The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit is part of the Detective Division. The Unit is currently working on four cold cases.  The cases include three homicides and one suspicious death investigation.  Detectives are seeking any and all information on these cases to help bring them to a successful conclusion.  

Anyone with information on any of these cases is asked to contact the Cold Case Investigators Joey Magiera or Kevin McMillen at 716-938-9191, extension 2205 or 2227.

Traci Lynn Douglass

Traci Douglass' date of birth is March 14, 1967, she was living in the city of Salamanca at the time of incident.  Traci was living near her daughter and Aunt who also lived in the Salamanca area.  On September 9, 2009 the skeletal remains of Traci's body was found by a fisherman along the west shoreline of the Allegany Reservoir in the town of South Valley, NY.  It took nearly two years of intense investigation to positively identify Traci's remains through STR DNA profile.  Investigators believe the last time Traci was alive was in late January/early February 2007.  She had never been reported missing.  Investigators continue to work and follow leads that come into the Sheriff's Office. 

Karen A. Damon

Karen Damon's date of birth is June 30, 1956, she was from Salamanca, New York.  Karen was reported missing from her home on April 13, 1980. Her 4 year old daughter was found in the apartment alone by members of the Salamanca Police Department who were alerted to the situation by a neighbor.  Karen Damon was not seen again until her body was discovered in a shallow grave on April 15, 1989, nine years later.  Karen's remains were only 12 miles from her home.  The cause of death was ruled as a homicide. 

Deanna Sue Willener

Ms. Willener, date of birth October 22, 1959, resided at 485 Center Rd., Akron, Ohio. Ms. Willener's badly decomposed body was discovered on August 17, 1989 along the Allegany River in the Town of Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York. Investigation revealed that she was last believed alive in Akron, Ohio on July 31, 1989 when she picked up a prescription refill for thyroid medication at a local pharmacy in Akron. The cause of her death was attributed to gunshot wounds to the head. She was approximately 5'5" tall, weighed 120 pounds, had blonde/brown hair and blue eyes. Her body supported two tattoos that were professionally done and ten non-professional tattoos that are believed to have been done with India ink on various parts of her body. She was described by a family member as a person who had been abusing alcohol and marijuana since an early age. She is also believed to have used a variety of other drugs, making alcohol her drug of choice. She is also known to have traveled cross country with truckers frequently, but always returning to her home in Akron, Ohio. Ms. Willener is also known to have kept company with numerous male companions immediately prior to her disappearance.

Kenneth Lawrence Tatar

Mr. Tatar, date of birth August 16, 1969, resided at 10363 Route 219 in the Town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County, New York. On July 18, 1997 at 10:22p.m., Andrew Tatar, Sr. and his wife Shirley returned to their home after an evening out and discovered the body of their son deceased and sitting in a chair in their living room. He was last seen alive at 5:30p.m. on that date. Cause of death is listed as multiple shotgun wounds. There was no evidence of any forced entry, no property missing or stolen, and no sign of any criminal conduct other than the homicide. 

Investigators continue to follow leads as they come into the Sheriff's Office.