Detectives solve 1986 Vermont murder mystery

Vermont State Police detectives announced that they have closed the book on an unsolved murder mystery dating back to 1986. The victim, Sarah Hunter, 36, of Manchester, disappeared on the evening of Sept. 19, 1986 and was never seen since. The stunning announcement was made July 2 by VSP Lt. Tim Oliver, Vermont State Police, C Troop Bureau of Criminal Investigation commander. Oliver said an arrest warrant was issued June 30 for David Allan Morrison, 52, for murder in the first degree of Hunter. In 1986, Hunter's car was found empty, parked at a gas station on Route 7A in Manchester Center. "At the time of her disappearance Sarah was employed as a golf pro at the Manchester Country Club," Oliver reported in the VSP news announcement. "Due to the suspicious circumstances, the Manchester Police Department and the Vermont State Police immediately began an investigation into Sarah's disappearance. Despite an extensive search, Sarah's body wasn't located until Nov. 27, 1986, in a wooded area adjacent to a corn field in Pawlet." Within days of Hunter's disappearance, VSP detectives determined that Hunter was the likely victim of a homicide. At the time if Hunter's disappearance, Morrison had been questioned twice; he had been an employee at the gasoline station where Hunter's abandoned vehicle was found. "There was insufficient evidence at the time for arrest him for Sarah's murder," according to Oliver. VSP officials said that Morrison left Vermont two years after Hunter's disappearance. In late 1986, the year of Hunter's murder, Morrison was arrested in California for kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted murder of a young woman in the city of Chula Vista. Morrison remains in California to this day, serving a 20 year to life sentence at the Corcoran State Penitentiary. "In the 25 years since her tragic death, detectives with the Vermont State Police continued to investigate Sarah's murder, looking for additional evidence and information; including a 1988 search of Morrison's abandoned 1968 Chevy Impala," according to a VSP news report. "Evidence gathered led investigators to identify Morrison as a primary suspect, however the evidence was insufficient to arrest Morrison for Sarah's murder." In touch with California authorities, Vermont State Police detectives had their suspicions about Morrison's link to Sarah Hunter's death. "Based on the DNA results and evidence collected through the investigation, detectives applied for and were granted an arrest warrant for David Allan Morrison for Murder in the First Degree in the 1986 death of Sarah Hunter," according to a VSP news release. "Extradition arrangements will be coordinated through the Bennington County State's Attorney's office with the State of California." "In all cold case homicide investigations, it is important to help families who have suffered the tragic loss of a loved one, to be able to help bring closure to their loss," said Oliver. "Detectives with the Vermont State Police will never rest in solving the terrible crime of homicide, no matter how many years it takes."

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Detectives solve 1986 Vermont murder mystery

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