Howard County police have closed the 1975 homicide of Roseann Sturtz, a case that remained cold until detectives recovered lost evidence that implicated a man already serving a life sentence in prison for committing other murders during that time period.
Charles William Davis Jr., has been incarcerated in the Jessup Correctional Institution since 1978. In 2024, cold case detectives unearthed a 1981 audio recording of HCPD detectives interviewing Davis in which he provided details of Sturtz’s murder. They also recovered a letter from the state’s attorney of Howard County at that time giving Davis full immunity from prosecution to discuss the case.
Davis was not able to positively identify Sturtz (who went by Ann) in a photo shown to him during the 1981 interview, and the case remained open for nearly 44 years thereafter. Late last year, cold case detective Cpl. Wade Zufall re-interviewed Davis Jr., showing him a different photo of Sturtz that more closely resembled her at the time of her murder and obtaining a confession from Davis Jr.
Current Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson reaffirmed the immunity given to Davis Jr. in 1981, and he cannot be charged in Sturtz’s murder. The case has been exceptionally cleared by HCPD.
“This is our second-oldest cold case, and its closure makes clear that we will never rest in our pursuit of justice,” Police Chief Gregory Der said. “We are fortunate to have an excellent team working on cold cases, led by Cpl. Zufall, that is going through every case with a fine-tooth comb. And in this instance, their diligence paid off. We can now bring closure to Ann’s family, even 50 years later.”
“Today is a day of remembrance, closure, and justice. This moment is not just about solving a case, it’s about honoring Ann’s life, providing her family with long-overdue answers, and seeking justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “I want to recognize and thank Chief Gregory Der, Cpl. Zufall, and our Howard County Police Department for their dedication to solving cold cases like Ann’s. We will not forget victims. We will not forget grieving families, and we will never stop searching for the truth, whether a crime happened in 1975 or 2025. Giving this family closure is a testament to the power of persistence and thorough investigative work.”
Sturtz, who was 20 at the time, was reported missing on August 24, 1975. Her body was recovered on December 15 of that year in a wooded area off of Route 108 in Columbia. Detectives believe that Davis met Sturtz at a Howard County bar the night of August 24, then assaulted her and dumped her body in the woods. The investigation revealed she had sustained trauma to her body which resulted in her death.
“In November 2024, we were grateful to have all the case details, learned Roseann’s actual date of death and receive the closure we have been praying for all these years — finally put to rest the answers we never had,” Sturtz’s family said in a statement. “Now in 2025, almost 50 years later we have closure and would like to say ‘thank you’ from the bottom of our hearts to the Howard County Police Department and Cpl. Wade Zufall for working so diligently on Roseann’s cold case, bringing Roseann and our family the peace we deserved. The sympathy, kindness, respect, and warmth that was shown to us over these past few months will be forever in our hearts.”
All open cold cases are listed on the HCPD website. Anyone with information on any of these cases is eligible for a reward of up to $30,000 and should contact police at 410-313-STOP or HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov.
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