A scream from a college student, a small Arizona community unable to help, and a 30-year-old unsolved murder

Josiah Destin | The Republic | azcentral.com

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This week 30 years ago, hikers in the mountains outside of Prescott heard a woman's scream in the distance.

Those screams still echo throughout the community today.

Catherine Sposito, a Prescott College student, was killed hiking along the Thumb Butte trailhead west of Prescott on June 13, 1987.

Her killing remains unsolved, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, which is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

In a news release, the Sheriff's Office reported that the case remains an open and active investigation.

The day Sposito was killed, she rode her mountain bike to the Thumb Butte trailhead west of Prescott and began hiking the trail, officials said.

At some point during the hike, she was attacked and murdered.

Hikers in the area reported hearing screams for help, but could not immediately locate the woman or anyone else in time, officials said. By the time she was found in an area near the trail, the attacker had fled, the Sheriff's Office said.

Most recently, detectives have been searching for a small-caliber gun they believe was dumped shortly after the murder. Sheriff's officials said the gun is likely located in the 12-mile-wide area between Thumb Butte Trail, just west of Prescott, and to the east of Castle Canyon.

Detectives continue to track down leads and are working with DNA evidence based on technologies not previously available, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The agency hopes that someone will come forward with information that will lead to a break in the case, said Dwight D'Evelyn, a spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 928-771-3260 or Silent Witness at 800-932-3232.

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