The Murdered Gladys Punch and Warren Tarkington

The Murdered
Gladys Punch and Warren Tarkington
West Haven, Connecticut

💐🕊️ A Tragic Labor Day Mystery 🕊️💐

On Labor Day in 1994, 72 year old Gladys Punch and her 75 year old brother, George “Bud” Tarkington, were visiting the grave of Gladys’s late husband at St. Lawrence Cemetery in West Haven, Connecticut when they were brutally gunned down in broad daylight. Gladys, a retired nurse who regularly visited her husband’s resting place, had welcomed her brother from Queens NY for her birthday that weekend. Police believe a robbery was attempted, and that Bud may have fought back before being shot twice. Gladys was shot once, possibly while trying to flee despite her limited mobility. Though witnesses saw two or three men running from the area, and investigators collected casings, pursued hundreds of tips, and even offered a $20,000 reward, no suspects were ever identified. Bud’s wallet was left behind, but Gladys’s was missing, adding to the mystery. The family later settled a negligence lawsuit against the cemetery for inadequate security, yet decades later the case remains unsolved. Gladys and Bud are now buried just feet from where they were killed, and investigators still seek answers to this heartbreaking, long-cold double homicide.

If you have information, contact the Cold Case Unit: 1-866-623-8058 or cold.case@ct.gov

Sources:
https://ctmissingpeople.substack.com/p/cold-case-couple-gunned-down-at-cemetery 
https://portal.ct.gov/dcj/knowledge-base/articles/cold-cases/open-cold-cases-and-rewards?language=en_US