| Sorting Composites |
| Five
composites have been associated with the Betsy Aardsma murder.
Four of them may be the same man. Three were seen in the library
on November 28, 1969.
Two were released to the newspapers. At least one of the men represented
in these composites knows more about what happened than most. |
 |
Composite
1: The most famous composite in the Aardsma murder, newspapers
reported early on that he was the man that said, “Somebody
better help that girl.” The composite was created from
the memory of a male witness who saw a studying girl talking
to two men that had come from the core at approximately 4:45
p.m. The second man was not described to the press, although
Lt. Kimmel said police had a “fair description.” |
 |
Composite
2: The composite created from the memory of studying girl who
found Aardsma. The man emerged from the core and told her, “Somebody
better help that girl.” Composites 1 and 2 are probably
the same person. He was described in his early 20s with trim-cut
brown hair, some six feet tall and about 185 lbs. He was wearing
tan khakis and a light jacket. He may have been wearing glasses.
If the girl ever described the second man that emerged from the
core, police have never released the information. |
 |
Composite
3: Created from the memory of a library employee sitting at her
desk outside Level 3, this composite was seen either running
out of the core or from the card catalog area. He seemed to be
in a hurry, although it was never clear if he was involved in
the murder or simply rushing for help. A few minutes earlier,
the library employee had investigated a noise coming from core
area. When she went to investigate, she looked around Level 3
but saw nothing. The man was described with wavy hair, maybe
glasses. Although he is wearing glasses in the drawing, it is
possible he had none. Given the sequence of events, police have
not ruled out that Composites 1, 2 and 3 may be the same individual. |
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Composite
4: The composite of a man that assaulted a girl in downtown State
College on January 6, 1970, more than a month after the Aardsma
murder (see The Composite Link in April issue of State College
Magazine). While his appearance looks similar to Composite 1,
many doubted the connection pointing out a height discrepancy
that did not, in fact, exist. The height ranges in both men’s
descriptions each included 6 feet. |
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Composite
5: This depiction was described by a studying student in the
core on November 28, 1999. The man entered the core around 4:45pm
and lingered near the aisle where Aardsma was killed 30 years
before. |
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