It was July 31, 1985 and 18–year–old Lisa Berry went for a jog around her Middletown, Conn. neighborhood of Braeburn Lane and Westlake Drive – a familiar routine for the track star who was preparing to attend UMASS Amherst in the fall.
Lisa didn’t return home that night. Berry’s family began to worry, and the next day was nothing short of a nightmare.
Sergeant Daniel Smith of the Middletown Police Department described what he found that day.
“The body of Lisa Berry was found in the woods in a perk test hole. Berry was lying face
down in a four-foot-deep pool of water,” Smith said in an interview.
On Aug. 3, Charles W. Chase of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy. Berry’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia by submersion. There was evidence found at the scene years ago.
“Items of evidence (hair samples from the victim’s clothing) had been submitted to the
Connecticut State Forensic Lab for DNA analysis. According to lab reports, these hair samples are believed to belong to a Caucasian male,” Smith said.
Smith added that Berry was “missing one of her running shoes as well as two rings.”Nadine, Berry’s best friend, said in a documentary completed four years ago that “two
boys had come to Lisa’s house with the missing shoe.”
It has been 40 years since Berry’s murder and there have been no answers as to who took her life.
Bob Berry, Lisa’s brother, mentioned four years ago that he hoped he would not
have to be interviewed again at the 40-year mark.
“Lisa was like the most cheerful person you’d ever want to meet. I don’t think she had a
negative side to her and everybody that came across her walked away with a smile,” said Berry. “I would like her to be remembered by how optimistic she was, and I always question what she
would be like now. We just wondered who she would have been.”
Fusco was just five years old at the time of Berry’s murder and 40 years later he still remembers the person that Berry was.
“…I vividly remember a spunky, sparky, athletic girl with beautiful curly hair,” Fusco said. “I remember that she babysat me and loved good and plenty of candies. I just remember a really kind and pretty girl that everybody was friends with.”
In an interview conducted with forensic scientist Henry C. Lee, his advice for Berry’s family is advice that all cold case victim families should listen to.
“Somebody, the public, can help with information and with a little luck, with your effort,
and everybody pushing for attention hopefully some new scientific evidence can provide a link
to solving her case,” Lee said.
Smith also has advice for families who may go through similar struggles and said “Hope and trust in the system. Someone out there knows what they did or what happened. It is a
difficult thing to go through and years later not have an answer.”
Fusco said “Now being 45 years old and looking back at the case as a whole, especially
now that I’m older, her murder was something that left a sad and huge stain on the legacy of
Middletown. I think it’s beautiful and heartwarming to see that people are still talking about her,
trying to solve her murder while keeping her memory alive.”
Nadine has never let “Honey’s” memory fade.
“To my dear friend Honey, I want you to know you are gone but not forgotten, you are
missed deeply. It’s been 40 years since we have seen your smiling face, and it breaks our hearts.
We love you Lisa, and to Ma Berry we are keeping our promise to you,” Nadine said.
