On May 18, 1988 Kathy Wilson of Jamestown was kidnapped. Her body was recovered on Sept. 24, 1989 in Lander, Pennsylvania, which sits between Sugar Grove and Russell.

The Sheriff’s Office is seeking information from the public in regard to one of the leads being investigated in the case.

“The Sheriff’s Office is inquiring about the owner of a construction style work van, which was charcoal grey in color and likely a 1980s model. The van may have had only three windows. One was the front windshield, and the other two were the driver’s side and passenger side windows,” the Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “The van had no windows in the rear and the van had no observed markings. The van was reportedly seen parked directly next to Kathy Wilson’s van around the time of her disappearance.”

Wilson’s van was a 1987 Plymouth Voyager, blue in color. It was located in the Chautauqua Mall parking lot on May 19, 1988 at 1:36 a.m.

Kathy Wilson's van was discovered in the Chautauqua Mall parking lot after she went missing.

Tied to the unsolved death is a 1995 Superior Court of Pennsylvania hearing by the Commonwealth against Michael Reuben Brown. Documents note that in September 1989, while investigating the kidnapping rape and murder of Kathy Wilson, police in Warren County offered a reward for information leading to the discovery and conviction of her killer.

Brown, then 16, told authorities he had information in the case that implicated Jay William Buckley as Wilson’s murderer. According to the documents, police then arrested Buckley in the death and kidnapping.

At Buckley’s trial, Brown testified he had been with Buckley during the killing. However, after 10 days of cross-examination, inconsistencies in testimony on Wilson’s clothing, the abduction and type of weapon used led to doubts. Brown then admitted he had repeatedly lied in statements to police during previous court appearances.

In 1994, the Pennsylvania State Attorney General said Brown’s perjury undermined the investigation into the Wilson murder and supported Buckely’s acquittal in the case.

“Anyone who knows the identity of a person who lived either in Chautauqua County, or the Warren County Pennsylvania region in May of 1988, who owned a van matching this description, is encouraged to contact the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office Unsolved Case Team at (716) 753-4578 or by email at Tarpley@sheriff.us. Anyone who feels they have other information that pertains to the Kathy Wilson case is also encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office,” the Sheriff’s Office posted.