ESSEX, Md. — Baltimore County Police are still investigating the murder of 9-year-old Alva Jean Parris, whose body was found in a shallow grave in Essex 65 years ago.
The yellowed case files and photos from 1960 are now in the hands of Detective Linsey Buckingham, who is determined to ensure this child's case isn't lost to time.
"I don't think there's anyone who can look at a photograph of a 9-year-old girl and not do anything they can to try to give her some justice," said Det. Buckingham.
Alva Jean's tragic story began on June 10, 1960 – 65 years ago this month.
"Her grandmother had given her a list of a few items to go to the store and retrieve, and then ultimately she was supposed to spend the day at her aunt's house that was about a mile away from her residence," Buckingham said in an interview with WMAR-2 News.
But Alva Jean never arrived at her destination. Five days later, her body was discovered near an abandoned house, buried in a shallow grave covered with linoleum and debris. Investigators also found lye had been poured on her body.
The investigation was extensive, Buckingham described. Police set up a different phone line at the Essex precinct and collected books of tips. Investigators visited a thousand homes in the area searching for leads.
"There was a car that became a vehicle of interest, someone had called in a tip and said they had seen a two-tone green ford during the time frame she was missing at that vacant house. We also had someone call in and say they saw an ice cream truck at that house," said Buckingham.
About a year into the investigation, a man falsely confessed to the crime, but no evidence supported his claim. Eventually, the case went cold.
Despite the challenges of solving a 65-year-old murder, Det. Buckingham remains committed to finding justice for Alva Jean.
Baltimore County Police are still investigating the murder of Alva Jean Parris
"When we keep putting this case back out there- maybe someone will call, and either the suspect or someone that knew the suspect of a distant family member that was told something, maybe they forgot about this and tried to put it in the back of their mind, to forget such a horrible thing. But now they have the courage to step forward," said Buckingham.
If you have any information that could help solve Alva Jean Parris' murder, please call Baltimore County Police at 410-887-3943.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.