East TN students help to try and solve 40-year-old cold case

ELK VALLEY, Tenn. (WVLT) - It’s been more than 40 years since Tracy Sue Walker was killed after going missing when she was just 15.

Walker’s remains were found in a remote area of the Elk Valley area of Campbell County in 1985 but not identified until 2022.

While some answers have been uncovered in the investigation, there is one that remains: Who is responsible for the murder of Tracy Sue Walker?

It’s a question the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is tasked with finding an answer to, but they’re now utilizing some help from students in East Tennessee.

Alex Campbell and his sociology class at Elizabethton High School are having students help in getting the word out to others in East Tennessee that there is still an investigation happening.

“It kind of hits home for me because I have a sister who is 15,” said student Andrew Barnett.

In this class, students are coming up with creative ways to help get the word out. So far, they’ve custom-wrapped a car, made signs to put by roadways, and even had a plane show a sign as it flew over Campbell County.

“They should always be looking for ways they can help others; they shouldn’t say ‘that’s not my problem’ or ‘that’s not my responsibility’. Instead, they should be saying ‘How can I help people who need help?’,” said Campbell as to what he hopes his students learn.

Brandon Elkins with TBI said he hopes the continued push yields results even more than four decades later, while he said they’re relying on relationships changing, and perhaps convincing someone to come forward.

On top of this recent effort in finding Walker’s killer, TBI has also now offered a $10,000 reward for someone who has credible information on who killed Tracy Sue Walker.

Those with information are being asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.