Skip to content
Unsolved homicide

Killing of Brenda Bancroft

Year
1979
Where
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Source
Virginia State Police
Evidence
1
What the record says

On Monday evening, December 24, 1979, Brenda Bancroft was last seen by her family in the 4100 block of Thalia Drive. She had left her parent'­s home driving her 1978 orange Datsun B-210 sedan and was due home later the same evening. She attended a Christmas Party at Admiral Nicks Restaurant located in the 8100 block of Shore Drive in Norfolk. A missing person report was filed by family members. On Friday, December…

From the Virginia State Police cold case database. Records change. The source is the authority.

Where to start

Got ten minutes? Do one of these.

What does the record establish, and what has never been explained?

  • Read the source and write down every date, place and name it gives.
  • Find the earliest news report you can and note what it says that later accounts dropped.
  • List what has never been explained. One line each.

New to this? Read the field guide. Five short lessons.