Rhode Island cold cases from 1984 and 2007 solved

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Wednesday, October 29, that two of the state’s longest-running cold cases have finally been solved, bringing long-overdue closure to the families of Debra Stone and Cynthia McKenna.

“These women were denied justice for far too long,” Neronha said. “Today, we close the cases surrounding the deaths of Cynthia and Debra, and we hope their families can finally feel a sense of closure.”

The Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit, launched in 2023, re-examined the decades-old evidence to deliver long-awaited answers.

Debra Stone, 24, was found dead in the Narrow River in Narragansett on August 30, 1984. Investigators determined she was strangled at Geremia’s Johnston apartment where she was last seen. She was then placed inside a sleeping bag anchored by a cinderblock and put in the river with the help of an unidentified person. Geremia, who died in 1995, was confirmed as her killer after police used the unidentified person as an informant.

Narragansett Police Chief Kyle Rekas said the new investigation “delivered answers for all who loved Debra.”

Cynthia McKenna, 49, was found in her North Providence apartment on February 21, 2007. She was discovered tucked into bed with a sock in her mouth and tissues blocking her nostrils. Investigators focused on Robert J. Corry Jr., a man she had a relationship with who had a history of domestic violence charges filed against him. A confession letter intercepted by police in 2007 contained his DNA, but it couldn’t be matched until 2024, when new Y-STR DNA testing linked the evidence to his male relatives. Corry died in 2014.

North Providence Police Chief Alfredo Ruggiero praised the effort, saying new technology “finally found answers for Cynthia’s family.”

Neronha said both cases reflect the mission of the Cold Case Unit — to bring justice and closure to victims long after the crimes were committed.