found without any clothing. Police were unable to determine if she had been killed there or killed elsewhere and then transported to the creek. 

   That creek is east of Columbus, Ohio.

   The man that Jill Ellen Cull had accused of rape actually had a long history of raping young women in the Columbus, Ohio area. He had rape convictions in 1969 and 1970 and many other accusations. His name was not released in the newspaper. I did go back to the 1969 and 1970 newspapers but nothing stood out. Those crimes and convictions may not have been reported in the paper. I wonder if his name is in any police files about Jill’s case. 

  At the time of Jill’s discovery the suspect had 12 sex related charges pending in Franklin County, Ohio and 2 in Delaware County. 

   I had a great deal of difficulty in finding Jill’s mother’s name. Her name doesn’t appear in Jill’s obituary. Her father’s name and all of her siblings’ names are there. It’s a very sad oversight. It’s also very sadly common that women then were just erased. I see women all the time in my research who are, frustratingly, known as “Mrs. Bill Jones” or “Mrs John Smith”. It makes researching very difficult. Eventually I found her name in an article and in an early phone book entry. Jill’s mother was named Georgia. 

   Jill’s funeral was held at Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Peninsula. On Find a Grave she is listed as possibly having been cremated. That may or may not be accurate. Cremation wasn’t a popular choice for Catholics in the 1970’s. I have found that many Catholic cemeteries do not participate on Find a Grave. It’s difficult to find a photo of a person’s grave if they are buried at a Catholic cemetery for some reason. Jill may have been buried. Perhaps church records there could help sort out more about where her remains are interred.

   I wonder if they clipped and saved Jill’s fingernails at her autopsy.  It does seem like her murderer wanted to leave her without clothes and in water to prevent any evidence. He likely assaulted her again before murdering her.  In 1974, of course, they did not have DNA technology but they could tell if semen was present. If her fingernails were clipped and saved it is possible that her killer’s DNA is under those nails. 

   Jill’s murder is still unsolved. Jill’s family has waited 51 years for answers. The man with the strongest motive was the man who assaulted her on October 19th, 1974. He had assaulted many women in the Columbus area in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. He was well known to police. What is his name? 

   Rest in Peace, Jill. 

    If you have information about the rape and murder of Jill Ellen Cull please submit a tip here:

https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Cull

See and share the YouTube video here:https://youtu.be/v2-DOQmCtgc?si=cRI-DfvISldVzKF3