Public’s help sought in 1975 Boston cold case murder

BOSTON — Police are asking for the public’s help in an effort to solve a 47-year-old murder in a Boston neighborhood.

The body of Ruth Bayla Pearson, 61, of Newton, was found in a field in the Madison Park area of Roxbury between Sterling Street, Tremont Street, and Shawmut Avenue around 8:40 a.m. on August 23, 1975. Officials determined she was shot multiple times and the manner of her death was a homicide.

Boston Police found Pearson’s red 1972 Camaro two weeks after her murder in the Orchard Park Development near the old Dearborn School. It had since been stripped for parts.

Original pictures of both Pearson and her car have been colorized for a more accurate depiction of what they looked like.

Pearson was known to frequent bars and restaurants in the Copley Square area and the City of Cambridge, according to authorities. She looked younger than her years, police say, and often went by her middle name, Bayla or Francesca.

“Any piece of information, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, could make a tremendous difference in the course of this decade’s long investigation,” Boston Police wrote in a plea to the public.

Anyone with information regarding Pearson or her whereabouts around the time of her death is urged to call the Boston Police Department’s Unsolved Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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