34 years later, detective closes haunting cold case

Crime 34 years later, detective closes haunting cold case By Andy Gall Updated on: December 31, 2016 / 6:08 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Andy Gall was a first responder in 1979 to the scene where 23-year-old Catherine Janet Walsh was found murdered in Beaver County, Pa. Now a detective in the same county, Gall was an integral part of closing the case 34 years later. Gall was featured in the "48 Hours" investigation into Walsh's murder, "Janet's Secret." Here, he reflects on the haunting cold case.BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. --In 1979, at age 25, I was a very young patrolman with the Monaca Police Department in Beaver County, Pa. I had a little education, a fair amount of self-confidence and a lot of ambition, and I hoped to someday become a detective and investigate serious crimes. On Labor Day of that year, I responded to my first "whodunit" homicide as the first officer at the scene. Janet Walsh Francesco Caltieri When I got that fateful radio call, I felt I was fully prepared and thought I had a plan to handle anything. I walked in the door and met the victim's father and then saw the victim, 23-year-old Catherine Janet (Caltury) Walsh, lying face down in bed.Her hands were bound behind her back and she had been strangled with a bandana. When I looked back to her father and saw the look on his face, my plan fell apart immediately. I had not prepared myself to deal with the grief of a man who had just found his only daughter murdered.Little did I know that I had just started on a case that would last longer than the careers of most police officers.The investigation went well at first, just like I had hoped. I was teamed with a young Pennsylvania State Police criminal investigator named Rich Matas who was also working his first homicide. The case quickly brought to light five good solid suspects and we worked hard on all of them. That was the good part at first - the bad part was explaining to Peter J. Caltury and his wife Mary Jane how the case was going and th...