Homicide of Leah Ulbrich - October 1995 - Hartford/Wethersfield

On Sunday, October 29, 1995, at approximately 4:49 a.m., Hartford Police received 911 calls about a woman being dragged by a motor vehicle from Locust Street west on Elliott Street toward Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford.

The caller described the car as similar to a 1995 or recent year Nissan Maxima or similar make. Another caller, using a fire emergency telephone at the corner of Elliott Street and Wethersfield Avenue, observed the female being dragged by the car south on Wethersfield Avenue toward the Town of Wethersfield. The female caller was never identified.

Just prior to the 911 calls, a Hartford Police Officer patrolling north on Wethersfield Avenue near Elliott Street in a marked cruiser observed a small dark color car enter Wethersfield Avenue from Elliot Street and travel south with no headlights on. The officer observed something unidentifiable being dragged from the passenger side of the vehicle. The officer pursued the car without success. The officer followed a discernable trail of liquid left on the pavement to the area of Jordan Lane near Ridge Road in Wethersfield.

The officer located the victim, with extensive injuries, lying against the northern curb of Jordan Lane. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by responding Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). An autopsy performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington determined the cause of death as extensive blunt trauma and certified the manner of death as a homicide. The victim was identified as Leah Ulbrich, age 24, of Hartford and New Britain.

Since October 29, 1995, the Hartford Police Department and the Wethersfield Police Department have conducted an intensive investigation into the murder of Leah Ulbrich. Numerous extensive interviews have been conducted and forensic evidence analyzed.

In November 2001, a joint investigation was initiated between the Hartford Police Department, the Wethersfield Police Department and the Cold Case Unit of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.

At the request of James E. Thomas, then the State's Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford, the Governor authorized a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Leah Ulbrich. The Division of Criminal Justice maintains a Tip Line to take information on this case. The number is 860-548-0606.