MOCO Man Named Suspect In Teen's 1970 Murder, Sexual Assault: Police

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A second suspect in the 1970 murder and sexual assault of an Anne Arundel County teen was identified Monday by authorities as Donald Willard, formerly from Montgomery County.

Police said Willard was involved in the killing of 16-year-old Pamela Lynn Conyers of Glen Burnie. Authorities in March 2023 had named Forrest Clyde Williams III as the first suspect, but they didn't rule out the possibility of an accomplice.

Both suspects are dead. Police said they would have charged both men if they were still alive.

Officers said they identified the suspects 53 years after the murder by matching DNA from the crime scene to the men. This technology wasn't available at the time of Conyers' slaying.

While the two suspects are deceased, police are still seeking information on the pair. Investigators don't know much about their relationship, the events leading to Conyers' murder or whether the suspects were involved in other crimes.

Authorities said Willard was a hunter and handyman originally from Pasadena. He moved to Montgomery County, where he died of natural causes at age 74 in 2010.

Willard worked at a contracting company based in White Marsh. That company at the time was building Route 100, which is where Conyers was found dead.

Police said Willard was charged with auto theft in Baltimore City in 1966 and robbery in the city in 1970.

"We recognize this announcement has been a long time coming, particularly for Pam's family and friends," Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said at a Monday press conference.

• Related: Cold Case's 1st Suspect Named 52 Years After Teen Killed In Anne Arundel

Teen Killed After Homecoming Bonfire

Conyers attended a homecoming bonfire on Friday, Oct. 16, 1970 at Glen Burnie High School, police said.

Officers said she then returned to her home in the 8000 block of Twin Ridge Drive.

Conyers left home around 8:15 p.m. to run an errand for her mother at Harundale Mall, authorities said.

Police said Conyers drove away in her family's gold-brown 1967 Dodge Monaco. That was her last known sighting. Her family filed a missing person's report the next morning.

Officers said they found Conyers' car on Monday, Oct. 19, 1970 in a wooded area near Mountain Road and Maryland Route 100, which was under construction at the time. Searchers found the teen's body the next day about 20 to 30 yards away in some pine trees.

An autopsy showed the cause of death was homicide by asphyxiation, which can include choking.

"While we do hope it provides a sense of closure to all who knew and loved her, we know that they still search for answers to what happened to Pam on that Friday, Oct. 16, 1970," Awad said. "That's why we're continuing to push forward with our investigation. We're still seeking to provide them with these answers."

How Detectives Identified Suspects

Officers said they found DNA implicating both suspects on cigarettes found in Conyers' car.

They also found Williams' fingerprints outside the car, authorities said.

Police said they sent the DNA for processing in a law enforcement database in 1996.

Those samples never got a match until officers said they used forensic genealogy.

Williams' fingerprints were identified in 2022 after improvements to the fingerprint database, authorities said.

Williams, who went by Clyde, died in 2018 at 69 years old. He lived in Anne Arundel County and Virginia. He attended Northeast High School in Pasadena and was described as a drifter, a hunter and a fisher.

Officers said Williams was charged with drunken and disorderly conduct in Florida, multiple assaults and a handgun incident.

What We Don't Know

Authorities said both suspects frequented the now-closed Mountain Bar on Mountain Road in Pasadena.

Officers don't know if the men knew each other before the killing. There's also no indication that they knew Conyers beforehand.

"We have missing pieces that we hope to locate these blank spaces for and fill things in," Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesperson Justin Mulcahy said.

Authorities also don't know if the suspects committed any other offenses, whether together or separately.

Police asked anybody who interacted with the suspects, even slightly, to share their experiences with detectives.

"Maybe you hunted or fished with them. Maybe you worked or drank a beer with them. If you did, call us," Mulcahy said.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department asked anybody with information to call (410) 222-4731. Tipsters can stay anonymous by dialing (410) 222-4700.

"Even though these individuals have since died, it's not too late to come forward with information," Mulcahy said. "There's no information that's too small. It's all significant to us."

Patch Editor Jacob Baumgart reported this story.