Editor’s Note: This story is part of Beneath the Blue Ridge: The Virginia Olson Case, a special series from 828newsNOW revisiting the unsolved killing of Virginia Olson in Asheville. Through records, reporting and interviews, the series examines what happened and why the case remains unresolved. Read the full series here.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — It was a clear and promising spring Sunday in Asheville on April 15, 1973 — the kind of day that invites students outdoors with their books and a blanket. For 19-year-old Virginia “Ginger” Olson, a drama major at the University of North Carolina Asheville, it seemed like the perfect time to study among the budding trees of the Botanical Gardens at Asheville. Little did she know it would be her last — her last spring day, her last study session, her last everything.
A promising student, a peaceful afternoon — and a brutal crime
Olson, described by classmates as quiet and introspective, left her dorm, Craig Hall, about 1 p.m. that afternoon. The morning had been chilly, but by midday, the sun had warmed the air to the 50s. Wearing jeans, a green T-shirt and a red-and-blue flannel shirt, Olson carried her homework to a hilltop spot overlooking the gardens and UNCA campus.
She set out her books and glasses — a familiar ritual for the shy, studious teenager. But sometime between then and midafternoon, someone else climbed that hill…