Kathy Heckel, unfortunately, became one of the victims of cold cases in 1991. Here are all the latest updates on her murder case!
Kathy Heckel was never seen or heard from again since July 15, 1991. Her case became remained one of the cold cases in the U.S. that was later concluded by a 2015 DNA test.
NBC’s Dateline covered the case in 2019 and let the world know what happened to the late Kathy.
Kathy’s family is finally relieved to see the perpetrator get the punishment by the law. Kathy was killed by Loys Grooves, the man she was romantically involved with.
Dateline: Kathy Heckel Murder Update – Where Is Killer Loyd Groves Now?
Kathy Heckel’s killer Loyd Groves is currently in jail, per the recent update on the murder case.
Groves was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison by Lycoming County Judge Kenneth Brown in January 2019.
He pled guilty to the third-degree murder conviction of the 1991 murder of Kathy in Clinton County, in which the body was never found.
From the first, Groves was named a suspect in Kathy’s disappearance and murder case. However, he was not arrested and charged with Heckel’s murder due to insufficient evidence.
On January 28, 2015, DNA evidence concluded that the blood found in Groves’ van belonged to Heckel. Hence, he was finally indicted on Kathy’s murder.
During his sentencing, Groves denied the murder accusations and said he did not commit any crime till the end.
The case was concluded after 27 years of the incident. Thus, Groves is still serving his prison sentence while the surviving Heckel family is assured of having found the killer of Kathy.
Kathy Heckel Killer Loyd Groves Background Explored
Kathy Heckel’s killer Loyd Groves’ background screams a decent life until he decides to kill his partner.
Kathy and Groves were co-workers and involved in an affair. Kathy had gone out to lunch in 1991 to end the relationship only to get killed by Groves, who did want to end their affair.
They worked at the former International Paper Co. mill in Lock Haven. Both Heckel and Groves were in their 40s at the time of Heckel’s murder.
The two had families of their own, yet they had maintained affairs outside of their family life.
This decision caused heavy for Heckel as she was killed while her body had never been found. Heckel is survived by her mother, children, and grandchildren as of 2022.
On the other hand, the precise particulars on Groves’ family background are not accessible at the moment.