She had abrasions on her side and face. Her jeans were torn at the knee and hip. The only personal effects found at the scene were a watch and two gold chains. When her car was located some distance away, the ignition keys and her purse were found in the car. Path taken by suspect.
Police believe that the suspect lived less than one mile from the crime scene.
Donna was last seen alive at a popular nightclub on the night of her death, the night before her body was discovered. She was with a girlfriend, but during the evening ran into an old boyfriend at the club. She hadn't seen him for a year, but he had fathered her baby in 1975, a baby she reluctantly gave up for adoption. She had been deeply in love with this young man since early 1975, but in 1976 some serious problems developed. Donna filed a report with the police stating that he had broken into her apartment, hit her, and told her he could give her a karate blow that would kill her.