Christopher Wilder is pictured in an April 1984 mugshot after he became the 385th person added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. He was suspected of multiple kidnappings, rapes and murders. He was killed April 13, 1984, after New Hampshire State Police tried to arrest Wilder during a traffic stop and resisted arrest. Sheriff's deputies say Wilder may have been in Western New York around the time Ellery Jane Doe was killed in 1983.

In January, The Post-Journal retold the story of Ellery Jane Doe, a cold case that has been under investigation since December 6, 1983.

On Monday, there was a bit of movement on the case. The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said Monday it has received information of a possible sighting of Christopher Wilder in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 4, 1983, which the department is now following up on to see if there is a connection to Ellery Jane Doe.

“This date is two days before the body of “Ellery Jane Doe” was recovered on State Route 17 in the town of Ellery,” the Sheriff’s Office said in its statement. “Christopher Wilder was suspected of committing a number of homicides in the United States, including the state of New York. On April 13, 1984, Wilder was killed in a gunfight with New Hampshire State Police who had contacted him in a stolen vehicle which Wilder had taken following the murder of Beth Dodge in Victor, N.Y. A New Hampshire State Police Officer was shot during the encounter with Wilder.”

The Sheriff’s Office said that during the contact with a woman in New York City on Dec. 4, 1983, the suspect used a ruse that Christopher Wilder commonly used to lure his victims into his vehicle. The woman did not agree to leave with the subject believed to possibly be Wilder. The suspect was last seen leaving on foot.

“Christopher Wilder was known to frequent Western New York and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office would like to speak to anyone who believes they may have encountered Wilder in Western New York between Sunday, Dec. 4, 1983, and Tuesday, December 6, 1983.”

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division at (716) 753-4578 or via email at Tarpley@sheriff.us

More information can be found in Tuesday’s edition of The Post-Journal.