Upstate Unsolved

In the Season Finale of Upstate Unsolved, we attempt to give Ruth's case the attention she deserves and continue to ask for anyone who knew Ruth or the people who made up her life to come forward. Additionally, we share a potential lead that will be touched upon in a Season Two Update coming in the near future.

Investigating, researching and reporting on a murder that has been cold for 60 years is difficult on various levels. In order to understand the victim you have to understand the social climate in which they lived and the people that made up their life. You have to get to know the victim through the accounts of their friends and families, any diaries or notes they kept, or treasured belongings still in possession of loved ones. When there's 60 years of time between now and when the crime happened, tangible connections to the person become imperative.We don't have that for Ruth Whitman. We don't have personal items from her life and no family or friends have come forward willing to speak publicly about Ruth. And the handful of surviving family members we have been able to speak to, do not wish to discuss their memories of her on Upstate Unsolved. All that we have to get to know Ruth is the original case file, filled with interviews from hundreds of people. But not all of these interviews are reliable, a good portion of them are riddled with gossip and contradictions. In this episode, we talk about the culture Ruth grew up in and the disadvantages her family faced. We also detail the numerous men that claim to have been romantically involved with Ruth prior to and right up until her murder.

Law enforcement interviewed approximately 500 people. The case file is massive and is filled with inconsistencies. More specifically, the statements made by the people who claim to know Ruth Whitman contain contradictory information about the moments leading up to her murder. Some accounts place her at a certain time and place, while others insist she was in a completely different location.

The body of 18-year-old Ruth Whitman was found face down in a drainage ditch on Sand Creek Road in Colonie on December 8, 1959. She had been severely beaten in the head, with one eye swollen shut and she had a laceration on the back of her head. For 60 years, Ruth's case has remained unsolved.

We believe that Catherine Blackburn's case can be solved. The acts she endured are unique and rare, and with the modern day ability to disseminate the details of her case, we are hopeful that someone somewhere will be able to provide new connections, leading to answers.