Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office display surveillance photos from 2004
Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office display surveillance photos from 2004  

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference September 4th to release new information and surveillance photos related to the ongoing investigation of the 2004 disappearance and murder of Yolanda Bindics.

Yolanda Bindics was reported missing on August 10, 2004, after she failed to return home from work. Two years later, her skeletal remains were discovered in Boutwell Hill State Park in Charlotte, New York.

Authorities ruled the 25-year-old’s death a homicide. Initially, the investigation focused on two suspects including Michael Watson, a former Jamestown Police Officer, but the Sheriff’s Office has now narrowed it down to one.

“We have found no credible evidence that Michael Watson, a former Jamestown police officer, was involved in Yolanda’s murder,” stated Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone. “The sole remaining person of interest is Clarence Carl Carte.”

The Sheriff’s Office also released surveillance photos showing Carte at the Kwik Fill gas station across from the Family Dollar store on Fluvanna Avenue in Jamestown, where Yolanda worked, the night she disappeared.

Police records indicate Carte was at Kwik Fill around the time Yolanda’s shift ended. Additionally, investigators shared photos of Carte’s suspected vehicle, a Dodge Durango and the vehicle Yolanda was driving that night.

Yolanda’s sister, Anne Chmielewski, expressed hope with the new information. “We are constantly fighting for justice for Yolanda, and with the new investigators on the team, we feel confident that we’re close to having this case solved.”

The case has deeply affected both Yolanda’s family and the community. Mary Williams-Diers, founder of Western New York Missing and Unidentified Persons, commented on the impact. “It puts our whole community on edge, locking our doors at night. Knowing that someone is still walking around freely is like having a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department is urging anyone with information about Clarence Carte or the vehicles shown in the surveillance photos to come forward.

They believe this could be a crucial turning point in the nearly 20-year-old investigation.

An anonymous hotline has been set up for tips at 716-703-5955.