In the summer of 1973, two teenagers vanished while hitchhiking to a concert in Upstate New York. More than five decades later, the disappearance of Bonnie Bickwit and her boyfriend Mitchel Weiser continues to baffle investigators, leaving family and friends aching for closure.
The percentage of cases solved by police varies across crime type and geography. In the United States, the “clearance” rate for homicides is around 50 per cent, while the corresponding figure for Canada is roughly 70 per cent with significant regional differences, such as a higher success rate in Toronto than Vancouver.
Investigations can go cold after a crime for many reasons, according to Carleton University psychology researcher Kirk Luther. A lack of evidence or eyewitness accounts. No CCTV technology and minimal forensics when the crime was committed. Small police detachments with limited resources. Fuzzy memories. Mistakes.
These challenges — and the dearth of academic brainpower focused on this problem — inspired Luther to create a course dedicated to helping police make progress on cold cases.
First offered in 2024-25, Luther and 20 students looked into the disappearance of Bonnie and Mitch using forensic science and psychology-informed investigative techniques. This year the class has also started to collaborate with a Canadian police organization on another case, although details can’t be disclosed at this point.
“We have all these incredibly smart and talented students who have so much experience and come from so many different backgrounds,” says Luther, the director of Carleton’s Psychological Research in Investigative Science and Methodology Lab.
“This is a way for us to provide fresh eyes and a new perspective.”
Seeking Answers and Justice
Joe Fazzary, the District Attorney in Schuyler County, NY, was a kid when the Grateful Dead and Summer Jam drew 600,000 people to his hometown in 1973. He remembers hearing about the young couple who vanished, but when he became DA in 1988, his small office did not have the capacity to investigate.
“It would be a monumental undertaking, given the magnitude of the concert and the unavailability of witnesses,” says Fazzary.
“When Kirk told me his plan, I thought it was an amazing idea. I was seeking answers for the Bickwit and Weiser families. I wanted justice for those two kids. I believe Mitch and Bonnie were victims of a crime.”
Luther’s 20 students, a mix of fourth-year and graduate psychology students, pored through newspaper archives from Upstate New York. They interviewed people who knew Mitch and Bonnie but had never spoken with police before, including some from the summer camp where Bonnie worked before departing for the concert.
The students mapped various routes the couple could have taken while hitchhiking. They put together detailed timelines and an evidence inventory. They explored various theories: Were Mitch and Bonnie murdered by a serial killer who was active in the area? Did they join a cult? Ultimately, although still working on the case this year, the information they gathered was put into a 76-page dossier for Fazzary and his colleagues.
“These students are so adept at using technology and social media — they bring skills that law enforcement might not have,” says Fazzary.
“I don’t know if the research done by this class will result in any resolution because it’s such a difficult case, but it shows the victims’ families that we’re trying everything, that their children are not forgotten.”
Serving and Protecting
There’s a long history of university law students helping exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted. Like his overarching research program, Luther’s cold case class is comparable, applying psychological techniques to help police serve and protect.
“You can see the passion of officers trying to provide justice for victims’ families,” he says.
“Our lab’s goal is doing relevant research that could potentially improve practices.”
Beyond cold cases, Luther is working to help police obtain more high-quality information from investigative interviews and to advance culturally sensitive interviewing practices. He’s also exploring how people react to and remember traumatic events, so police, suspects and victims can better navigate difficult situations.
Enhancing legal literacy is another interest, to protect adults and youth during police interrogations.
“People really struggle at comprehending information when they’re stressed,” says Luther.
“We’re trying to rework the way rights are communicated so there’s an uptick in comprehension, which will help ensure that detainees make informed decisions and that the investigation doesn’t fall through because of a technicality.
“We’re trying to help address problems for police and for people being questioned about crimes,” he adds. “To me, this is what academia is really about.”
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Lead image of Mitchel Weiser and Bonnie Bickwit by MitchelAndBonnie.com.