With dreams of seeing the world, Pamela Cahanes had her whole life ahead of her.

The 25-year-old graduated from the Orlando Navy Training Center back on August 3, 1984.  She was found murdered two days later.  Still to this day, her family wonders how, and why.

“So senseless for someone who had her whole life ahead of her, and she was a good person.  It’s hard to talk about and hard to think about,” said Eileen Bergmann, Cahanes’ older sister.

Her older sister talked to News 13 by phone from Minnesota, where Cahanes was from.

“So for my mom it’s something she thinks about all the time, every anniversary, every birthday, every Christmas, there’s always a prayer for Pam.  I know she’d like an answer.  She’s 94 now, and I don’t know how long she has left,” said Bergmann.

Pamela Cahanes’ body was found on what is now Riverview Avenue in Sanford.  But investigators believe she was killed somewhere else. Her body was then driven to Riverview Avenue and left in the front yard of a house.

Investigators say Cahanes was strangled and partially clothed, with bags near her body from shopping she had done at the Orlando Fashion Square Mall.  She was on leave from Navy training the weekend she was killed, and was seen with an unknown man throughout that weekend. At one point they were at the Mariner’s Club, a bar on the Navy Training Center’s campus, in the area now known as Baldwin Park.

“Even if someone didn’t observe anything, no matter how insignificant a detail they think it may be, it might help solve a homicide,” said Captain Dan Purcell with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

There’s a billboard posted in Sanford with Cahanes’ picture and basic information in the case.  Investigators hope it might get someone who knows something to come forward.

“We need some closure on it, so it might seem trivial to you, but it may be well worth while,” said Bergmann.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.  You are asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS if you have any information. 

A description of the cold case, including a detailed timeline of events, can be found on the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.