This Old Quilt Could Be Key to 25-Year-Old Cold Case Murder

Some 25 years after Cathy Zimmer was found strangled in her car in March 1989, San Jose authorities are asking for information on what may be the key to unlocking her murder: the handmade patchwork quilt her body was wrapped in. While police say they've kept information about the quilt quiet because its details were something only the killer would know, the 6-by-4 blanket—featuring red and blue squares, many with floral designs, and a yellowy-orange border—may now help them solve a murder case that's run cold, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

"It's wonderful," says Zimmer's daughter, Debbie Lawrence, who was only a teen when her mother was killed. "I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that somebody might remember something." Zimmer, 38, dropped her kids off at school, had lunch with a friend, and attended two college business classes on March 8, 1989, before she missed an appointment in the afternoon. Her body was found inside her car in an airport parking lot two days later, CBS San Francisco reports. Zimmer's family members said they didn't recognize the quilt, but haven't given up hope that her murder could still be solved. (Click to read about another high-profile cold case that police in Florida think they've cracked.)