Overview

📍 November 6, 1973 — Fells last seen alive
Bus driver reports seeing April Fells dropped near her Springfield Gardens home around 10:50 P.M. returning from Manhattan.

📍 November 8, 1973 — Body discovered
Fells’s body is found in a vacant lot on 146th Drive in Springfield Gardens with multiple stab wounds; authorities believe she had been dead for about 48 hours.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Murder of April Fells: A Queens Cold Case That Still Haunts the Borough

SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, QUEENS — The brutal death of April Fells, a 19-year-old woman found murdered in the Springfield Gardens section of Queens in November 1973, remains one of New York City’s persistent cold case mysteries more than five decades later. The case, never solved by detectives, is emblematic of a cluster of unsolved female homicides in Queens in the early 1970s that have baffled investigators and frustrated families seeking justice.

Who Was April Fells?

April Fells was a 19-year-old resident of Springfield Gardens, Queens. Very little is publicly documented about her life prior to her death, but contemporary records indicate she was known locally and had traveled into Manhattan shortly before her disappearance.

The Discovery

On November 8, 1973, Fells’s body was discovered in an empty lot behind 178-27 146th Drive in Springfield Gardens. According to historical cold case records:

– She was found face down, partially undressed, wearing a red blouse.
– Her clothing and underwear were located nearby.
– Autopsy reports noted multiple stab wounds to her back and signs suggesting she had been sexually assaulted.

The medical examiner estimated that Fells had been deceased for approximately 48 hours before her body was found, placing the time of death on or around November 6, 1973. A bus driver confirmed she had been dropped off near her home the night before at around 10:50 P.M. on November 6.

Investigation and Suspects

Despite early efforts by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Fells’s murder was never solved. The investigation unfolded at a time when several violent murders of young women were occurring in the Springfield–Jamaica corridor of Queens, and some cold case experts and historical records suggest there could have been overlapping suspects or patterns among them.

At times, retroactive examinations of related cases — including other Queens homicides from the same era — have pointed toward possible links to notorious serial killers operating in New York and neighboring states. However, no official confession or indictment has been publicly attributed to Fells’s death.

Challenges and Legacy

The Fells case reflects the broader investigative challenges of the 1970s, when forensic technology was far less capable of identifying DNA or processing biological evidence than today. Many Queens cold cases from that era have suffered similar fates — fading from active investigation as leads dried up without closure for families.

Latest Investigation Status

As of 2026, April Fells’s murder remains officially unsolved. The NYPD and associated cold case units have not publicly announced any recent breakthroughs, arrests, or DNA matches linking a suspect to her death. There is no publicly reported designation of the case being closed, cleared by arrest, or resolved via confession. Historical cold case databases still list April Fells among the 1970s Queens unsolved homicide cases.

Current Cold Case Practices

Modern cold case units sometimes revisit decades-old murders with advanced forensic DNA testing, genealogy tools, and investigative review boards. While these methods have solved other cases nationwide, no confirmed new leads or public updates have emerged for Fells’s kill since the original investigation.

Timeline of the April Fells Murder Case

📍 November 6, 1973 — Fells last seen alive
Bus driver reports seeing April Fells dropped near her Springfield Gardens home around 10:50 P.M. returning from Manhattan.

📍 November 8, 1973 — Body discovered
Fells’s body is found in a vacant lot on 146th Drive in Springfield Gardens with multiple stab wounds; authorities believe she had been dead for about 48 hours.

📍 Late 1973–1974 — Early investigation
NYPD Homicide Bureau and Queens detectives conduct interviews, collect evidence, and seek witnesses. No suspect is publicly identified or charged.

📍 1974–1980s — Cold case status
With no firm leads, investigation activity declines; the case enters cold files but is monitored alongside other unsolved Queens murders from the period.

📍 1990s–2000s — Renewed forensic interest nationwide
Emergence of early DNA techniques; no publicly reported breakthroughs specific to Fells are documented.

📍 2020s — Public cold case databases update
Modern records still list the April Fells homicide among unsolved Queens cases; no recent arrests or resolutions attributed.

📍 2026 — Current status
Case remains unsolved and open in NYPD cold case records; no official public updates indicating a suspect identification.
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Facebook Post:

The Murder of April Fells (1973)

On November 8, 1973, 19 year old April Fells was found murdered in a vacant lot behind 178-27 146th Drive in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York. She lived nearby at 179-17 146th Drive and had been returning home from Manhattan on the night of November 6 after visiting her fiancé. According to police, her fiancé, Gerald Parish, last saw her around 8:15 p.m. when she entered the BMT subway at Union Square. She traveled to Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, then boarded a bus. The bus driver recalled dropping her off at the intersection of 146th Drive and New York Boulevard (Guy R. Brewer Boulevard) at approximately 10:50 p.m., just a few hundred yards from her home. She never made it to her front door.

Two days later, her body was discovered face down in an overgrown, weed-choked lot near her residence. She was wearing a red blouse but was nude from the waist down; her blue jeans and flowered underwear were found nearby. An autopsy determined that she had been strangled, stabbed three times in the back, and sexually assaulted. The Medical Examiner estimated she had been dead for approximately 48 hours before being found.

April, who was soon to be married, was remembered by neighbors as friendly but shy. Her death deeply shook the Springfield Gardens community, though some residents expressed ongoing crime and safety concerns in the area. The neighborhood, located near the Queens–Nassau County border and not far from Kennedy International Airport, contained several abandoned, overgrown lots that neighbors said were often avoided at night. Tragically, it was in one of those secluded lots that April’s life was taken.

If you have any further information, please contact the NYPD 116th Precinct at 718-610-4500.

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NYC Cold Case Notes:

April Fells, 19
1973 November 8, 178-27 146th Drive, Springfield Gardens, Queens, NY.

Found in empty lot behind 178-27 146th Drive, Springfield Gardens, Queens.

Face down, wearing a red blouse, nude from the waist down, and a pair of blue jeans and flowered underwear nearby. [SHOES?]

Three stab wounds through the back. Scratches on body. Raped.

Resided at 179-17 146th Drive. Was returning home on Tuesday, November 6 from Manhattan by subway after visiting boyfriend. Bus driver recalled dropping her off at the intersection of 146th Drive and New York Blvd (Guy R Brewer Blvd) at 10:50 P.M Tuesday night. ME estimate 48 hours dead prior to being found.

*POSSIBLE* NYPD SUBJECT

Victim resided in, murdered and found at the bottom end of the Springfield-Jamaica-axis corridor in Queens near the Queens-Nassau County border and  L.I. Sunrise Highway