Montana's Darkest Cold Cases: 7 Unsolved Murders That Still Haunt the Big Sky State

When Justice Goes Cold in Big Sky Country

Montana stretches across 147,000 square miles of river breaks, timber, and open range. Its vastness is its beauty — and, for investigators chasing killers, its curse. Bodies have been found in coulees, alongside dirt roads, and at the bottom of canyon walls, sometimes years after death, sometimes never at all.

The state's cold case files are filled with names that most Montanans have never heard. Victims whose families have waited decades for answers. Detectives who retired without closing the case. Witnesses who have since died. Evidence long degraded by weather and time.

This is a look at seven of Montana's most haunting unsolved murders — cases where a killer, or killers, still walk free.

1. Zachary Ramsay — Great Falls, 1995

On the morning of February 6, 1995, nine-year-old Zachary Ramsay left his home on the east side of Great Falls to walk to school. He never arrived.

The disappearance triggered one of the largest searches in Cascade County history. Hundreds of volunteers combed the riverbanks and alleyways of Great Falls in brutal February cold. Zachary was never found — not his body, not a scrap of clothing, not a single physical trace.

His mother, Jerri Ann Ramsay, was eventually charged and convicted of deliberate homicide. The Montana Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, finding the evidence insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Jerri Ann maintained her innocence throughout.

Zachary's case remains open. He would be in his late thirties today. His fate is still unknown.

2. Jermain Charlo — Missoula, 2018

On June 16, 2018, Jermain Charlo — a 25-year-old Bitterroot Salish woman — attended a party near downtown Missoula. She left alone in the early morning hours. She was never seen again.

Charlo's case drew national attention as part of the broader Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. Native women in Montana go missing at rates far disproportionate to their share of the population, and their cases often receive less investigative urgency and media coverage than cases involving white victims.

The Missoula Police Department has classified Jermain's case as a suspected homicide. No arrests have ever been made. Her family has continued to push for answers, organizing annual marches and keeping her name in the public eye.

3. The Lolo Pass Road Victim — 1985

In the summer of 1985, hunters discovered skeletal remains in a remote area near Lolo Pass on the Montana-Idaho border. The victim — a woman estimated to be between 25 and 40 years old — has never been identified.

Investigators determined she had been shot. Her clothing and personal effects offered few clues. For nearly four decades, she has been listed as a John Doe in the NamUs national database, her identity unknown and her killer unidentified.

Advances in forensic genealogy have helped solve similar cases in recent years. Investigators hope DNA technology may one day give this woman back her name.

4. Pat Costello — Billings, 1998

Patricia "Pat" Costello, a 47-year-old Billings woman, was found murdered in her home in October 1998. She had been beaten. No forced entry was found, suggesting she may have known her attacker.

Despite a lengthy investigation by the Billings Police Department, no arrests were ever made. Detectives pursued multiple leads over the years. The case went cold.

Costello's family has continued to press for answers, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office has periodically re-examined the evidence as new forensic tools have become available.

5. The Highway 2 Jane Doe — Blaine County, 2003

A woman's body was found along a remote stretch of U.S. Highway 2 in northeastern Montana in the fall of 2003. She appeared to be in her thirties. Cause of death was ruled a homicide.

Despite extensive efforts, investigators were unable to identify her for years. She was logged in NamUs under a case number, reduced to measurements and dental records. It was not until forensic genealogy work in the early 2020s that a potential lead emerged — though as of this writing, her case remains officially open.

6. The Billings Strangler — Multiple Victims, 1970s–80s

Between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, a series of women were found strangled in and around Yellowstone County. The deaths shared enough characteristics that some investigators speculated a single perpetrator may have been responsible — though this was never confirmed and the cases were never officially linked.

None of the deaths have been prosecuted. Some investigators believe at least one of the killers may have died without ever facing justice. Others think someone is still out there.

7. Susanna "Sue" Weaver — Cascade County, 1988

Sue Weaver, a 32-year-old Great Falls woman, disappeared in the late summer of 1988. Her body was found weeks later in a remote area of Cascade County. She had been murdered.

The case stalled quickly. A suspect was identified but never charged. That suspect has since died, taking whatever knowledge he had to the grave. Sue Weaver's murder remains officially unsolved.

Why Do Cold Cases Go Cold in Montana?

Montana has fewer law enforcement resources per square mile than almost any state in the country. Many sheriff's offices consist of a handful of deputies covering thousands of square miles. Evidence gathered at rural crime scenes degrades fast. Witnesses move on. Memories fade.

The state did not establish a formal Cold Case Unit until relatively recently, and it remains underfunded compared to agencies in more populous states.

Still, Montana investigators have had wins. Forensic genealogy — the same technique that caught the Golden State Killer — has cracked open previously dormant cases. The FBI's participation in MMIW investigations has brought new resources to cases that languished for years.

For the families of the victims above, the wait continues.

Montana Blotter publishes public law enforcement records from across the state. If you have information about any of these cases, contact the relevant law enforcement agency or the Montana Department of Justice at 406-444-2026.