Alberta Jones

Alberta Odell Jones, 34, Louisville and Jefferson County's first Black woman prosecutor and the attorney who negotiated a young Cassius Clay's (Muhammad Ali's) first professional boxing contract, was found in the Ohio River on August 5, 1965. Her car was found nearby with blood inside, and an autopsy found she had been beaten before entering the water. Witnesses reported seeing men on the Sherman Minton Bridge around the time of her death. The case was added to the DOJ's cold case review list in 2018 and remains open.

Louisville, KY · Jefferson County

• 1965: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• Victim identity, professional background, and the August 5, 1965 date, per the DOJ's public case file.
• Her death was ruled a homicide; witnesses reported seeing men on the bridge near where she was found.

• No one has been convicted in connection with her death.
• A 2008 fingerprint match reported by press was, per the local prosecutor, found insufficient to reopen the case.

• U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division case page
• The Washington Post — case retrospective
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs