12/23/2025
A "QUICK" FACT-CHECK:
Looks like we have some new people joining us over the past day and we would like to confirm some of the facts surrounding this case.
Regarding DNA testing: We are not entirely sure of what NPD is doing concerning DNA testing. Unfortunately, the Normal Police Department gave the murder weapon away to an ISU criminal justice professor to show in his class in the late 80s and early 90s. This is stated in the police files. Additionally, Ally Daskalopoulos and Nicole Roach were able to find the criminal justice professor and speak to him directly. He confirmed that he was given the weapon to show in his class, unknown to him that it was concerning the Rofstad case. He stated he gave the weapon back to police, and it has since been lost. We interview him on our podcast. We do hope that they stored Carol's clothing and personal items correctly over the years and may be able to utilize forensic genetic genealogy to hopefully identify the person(s) who did this.
Regarding suspects: Carol's friends, sorority sisters, and ex boyfriends were interviewed and nobody in her inner circle was deemed to be suspicious. In our podcast, we lay out three different suspects our team has who may have knowledge of this crime.
Suspect #1: ISU Student Association President.
This individual had been introduced to Carol at the Delta Zeta house and was humiliated by Carol when she claimed not to like "political people like him". Witnessed state that he was enraged by this incident, and would frequently ask those in student government about Carol and if she was dating anyone. After Carol's death, him and some acquaintances were driving on Fell street when someone mentioned how sad it was about Carol. He only replied, "She was a fu**in' bitch." He had a history of violence against women, including an incident in January 1976 in which he attempted to strangle an ISU coed outside of a bar. He was given 10 non consecutive days in jail for this crime. He served in Vietnam. He previously worked for the Walt Disney Company in tech during the early 2000s. He was a member of The Red Lion. His family owned many successful businesses in the Bloomington-Normal area. This man has a lengthy criminal record in Illinois, Texas, and California, including battery, telephone sexual harassment, and engaging in a prostitution ring. Before he passed away in September 2024, he repeatedly called our retired homicide detective George Seibel expressing his contempt with our team reporting on his possible involvement in this crime. He first denied of ever hearing of the crime, then he denied ever meeting Carol, then stated he knew Carol and actually saw her that night on Fell Street and that they bumped into each other and went separate ways. George forwarded this information to the police, and we are unsure what steps they took to try to speak with this suspect.
Suspect #2: Drug Dealer Nextdoor
There was a popular drug house/party house on Fell Street directly nextdoor to the Delta Zeta sorority house. This house was the go-to basically if you needed anything. A resident of the house's girlfriend came forward to police stating that the night of the murder her boyfriend came home covered in blood and very sweaty. She was dismissed by police due to her history with mental health issues. In the mid 2000s, this suspect stated that they would tell police everything he knows about this crime in exchange for immunity. This was denied by authorities and nothing ever came of it. He is our only living suspect.
Suspect #3: Town Troublemaker
This suspect was a known criminal in the Bloomington-Normal area. He was involved heavily in drugs and likely made stops to the drug house next door to the university. He had previously made suspicious statements to others about his possible involvement in this crime. He was also a member of the Red Lion, a local club which Suspect #1 was heavily involved in. Coincidentally, this man died in a one-person drunk driving incident on the anniversary of Carol's death in the early 2000s.
We hope this post may clarify some misconceptions and offer a more clear picture of the reinvestigation into Carol's case. Please listen to our podcast, "Carol's Last Christmas", for more in-depth information on this case and real interviews with those involved.
