Betsy Aardsma

Who was Betsy Aardsma?

Betsy Aardsma was a 22-year-old graduate English major from Holland, Michigan, who was murdered in the "Stacks" area of Pattee Library at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA in 1969.

Aardsma was in the library on November 28, 1969, doing research for a paper. At some point between 4:45 PM and 4:55 PM, she was stabbed a single time through the heart with a knife. She fell and a minute or so later one or two men exited the central region of the library, telling a desk clerk that "Somebody better help that girl" as they left. The man or men who spoke to the desk clerk have never been identified. Bystanders rendered first aid, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to Aardsma and a call was placed to the campus hospital, the Ritenour Health Center, at 5:01 PM. By 5:19 PM, an ambulance had transported Aardsma to the Health Center, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

After Aardsma was stabbed, the wound produced only a small amount of visible blood. Also, Aardsma was wearing a red dress at the time. As result of these two facts, the first responders thought that perhaps she had experienced a seizure or some other medical ailment. It was not until Aardsma was examined at the Health Center that anyone realized that she had been stabbed.