New York kidnapping of 1994: Does Fitchburg hold clues?
Thirty years after a store clerk in upstate New York was kidnapped, never to be seen again, investigators are revisiting the Fitchburg connection to the case.
Two men charged in the kidnapping, brothers Gary and Richard Thibodeau, were natives of Fitchburg and were said to have been spotted in the city days after the clerk was last seen.
Authorities have not given up on determining the whereabouts of the missing clerk, Heidi Allen, then 18. Giving the family closure remains a priority.
"We're willing to hear what anyone in your neck of the woods has to say," said Lt. Andrew Bucher of the Oswego County (New York) Sheriff's Office, referring to the search for answers that has extended to Central Massachusetts.
On April 3, 1994, Easter Sunday, Allen was working as a clerk at a D&W Convenience store in New Haven, a small New York town about 45 minutes north of Syracuse. The community college student had opened the store shortly before 6 a.m., with her boyfriend accompanying her for the first hour.
Shortly before 8 a.m., a customer flagged down a sheriff's deputy to report that the store was open but had no cashier.
An extensive search followed. The community of Mexico, New York, where Heidi grew up, rallied around her family.
Gary Thibodeau lived in Mexico, New York; Richard lived in nearby New Haven.
Richard told authorities that he had purchased cigarettes at the store on Easter morning.
The investigation soon focused on the Thibodeau brothers. Richard was charged with kidnapping within months. Then investigators got the break they were hoping for. It came from Central Mass.
Gary Thibodeau, incarcerated for an unrelated matter at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston, allegedly told a cellmate of his role in the disappearance of Allen. Thibodeau was being held on drug charges. The cellmate relayed the conversation to authorities.
Gary Thibodeau was arrested in July 1994, charged with the kidnapping of Allen.
Authorities said they were able to determine that the Thibodeau brothers were in New York at the time of the kidnapping and that they later traveled to Fitchburg with a third person, Sharon Raposa, Gary's wife.
To this day, authorities have not been able to determine a clear motive.
"It could've been random, it could've been a crime of opportunity," Bucher said.
One early theory, that Allen was involved in criminal activity, proved unfounded, the lieutenant said.
Separate trials were held for Gary and Richard Thibodeau. Gary was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Richard was acquitted.
Both men are now dead, as is Sharon Raposa. Richard Thibodeau died in January, partly prompting Oswego authorities to revisit the case.
"If people were afraid to come forward before, maybe they're not now," Bucher said.
Over the years, investigators from New York traveled to Fitchburg to talk with people who might have information about the case. There has been much media coverage of the case, including a podcast.
Anyone with information about the Heidi Allen case is asked to call the Oswego County Sheriff's Office at (315) 349-3411.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: New York kidnapping of 1994: Does Fitchburg hold clues?
