Balch in a missing-persons photo from 1987. She used the alias “Susan Spencer,” which helped police make a connection with Rifkin’s claim that he killed someone named “Susie.”
A New Jersey cold case dating back to 1989 when a young woman’s severed head was found on a local golf course has been solved after police identified the homicide victim this month.
Heidi Balch, a 25-year-old from New York City, was working as a prostitute in March 1989 when she was murdered, her dismembered head found on a Hopewell golf course and her legs found in Jefferson Township. Her skull stayed in evidence as officers spent 24 years searching for Balch’s identity. The head tested positive for the AIDS virus, one of few leads the police had immediately after the discovery.
“It was a long investigation — it was a long, intense investigation,” former Hopewell Detective Bruce Carnall, who was the lead on the case from 1989 until his retirement in 2005, told the Times of Trenton. “This could have been easily put aside and forgotten.”
Though it is not confirmed, Balch’s homicide is believed to have been at the hands of Long Island serial killer Joel Rifkin, who told police 20 years ago Balch, whom he called “Susie,” was one of his 17 victims.
Heidi Balch, a 25-year-old from New York City, was working as a prostitute in March 1989 when she was murdered, her dismembered head found on a Hopewell golf course and her legs found in Jefferson Township. Her skull stayed in evidence as officers spent 24 years searching for Balch’s identity. The head tested positive for the AIDS virus, one of few leads the police had immediately after the discovery.
“It was a long investigation — it was a long, intense investigation,” former Hopewell Detective Bruce Carnall, who was the lead on the case from 1989 until his retirement in 2005, told the Times of Trenton. “This could have been easily put aside and forgotten.”
Though it is not confirmed, Balch’s homicide is believed to have been at the hands of Long Island serial killer Joel Rifkin, who told police 20 years ago Balch, whom he called “Susie,” was one of his 17 victims.
Joel Rifkin once said he began to hate women after contracting AIDS from a prostitute, which he said inspired his murders. Balch was working as a prostitute when she died, and DNA taken from her head confirmed she had AIDS.
“He obviously did it,” Carnall said. “There’s no doubt.”
Rifkin, 54, was sentenced to more than 200 years for his rampage and was known for dismembering and dumping his victims. In 1996, Rifkin claimed that his contracting AIDS from a prostitute sparked his hatred of women and his four-year killing spree. The claim was never confirmed.
New Jersey State Police eventually took over the cold case. Using Rifkin’s confession, they looked up New York City women with prostitution offenses around the time of Balch’s death, finding only one of 20, Susan Spencer, with the possible name “Susie.”
Lawyer Robert Sale and Joel Rifkin, who was sentenced to more than 200 years in his four-year killing spree. Rifkin told police 20 years ago he had killed Balch, although New Jersey authorities do not intend to charge him.
“We showed her the picture, and she said, ‘Oh, that’s Heidi. She uses (the name) Susan Spencer,’” New Jersey State Police Detective Steve Urbanski said. “I think I was sold with that.”
The aunt explained a friend thought she saw Balch in Brooklyn in 1995, but she herself had not seen her niece since 1988 or 1989.
To verify, police got DNA samples from Balch’s mother and father. The samples matched DNA taken from the head in 2004.
“It’s the fulfillment of my whole career,” Carnall said.
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