JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Chautauqua County Sheriff Unsolved Crimes Unit is renewing its call for help in bringing justice to the family of Yolanda Bindics, the Jamestown mother of four whose murder remains unsolved almost two decades after she disappeared.
“We feel we've made significant progress. We feel that the answers to this case are close at hand,” stated Tom Tarpley, investigator, Unsolved Crimes Unit.
The 25-year-old Bindics disappeared on August 10, 2004 while walking home from her job at the Family Dollar on Fluvanna Avenue in Jamestown. Her skeletal remains were found two years later, in September 2006, in a wooded area in the Town of Charlotte.
“We have developed a number of new leads. A lot of new information has been garnered and we are making significant progress in the case,” Tarpley explained
Investigator Tarpley tells me it would be doubtful anyone would have known about that spot in the wooded area where her body was found if they had been there before.
“Some of the key answers to this case lie in those woods and have to leave it at that I think once this case is resolved we will see those woods are going to tell the story of what happened with this case,” replied Tarpley.
In the years since her family has never given up in their efforts to find her killer. Bindics' mother Patricia died in 2018, without seeing the person who murdered her daughter brought to justice.
"New leads have been generated and new forensic technology is being utilized to analyze evidence which was not possible in the past," the unit said in a news release Thursday. "Witnesses were re-interviewed providing new information. New databases not previously available have generated new data on suspects."
“I don't know how close we are but I feel like there's definitely some hope. A lot more hope now than say five years ago — ten years ago,” reflected Anne Chmielewski, Bindics’ sister.
Chmielewski she's she is now optimistic this new unit will finally bring justice to her family and to Yolanda.
“I really felt we had a whole new team on our side,” declared Chmielewski.
The Unsolved Crimes Unit has re-interviewed witnesses and is asking anyone with potential information to come forward.
“We’ve gone back and done those interviews and certainly with the passage of time. and relationships change — we have found new information from those interviews that were not necessarily brought up back when the case originated,” Tarpley noted. “We believe there are still people out there that have information. We are asking them to come forward and close a few things for us and hopefully in the very near future bring this case to a resolution.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Unsolved Crimes Unit by emailing unsolvedchautauqua@sheriff.us or by calling Investigator Tom Tarpley at (716) 753-4578 or Tom Di Zinno at (716) 753-4579.
“Any tiny little piece of information could be what we need,” reflected Chmielewski.
“It’s time for resolution,” remarked Tarpley.
"Close the door on Yolanda's murder now," the unit said.
