Attorney General Neronha’s Cold Case Unit, local law enforcement resolve two homicides
Published on Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that the Office’s Cold Case Unit, in collaboration with the North Providence and Narragansett Police Departments, investigated and closed two decades-old homicide cold cases stemming from the deaths of 49-year-old Cynthia McKenna in 2007 and 24-year-old Debra Stone in 1984.
“Through the prosecution of criminal cases and accompanying critical victim support, the men and women of our Office work tirelessly every day to provide assistance, compassion, and justice for victims and their families when they need it most,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In 2023, when I sought funding to launch a Cold Case Unit, my mission was simple – deliver long-awaited answers for victims seemingly forgotten by time and for families who never gave up hope. Since then, through the incredible work of our Cold Case Unit and law enforcement collaborators, we have made significant progress in doing just that. Today, we close the cases surrounding the deaths of Cynthia and Debra, and by doing so, we hope their families can finally feel a sense of closure. Victims have been, and will always be, our priority, and we will continue to deliver results for Rhode Islanders – through the Cold Case Unit, and Office-wide.”
The Homicide of Debra Stone
On September 2, 1984, Narragansett Police Department responded to the Narrow River in Narragansett, where 24-year-old Debra Stone’s body was found by boaters. The state medical examiner determined that Debra’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. Multiple witnesses noted that Debra had visited Robert D. Geremia in Johnston the night of August 29, 1984 – the last time she was heard from.
During the initial investigation, investigators developed an informant who saw Debra in Geremia’s apartment on the night of August 29 and helped move Debra’s body from Geremia’s apartment to the Narrow River on August 30. The informant’s statement matched evidence from the scene and other witness testimony. Another witness said that she saw Geremia shortly after Debra’s death and recounted that Geremia said he “had to” kill Debra because she was stealing from him. Geremia gave a statement to investigators at the time claiming that Debra overdosed. However, the medical examiner ruled out death by overdose based on the damage inflicted to Debra’s neck.
After joining the case in 2023, the Cold Case Unit and Narragansett Police Department reviewed original records and interviewed 32 witnesses over 11 months. Despite the passage of time, all witness statements remained consistent.
The medical examiner’s conclusion that Debra died by strangulation, coupled with witness statements corroborated by evidence from the scene, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Geremia murdered Debra.
Geremia died in 1995 and therefore cannot be charged with Debra’s murder.
Read the full report here.
“For over four decades, Debra’s family remained without answers after her life was tragically cut short,” said Narragansett Police Chief Kyle Rekas. “Through re-examining evidence and re-interviewing witnesses, our collaboration with the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit has delivered answers for all who loved Debra. I commend our detectives and officers, as well as our partners in the Attorney General’s Office, for their tireless efforts in closing this case.”
The Homicide of Cynthia McKenna
On February 21, 2007, North Providence Police Department responded to Cynthia McKenna’s North Providence apartment, where they found Cynthia unresponsive in her bed. The state medical examiner determined that Cynthia’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to blocked airways. Witness statements highlighted a tumultuous relationship history between Cynthia and Robert J. Corry, Jr.
Throughout the investigation, witness statements provided insight into the hostile relationship between Cynthia and Corry, stemming from domestic violence charges Cynthia filed against Corry, as well as claims of money that Corry owed Cynthia. Using witness statements, investigators constructed a timeline of events around the time of Cynthia’s murder, which revealed significant gaps in Corry’s known whereabouts.
In late 2007, investigators intercepted two letters and one envelope which appeared to be written by Corry to a known associate in which the writer confessed that he murdered Cynthia. The Department of Health recovered a DNA profile from the envelope and entered that profile into State and National DNA databases consisting of incarcerated individuals. Corry’s profile has never been in those databases, and thus the profile could not be compared.
In 2024, the Cold Case Unit and the North Providence Police Department reopened the investigation, employing new forensic and investigative techniques. Using a Y-STR analysis, which compares male family members, investigators matched a DNA profile from a direct male relative of Corry to the DNA profile from the envelope, corroborating that Corry wrote the confession.
The Cold Case Unit's conclusion that Corry authored the confession letter, coupled with the gaps in determining his whereabouts and his admissions of guilt both in the letter and to witnesses, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Corry suffocated and killed Cynthia.
Corry died in 2014 and therefore cannot be charged with Cynthia’s murder.
Read the full report here.
“This case represents the best of our collaborative investigative efforts with the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit,” said North Providence Police Chief Alfredo Ruggiero Jr. “Using the latest forensic technology, our team has finally found answers for Cynthia’s family. I am thankful for the hard work of our detectives, as well as in the Attorney General’s Office, throughout the investigation.”
RIAG Cold Case Unit
Unsolved cold cases leave victims seeking justice and closure for years and, in many cases, decades. In 2023, Attorney General Neronha requested funding for a Cold Case Unit. Through the General Assembly, the Attorney General received funding for 15 new positions, including those which now staff the Cold Case Unit.
The Cold Case Unit is comprised of dedicated prosecutors, investigators, and staff, including a recently certified full-time forensic genealogist, who focus their attention on unsolved murders and support state and local police departments in their investigations, adding value in the pursuit of justice for victims and their loved ones. Since its inception, the Cold Case Unit has documented more than 150 cold cases, is actively working 21 cold case homicide investigations, and is currently awaiting forensic genealogy results in three cases.
“Family and friends of Cynthia McKenna would like to sincerely thank the collaborative efforts of the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit and the North Providence Police Department for providing us with long awaited answers,” said Jaclyn McKenna, daughter of Cynthia. “Her absence has always been magnified during the major milestones in my life, but it’s in the small day to day moments where all is quiet, that I miss her the most. The late-night phone calls, her always wanting just ‘one more’ hug, packing me a brown bag lunch with my name on it for a big meeting at work. This is the end of the criminal investigation, not the end of her memory.”
To read the full reports and learn more about the Office’s Cold Case Unit, please visit our website.
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