James M. Spinney, Chief of Police
2 Olde North Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Chelmsford Police Assist In Solving Arizona Cold Case
CHELMSFORD — Police Chief James Spinney reports that the Chelmsford Police Department assisted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona determine the identity of a woman this week whose body was found in 1981.
In December 2014, Chelmsford Police received a photo from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department regarding a Jane Doe case. The woman, who was later determined to be Brenda Gerow, had formerly live in Nashua, N.H. before moving to Arizona with convicted killer and former Tyngsboro man, John Kalhauser.
The photo police used to identify Gerow was found on Kalhauser after he was arrested in 1995 for a murder charge out of Lowell.
Because Kalhauser had ties to the area, Pima County Sheriff’s Department contacted Chelmsford Police in hopes that someone could identify the woman in the photo.
Chelmsford Police then posted the picture on Twitter and Facebook. Eventually, a family member saw the photo and contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
On Sept. 28, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office announced the Jane Doe was in fact Gerow and that Kalhauser is a person of interest in her death.
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