At approximately 3:15 am on Saturday, September 18, 1999, Fourth District units responded to 1211 Shepard Street, NW to investigate the report of a burglary. After arriving on the scene, officers were advised by a citizen that a male subject was seen running from the rear of a neighbor’s house located at 1209 Shepard Street, NW. Officers then responded to that location and found 84-year-old Clara Carter lying on the floor of an upstairs bedroom in an unconscious state.

DCFD medics were called to render medical assistance, but could find no signs of life. An official from the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office arrived on the scene and officially pronounced Ms. Carter dead at 7:10 am. Her remains were then transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office where an autopsy was conducted which revealed that the possible cause of death was due to strangulation.

This case is currently under investigation by detectives assigned to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District.

Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call Fourth District detectives at 202-576-6726 or the D.C. Crime Solvers Unit at 1-800-673-2777.

All calls to the Crime Solvers Units are confidential and a caller need not give his or her name. If the information provided by a caller to the Crime Solvers unit leads to an arrest and indictment, that caller will be eligible for a reward of up to ONE THOUSANDS DOLLARS.