Crime & Safety
Cold Case Detectives Seek Tips in 1967 Murder of Poway Girl
Nikki Benedict cut through a field on her way home from a friend's house. She was found dying in the dirt, stabbed in the neck and chest.
Nikki Benedict is buried not far from where she was found mortally wounded more than 45 years ago in a field off Poway Road. The words on her headstone at Dearborn Memorial Park evoke the innocence of a 14-year-old "kicking stones and feeling groovy." She was killed May 1, 1967, after being stabbed in the neck and chest, and left to die on a dirt roadway.
Sheriff's homicide detectives say Nikki was walking from a friend's house on Halper Road to her own home on Olive Tree Lane in the early evening hours when she was attacked. An 11-year-old boy found her critically wounded about 6:30 p.m., on a trail in the 12700 block of Poway Road. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Palomar Hospital.
Marking the 45th anniversary of the murder, a Pomerado News report notes "there was no sexual assault, but the stab wounds were likely from a short knife, causing the fatal injury." Deputies went door-to-door asking residents if they recognized the knife.
Despite an extensive investigation, no motive was determined and no suspects were identified. The case remains unsolved.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact authorities:
- Sheriff’s Homicide Detai at 858-974-2321 (during business hours)
- Sheriff’s Communications Center at 858-565-5200 (outside business hours)
- Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477
- You can also submit tips using an Online Tip Form (Crime Stoppers)
Scores of cases throughout San Diego County go unsolved by local law enforcement investigators each year. A teen thought to be a runaway has still not come home. A dangerous parolee goes missing. A parent in a custody dispute kidnaps the children. A family member who is homeless and mentally ill disappears off the street. A loved one is murdered and there are few clues or no suspect.
No matter what the circumstances, police and relatives continue to search for those who are missing and wanted. They want the son, sister, or husband home. They want justice for the victims of crimes. They want the bad guys behind bars.
Each day in October, our Patch sites will feature a different person who is missing and wanted in San Diego County. Look at their pictures. Have you seen them? Do you have information that might help them be located, or identify a suspect?
Find out what's happening in Powaywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Each profile will have a phone number for you to call to provide information. Let’s help investigators close these cases!
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