In 1976, 20-year-old Bernice Stefanie Kuhlman left Canyon, Texas, and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, hoping to build a new life.
She found work at a travel agency and began establishing a social circle in her new city. But less than a year after her arrival, her life was suddenly cut short. Her murder remains an unsolved Tulsa cold case.
Bernice’s Final Night
On the evening of January 15, 1977, Bernice went out with friends.
During the night, she was reportedly seen at several locations around Tulsa, including the Holiday Inn at 110 N. Garnett, the Sage Door Club near 31st and Garnett, and Torchee’s Nashville Club.
At some point later that night, Bernice was seen in her automobile traveling west on East 31st Street near Mingo.
She was not driving.
Witnesses described the driver as an unidentified white man in his twenties with dark hair.
That was the last known sighting of Bernice alive.
Her Body Is Discovered
Bernice’s body was found later at Polecat Creek, beneath a bridge near 10300 S. 33rd W. Avenue.
Investigators determined that she had likely been dead for approximately eight to twelve hours.
She was found face down in the water and had suffered severe physical and sexual violence. A stocking was also found around her neck.
Authorities ruled her death a homicide and began working to determine who had been responsible.
One of the most important questions was the identity of the man last seen driving Bernice’s car.
He was never identified.
The Abandoned Car
Two days after Bernice’s body was discovered, investigators located her vehicle.
On January 17, 1977, the car was found in a parking lot at the Marina Apartments on South 96th Street.
The discovery raised additional questions.
Who had driven the vehicle there?
Had Bernice been taken to the location against her will?
And, most importantly, who was the man seen behind the wheel on the night she disappeared?
Despite the investigation, those questions have never been fully answered.
A Troubling Encounter Before Her Death
There was another detail that investigators had to consider.
According to information from the case, a witness reported hearing Bernice arguing with a man inside her apartment around midnight on January 14, 1977, shortly before her final night out.
The identity of that man remains unknown.
There was also an earlier incident that may have been significant. Bernice reportedly told a friend that a man had attempted to rape her in December 1976.
It is not known whether that incident was fully investigated or whether the man involved was ever identified.
Whether either of these incidents was connected to Bernice’s eventual murder remains unknown.
A Young Woman With Her Future Ahead of Her
Bernice was only 20 years old when she was killed, just weeks away from her 21st birthday.
She had moved to Tulsa less than a year earlier and had begun building a life for herself there. She had employment, friends, and plans for the future.
Instead, her family was left with unanswered questions and a case that would eventually become part of Tulsa’s cold-case files.
Her mother later helped establish the Rape Crisis Service Fund, with donations directed toward the organization in Bernice’s memory.
The effort ensured that Bernice’s name would continue to be associated not only with the crime committed against her, but also with support for other victims.
Decades Without an Answer
More than four decades have passed since Bernice Kuhlman’s murder.
The man who was reportedly seen driving her car remains unidentified, and the circumstances surrounding the final hours of her life have never been completely resolved.
Investigators continue to encourage anyone who may have information about Bernice, her movements in January 1977, the unidentified man, or the events surrounding her death to come forward.
Even information that may seem insignificant after so many years could potentially help investigators reconstruct what happened.
Bernice was preparing to enter her 21st year of life.
Instead, she became the victim of a crime that has remained unsolved for generations.
Her case remains open, and the search for answers continues.
Anyone with information about the murder of Bernice Kuhlman is asked to contact the Tulsa Cold Case Unit at 918-586-1357.
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.
Leave a Reply