Identify This Truck, Help Close A 28-Year-Old Murder Case

Police in southern Wisconsin have reopened a 28-year-old unsolved murder, hoping a fresh look at the evidence could lead them to the killer of a 34-year-old mother. If you can identify a pickup truck and a jack base, you could help.

Police say Barbara Nelson was kidnapped following a robbery at a convenience store in Albion, Wisc., on Aug. 5, 1982. Her body was found five days later in a cornfield; she had been shot no less than 24 hours after the robbery.

While investigators had several clues at the time, including sketches of potential suspects, they were unable to make any arrests and the trail went cold. Last week, detectives reopened the case and asked for help in identifying the vehicle driven by a suspect.

These sketches based on eyewitness account show an older pickup, with outward flares on the top of its bed. Robert Craig, a detective with the Walworth County Sheriff's Office, told Jalopnik that in addition to identifying the truck's make and model, knowing any other details — such as whether it may have had customized parts — could help.

The other piece of evidence: The base of a car jack, which police aren't sure is connected to the case or not, but was found with Nelson's shoes several miles from where her body was recovered. Its only identifying feature is the letter "U" stamped in its top. Once again, police want to know anything about what kind of vehicle it could have come from.

Leave your insights in the comments below, and we'll make sure they're seen by law enforcement.

Thanks to Tom for the tip!

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