(Culpeper)- Twenty years ago on 3/2 a 25-year-old graduate student was driving along Route 29 from Baltimore, Md., to Charlottesville, Va., when she disappeared. Her vehicle, a Mercury Tracer, was found abandoned later that same day in Culpeper County. Two months later, the remains of Alicia Showalter Reynolds were discovered in a field that had recently been cleared of trees in the rural community of Lignum, Va.
According to witnesses who observed Ms. Reynolds’ white Mercury parked on the southbound shoulder of Route 29 on March 2, 1996, a white male, approximately 35-45 years old with a medium build and light to medium brown hair was stopped out with her vehicle. The man, described as between 5’10’ to 6’0 tall, was driving a dark-colored pickup truck, possibly a green Nissan.
As news spread about Ms. Reynolds’ abduction, several other female subjects came forward advising that a white male had either stopped them or attempted to stop them while they were traveling along Route 29 in Culpeper County.
Even after 20 years and more than 10,100 leads pursued by investigators, tips and information continue to come into the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office. State police remain hopeful that this case will come to a successful resolution and continue to encourage the public to come forward with any information related to the investigation.
Anyone with information pertaining to the abduction and murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds is asked to contact the Virginia State Police Culpeper Division toll-free at 1-800-572-2260, or the Bureau of Criminal Investigation toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or by e-mail at bci-culpeper@vsp.virginia.gov.
