CA - Unidentified & possible missing victims of Randy Kraft, 1971-1983

[FiveFelines]

I was thinking these remains were skeletal. There must have been a little flesh on the bones to see the vaccination scar, but it doesn't say how much of the flesh remained.

I would assume that perhaps the tats had decomposed except for the fact that the vax scar is in the same general location as one of his tats. I think the poster says the UID had been dead a week.

That said, I would be surprised if Kruska didn't meet a similar fate, especially as a hitchhiker.

 

[Ambercat]

According to a [Los Angeles] Daily News article from February 16, 2007, Detective Richard Kennerly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Cold Case section thinks that NamUs UP # 4358/Doe Network Case File 772UMCA might be Ronald Kruska.

Now, a sheriff's detective [Richard Kennerly] wants to use technology developed since the teen went missing to see whether his DNA matches any traces left on a jersey found years ago in Sierra Madre alongside human remains. The only problem is the jersey itself is now missing from evidence storage.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DNA+TEST+COULD+SOLVE+MISSING-TEEN+MYSTERY.-a0159974110

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4358
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/772umca.html

I wonder if there is anything more concrete than just the fact that it is an athletic jersey tying the remains to Ronald Kruska because there were more than a dozen young white male UIDs found in Southern California around that time period (after 10-10-1978, the day he disappeared, and the end of January 1981, the month the Sierra Madre skeleton in the jersey was found)? I would guess that they didn't locate the jersey because the DNA for NamUs UP # 4358 reads

No DNA information is currently available

 

[CarlK90245]

According to a [Los Angeles] Daily News article from February 16, 2007, Detective Richard Kennerly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Cold Case section thinks that NamUs UP # 4358/Doe Network Case File 772UMCA might be Ronald Kruska.


http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DNA+TEST+COULD+SOLVE+MISSING-TEEN+MYSTERY.-a0159974110

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4358
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/772umca.html

I wonder if there is anything more concrete than just the fact that it is an athletic jersey tying the remains to Ronald Kruska because there were more than a dozen young white male UIDs found in Southern California around that time period (after 10-10-1978, the day he disappeared, and the end of January 1981, the month the Sierra Madre skeleton in the jersey was found)? I would guess that they didn't locate the jersey because the DNA for NamUs UP # 4358 reads

There was a brief discussion of this possible match on this thread:

CA CA - Sierra Madre, WhtMale 772UMCA, 20-40, #44 Football Jersey, Jan'81

 

[Ambercat]

I know that the dates are a bit off (which has delayed me from suggesting this), but especially since the NCMEC released their composite for Wilmington John Doe, I think he looks like Richard Damasse Riquier who is believed to have left Montreal to join a religious cult in the USA or India.

https://secure.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/missing-disparus/case-dossier.jsf?case=2013000069&id=10

 

[carbuff]

Is the one on the left Carl's reconstruction of the UID? Or is it of the missing man?

 

[Ambercat]

Is the one on the left Carl's reconstruction of the UID? Or is it of the missing man?

He's Carl's reconstruction. The missing man is the one in the middle.

 

[carbuff]

He's Carl's reconstruction. The missing man is the one in the middle.

I'm looking at that drooping left eye and the bend on the nose, like it's been broken. Could be an illusion of the damage to the photo, I guess.

The date is a problem.

 

[Ambercat]

I'm looking at that drooping left eye and the bend on the nose, like it's been broken. Could be an illusion of the damage to the photo, I guess.

The date is a problem.

That's what really got my attention, too. Also, the eyebrows of both men appear to be the same shape. I tried to find another photo of Richard Riquier (especially one that wasn't damaged) but so far, I haven't been able to.

Yes, the date is a problem. I wonder if it is accurate or if it is possible he was missing before then? Back at the beginning of the year, I e-mailed Canada's Missing for confirmation of the date because Mr. Riquier's page had two different dates for when he was last known to have been alive (April 17, 1973 and November 7, 1981). They responded saying that the April 17, 1973 was correct. I wonder where the 1981 date came from and if he could have disappeared earlier in 1973 (currently his Canada Missing page lists April 4, 1973 and April 17, 1973 as the date he was LKA)?

 

[Ambercat]

I have been going through some newspapers from Newspaper Archives and http://presstelegram.laserfiche.com/WebLink8/Browse.aspx?startid=1&dbid=0/WebLink1. A while ago, I noticed that the "LB Marina" notation on Randy Kraft's list actually appears to read "LB Marina -- 1st St." This confused me because First Street in Long Beach does not have any marinas that I know of on it. While looking through old copies of the Long Beach Press Telegram, I saw advertisements for the Oakwood Apartments at 333 First Street in Seal Beach. I wonder if he picked up a hitchhiker trying to get home from going to the beach in front of the apartments (someone like Larry Williams?) or murdered someone who was a resident at the Oakwood Apartments in Seal Beach?



Anthony Pinelli, 19, of Garden Grove, CA was found deceased and nude in San Bernardino County near where Gregory Jolley, Vincent Cruz Mestas, and Christopher Williams bodies were found on May 2, 1977. His cause of death was never determined. He wasn't identified until October 1977. These are two very small articles that appeared in the Orange County Register on October 3, 1977 and October 5, 1977. I don't know that he was ever mentioned in the press again after that.


John Earl Dean Jr, 24, originally from Texas, was found dead on Santiago Canyon Road on July 27, 1980 (right after William Bonin was arrested). I found an OC Register article from September 7, 1983 stating that he was being looked at as a possible victim, yet I don't think he was mentioned again (to my knowledge).

 

[Ambercat]

Sorry about the multi post, but I am limited to 5 attachments and have one article left. Russell Goudy Jr, 14, has a thread in the unsolved cold cases http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?54068-CA-Russell-Goudy-Jr-14-murdered-hitchhiking-from-Huntington-Beach-July-1977 but I think that he was a victim of Randy Kraft's (possibly "Van Driveway" because he was wearing Vans brand shoes). I am going to repost the article from the Pasadena Star from August 3, 1977 here [I hope that is ok] --

 

[Ambercat]

Recently, I was thinking about the entry “2 in 1 MV to PL” and decided to take a look at the photo collection on the Long Beach Press Telegram archive website (http://presstelegram.laserfiche.com, the website is sort of temperamental – sometimes it works and other times it off line). I noticed a few places near where Randy Kraft was living at the time that could have been abbreviated as “PL.”

Pacific Landing http://presstelegram.laserfiche.com/WebLink8/0/doc/5667/Page1.aspx

Pico Street Landing http://presstelegram.laserfiche.com/WebLink8/0/doc/5694/Page1.aspx

Pierpoint Landing http://presstelegram.laserfiche.com/WebLink8/0/doc/5696/Page1.aspx

I’m not sure if any of them were actually still there when Randy Kraft was active, but it is possible that he dumped a victim (or victims) in the area where the landing used to be located (sort of like Airplane Hill had actually been filled in when he dumped Kevin Clark Bailey’s body there). The Long Beach coastline has changed a number of times over the years and, unfortunately, I don’t think that the LBPD has their cold cases posted anywhere; yet I do remember seeing several articles about bodies being found and/or unidentified people listed in NamUs who might have been found in that area. If I remember correctly, at the time, I either thought that they didn’t seem like his usual victim type or the cause of death wasn’t thought to be strangulation but now I feel the need to try to go back and check.

 

[bflocket]

I don't know if this guy (Former Hot Case 1438) has been mentioned, but he sounds like he could be one of Kraft's later victims.

DoeNetwork 2433UMCA

The victim's skeletal remains were located behind some bushes in a vacant lot along the northbound lanes of the 605 freeway in Santa Fe Springs.

 

[CarlK90245]

I don't know if this guy (Former Hot Case 1438) has been mentioned, but he sounds like he could be one of Kraft's later victims.

DoeNetwork 2433UMCA

... or perhaps one of William Bonin's victims.

 

[bflocket]

... or perhaps one of William Bonin's victims.

I thought the same thing, but I think he's too "fresh" for Bonin. He was arrested in 1980 and this victim sounds to be 1981-82 at the earliest.

 

[Ambercat]

Doe Network 2433UMCA is also listed in NamUs as NamUs UP # 4282 (https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4282) and the NCMEC as John Doe 1983 http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMU/1184161/1#poster.

When I saw the reconstruction of his clothing on the NCMEC website a few months ago, I thought of the “Teen Trucker” entry on Randy Kraft’s list which is thought to be in reference to Malcolm Eugene Little (who was 20 years old at the time of his death).

NamUs UP # 4282/2433UMCA was briefly in “The Region” in the April 15, 1983 Los Angeles Times. While NamUs and the Doe Network don’t disclose a cause of death for this UID, the Los Angeles Times says “He apparently died of stab wounds.” It sounds as though he was there for quite some time [due to the fact that they have dental information for the UID yet don't know what color hair he had?].

While most of Randy Kraft’s victims were strangled, one victim, Roland Young, cause of death was stab wounds in June 1978. This is the article that appeared in the Orange County Register on June 20, 1978 about Roland Gerald Young's murder.

Unfortunately, I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to look into the unidentified lately, but I have noticed that Los Angeles County has updated the case files for many UIDs from the early 1980s. There are a few unidentified young men who were found near freeways during this time period who were updated, yet there still isn't enough information to determine if they were victims of foul play. So far I haven't been able to find them cross referenced in the Doe Network --

NamUs UP # 4318 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4318 was found behind 5623 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, CA 90028 on December 28, 1981. The address currently is a Thai restaurant called Rodded and has been there for many years (over 25 years per Yelp); prior to being Rodded, it was called Lee’s Thai and Chinese Food (circa July 26, 1977); I’m not sure if it was anything else in between. The address is about two blocks from the Hollywood (101) Freeway. The victim is a slightly built (67”, 107 lbs) white male between the ages of 18 to 22 with brown hair and brown eyes.

NamUs UP # 4367 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4367 15 - 18 year old white male found on September 26, 1980 found at 2152 Ewing St, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (less than a block from the Ventura Freeway).

NamUs UP # 4294 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4294 25 - 35 year old white male found on October 16, 1982 found at 341 N Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (near the San Bernardino and Santa Ana Freeways, not far from where William Bonin's victim, Charles Miranda was found in 1980). I also noticed that this UID was found east of the the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles; I wondered if the "Hari Kari" victim on Randy Kraft's list was found in Little Tokyo?

 

[Ambercat]

NamUs UP # 4367 circumstances have been updated today to read --

On 09/26/1980 the decedent was found with a gunshot wound to his head. Transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/4367?page=circumstances

Due to the cause of death being a gunshot wound, I really don't think that he was one of Randy Kraft's victims.

 

[Davidbowiefan]

Hmmm... I got a few possibilities.
First is a 26 year old man named Randy David Horton. He was probably killed around 1/28/1983 in Scott Valley California. Last time people saw him he was hitchhiking. He was heading towards Washington. He was strangled to death, probably by the stranger who was giving him a ride. His body was found in a sleeping bag near the side of the road. His suitcase was found on the side of a highway.

Another one is a man who was killed near Reno Nevada.

On Sept. 18, 1978, the nude body of Robert Ridley, age 33, was found near a guard rail next to the Pyramid Lake highway north of Sparks, Nevada.

Ridley was American Indian.



There was another man that was killed near Reno around the same time.

On October 31, 1978, 29 year-old William Leone was found deceased in a drainage culvert at Clearacre and Whitfield streets in Reno, Nevada.

The victim had lived on nearby McCloud Street.

I looked it up on google maps, and Clearacre and Whitfield is very close to the freeway. So Perhaps the PL in “2 in 1 MV to PL” stands for Pryamid Lake and the "2 in 1" could refer to Robert Ridley and William Leone or perhaps Robert Ridley and some other person. Robert Ridley also looked pretty young in his mugshot too. He was a youthful looking 33 year old.

 

[bflocket]

3. 76 John Doe, found in August 29, 1979. https://identifyus.org/cases/4400

DoeNetwork Case File: 2475UMCA (found 8/29/1979 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California

His arms had been severed at the shoulders, legs severed at the hip joints, and the head severed. Only the head, left leg, and torso were recovered. A sock had been stuffed into a body cavity. He is believed to be a victim of Randy Kraft.

NamUs UP # 4400
(One of the least informative NamUs entries that I've seen, and there's a bunch with scant info)

Did Kraft dismember many/any of his victims?
I hadn't heard of that before. I know the "sock" part sounds like something he would do, though.

There were a few sick "gay" killers in the area around that time (or at least males killing and sexually abusing other males, whatever orientation they claimed).
But the only one I know of that dismembered their victims as such was Patrick Kearney, and he'd already been apprehended by the time this guy was killed.

 

[Ambercat]

DoeNetwork Case File: 2475UMCA (found 8/29/1979 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California


NamUs UP # 4400
(One of the least informative NamUs entries that I've seen, and there's a bunch with scant info)

Did Kraft dismember many/any of his victims?
I hadn't heard of that before. I know the "sock" part sounds like something he would do, though.

There were a few sick "gay" killers in the area around that time (or at least males killing and sexually abusing other males, whatever orientation they claimed).
But the only one I know of that dismembered their victims as such was Patrick Kearney, and he'd already been apprehended by the time this guy was killed.

I had to go back and look at my list of known/suspected/possible victims because I really thought that Randy Kraft dismembered more of his victims than he actually did. Other than NamUs #4400 and John Doe #52/Hawth Off Head, I could only find one known victim of Randy Kraft who had been dismembered – Gregory Wallace Jolley who was found in San Bernardino County on September 14, 1979. An article from the Los Angeles Times on September 21, 1979 describing the condition and disposal of Gregory Jolley’s body sounded similar to NamUs #4400 who was discovered about two weeks earlier --


There are also victims whose head and hands were removed such as Mark Alan Marsh and Keith Crotwell while many other victims were mutilated but not really dismembered.

Unfortunately, many of the Los Angeles County entries on NamUs have very little information. It is really frustrating, IMO.

 

[Ambercat]

The LA Daily Mirror has a sketch of John Doe #52 (Hawth Off Head) that also lists his vital statistics (white male, 17 - 20 years old, 64" to 65" tall, 130 - 135 lbs, brown hair, and brown eyes. He also appears to have very distinctly shaped ears and a mole near his right ear.) that was done back in 1973.


http://ladailymirror.com/2014/07/23/lapd-parker-center-cop-shop-files-john-doe-no-52-dr-73-478-242/

Even though he doesn't appear on NamUs or the Doe Network, I really don't believe that he was ever identified. He looks very familiar to me, like a missing person who I just can't pinpoint.