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

[ClaireNC]

I found an article from Eugene Register-Guard dated May 19, 1983http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tA1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6915,4465913&dq=freeway+murder+hitchhiker+long-beach&hl=en stating that Randy Kraft was suspected of committing a murder in Florida. I hadn't been aware of this until now.

After rereading the trutv.com article on Randy Kraft, I noticed this:
"Randy Kraft was doing well enough as a freelance data-processing consultant in July 1979 that he was able to afford a house in Long Beach, sharing quarters with Jeff Seelig. They also traveled widely—to Mexico in August 1978, Lake Tahoe in May 1979, plus an extended East Coast tour from New York City to Key West. " BBM

So there could be East Coast victims from NY to Florida in 1979.

And in 1980 - 1982: "Kraft’s travels for LSI—to Oregon, the San Francisco Bay area, and Michigan. And wherever Kraft traveled, the murders continued. Michael Sean O’Fallon, a 17-year-old Colorado native, hoped to “see the world” after high school. He hitchhiked to British Columbia in June 1980 and made it back to Oregon before his luck ran out. His naked corpse was found along I-5, 10 miles from Salem, on July 17, 1980." "Michael Duane Cluck, 17, was the first known victim of 1981. Hitchhiking from Seattle to California in April, he made it into Oregon before he accepted a ride with a killer."

"in 1982. A third Oregon victim, 26-year-old Brian Whitcher, turned up along I-5 near Portland on Nov. 26, drugged with alcohol and Valium, killed by asphyxiation. Dec. 7, Kraft was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for an LSI computer conference. Cousins Dennis Alt and Chris Schoenborn vanished that night from the bar in Kraft’s hotel, their corpses found together in Plainfield Township two days later. Both were doped with alcohol and Valium, then strangled."

More at link: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kraft/7.html

 

[Ambercat]

After rereading the trutv.com article on Randy Kraft, I noticed this:
"Randy Kraft was doing well enough as a freelance data-processing consultant in July 1979 that he was able to afford a house in Long Beach, sharing quarters with Jeff Seelig. They also traveled widely—to Mexico in August 1978, Lake Tahoe in May 1979, plus an extended East Coast tour from New York City to Key West. " BBM

So there could be East Coast victims from NY to Florida in 1979.

And in 1980 - 1982: "Kraft’s travels for LSI—to Oregon, the San Francisco Bay area, and Michigan. And wherever Kraft traveled, the murders continued. Michael Sean O’Fallon, a 17-year-old Colorado native, hoped to “see the world” after high school. He hitchhiked to British Columbia in June 1980 and made it back to Oregon before his luck ran out. His naked corpse was found along I-5, 10 miles from Salem, on July 17, 1980." "Michael Duane Cluck, 17, was the first known victim of 1981. Hitchhiking from Seattle to California in April, he made it into Oregon before he accepted a ride with a killer."

"in 1982. A third Oregon victim, 26-year-old Brian Whitcher, turned up along I-5 near Portland on Nov. 26, drugged with alcohol and Valium, killed by asphyxiation. Dec. 7, Kraft was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for an LSI computer conference. Cousins Dennis Alt and Chris Schoenborn vanished that night from the bar in Kraft’s hotel, their corpses found together in Plainfield Township two days later. Both were doped with alcohol and Valium, then strangled."

More at link: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kraft/7.html

Thanks for including the information about Randy Kraft went to Lake Tahoe (May 1979). I am not sure if he would have been able to kill anyone if he was traveling with Jeff Seelig, but who knows -- he seems to have left a trail of dead bodies wherever he went.

This article was printed in 1983 stating that LE in Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado were investigating. It also talks a little about the John Doe who was later identified as Kevin Clark Bailey (Airplane Hill). I hadn't realized that Randy Kraft had taken photos of him/that the photos in his possession dated back to 1973. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=djgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ijIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5187,876459&dq=mikeal-laine&hl=en

 

[cstu]

I think the reason that he is believed to be a victim of Randy Kraft was because he was found nude, dumped very close the the 605 Freeway, and there were indications (from his tattoos) that he was a US Marine. I wrote to the Long Beach Press Telegram, LA Times, and Orange County Register asking if they could write an article about the young man, yet so far they have not acknowledged the e-mail or made mention that he had been identified on their websites. Maybe his family does not want it to be in the news?

As soon as I saw the sign for the complex at 7890 E. Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90815, I remembered the MC Lakes notation on Randy Kraft's list and really believe that it is referring to him and not Gregory Jolley. I guess he could be "Marine Down" or "Van Driveway"

I'm a relative and wanted to confirm that the victim is Buddy Stuart who was a member of the USMC at the time he was murdered. As far as I know, the FBI has not told anyone in the family which victim he was but I believe he was "Marine Down".

 

[Ambercat]

I'm a relative and wanted to confirm that the victim is Buddy Stuart who was a member of the USMC at the time he was murdered. As far as I know, the FBI has not told anyone in the family which victim he was but I believe he was "Marine Down".

Welcome to Websleuths, cstu. I am sorry to hear about your family member and that he remained unidentified for so many years.

 

[Ambercat]

Quite some time ago, I saw the postmortem photo of "Wilmington John Doe." Much later, after the photo was taken down, I saw a photo of Norman Lamar Prater, from Dallas, TX and thought that there was a strong resemblance between the two (the UID had more of a tan, though). I asked if the two had been compared and received a very fast response from Inv. Daniel Machian of the LA County Coroner's Office stating that --

I was contacted by Norman Prater’s mother in 2008 regarding this case. She was shown a facial photo of the decedent (1973-02574) and stated that the decedent was NOT her son, missing person Norman Prater.

 

[Ambercat]

I was actually looking for the webpage for a different UID when this unidentified young man got my attention and I wondered if he could possibly be "MC Plants" (because his hair is described as being "worn short" I thought this might be an indication that he was in the military and he was found by agricultural workers in a farming area, among I am assuming "plants"). Mikeal Laine, SD Dope, the next victim on the list, following MC Plants was found in Ramona, San Diego County on January 19, 1984 about eight months after Randy Kraft had been arrested.

http://www.riversidesheriff.org/coroner/unidentified/1983-2344.asp
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/7134

One problem with this is that he would have been deceased at least a month longer than the five month estimate on the Riverside County Coroner's website. I am not sure how likely this would be. It is my understanding that when Randy Kraft was arrested, LE found the passenger's seat of his Toyota Celica to be soaked in blood that did not match any of his known victims, so I think that there is at least one unfortunate victim that is not known who was murdered shortly before he was apprehended.

 

[Ambercat]

The Long Beach Press Telegram ran an article entitled "Police ID body of Marine, once thought AWOL, from 1974 East Long Beach murder" about Oral Alfred "Buddy" Stuart Jr. today.

http://www.presstelegram.com/rss/ci_20206753?source=rss

He was originally from Des Moines, Iowa and was 18 years old when he was found at The Lakes complex on Spring Street, near El Dorado Park and next to the San Gabriel (605) Freeway.

 

[Ambercat]

This is the Los Angeles Times article about Oral Alfred "Buddy" Stuart Jr.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-awol-marine-20120320,0,5180713.story

 

[CarlK90245]

Here's a newly added UID case in NamUs. I don't see it in DoeNet.

https://identifyus.org/cases/8841

Nov'74 - Late teens or 20-something white male left naked in a Long Beach apartment building carport. Heart Tattoo on Right Forearm, Skull w/"USMC" Tattoo on Left Forearm. Also has "Bud" and a cross tattooed on left arm.

Looks to me like a Randy Kraft victim.

ETA: Could be "Van Driveway", or "Marine Down".

This was the case that I was referring to earlier in this thread. The NamUs casefile is now closed.

 

[Ambercat]

The Daily Mail Online has an article about Oral Alfred Stuart Jr. that includes two photos that appeared on this thread.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117584/John-Doe-naked-murdered-1974-IDd-37-years-Marine-Oral-Stuart-Jr-labelled-deserter.html
I was really taken aback by the revelation --

'Most of the coroner's files and our files from that time are missing,' police Lt Lloyd Cox

There is also a video clip at the link.

 

[mysteriew]

Long Beach police investigating the cold case murder of a U.S. Marine identified 37 years after he was found dead say they are aware that serial killer Randy Kraft was active in the area at the time.

So far, however, police have cautioned that they have no direct evidence tying Kraft to the slaying of Oral Alfred Stuart Jr., 18.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...t-serial-killer-marine-long-beach-murder.html

 

[CALSAR]

It is clear that this young man was murdered by serial killer Randy Kraft, He was victim number 6 of at least 61 young men and boys murdered by Kraft who was arrested in 1983 with Terry Gambrel another young Marine found dead in the passenger seat of his Toyota Celica.

You can see Kraft's entry about this murder on his scorecard at this link. There is no question that this boy was murdered by Randy kraft.

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-...aft-case-randy

Kraft was convicted in 1989 of 16 murders of the 61 murders he is thought to have committed.

He sits on death row in San Quinton State Prison. The area were this young man was found was Kraft's killing field. He dumped dozens of body's in the area over the years. He both lived and worked in the area at the time this young man was found.

At about 9:15 PM on the night of Friday, February 11, 1983, three months before Kraft was arrested, he tried to lure me into his car at DOK West, a bar in Garden Grove. I declined his advances and later that night he murdered two other young men. Geoffrey Nelson and Rodger DeVaul Fell victim to kraft on that night.

You can see his "Scorecard" at this link.

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-...aft-case-randy

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,5180713.story

 

[CarlK90245]

Welcome to Websleuths, Calsar

:welcome:

your links don't work.

 

[Ambercat]

I came across this UID who was found nude in San Bernardino County on March 31, 1974 and I thought that it is possible that he could be a victim of Randy Kraft.
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2486
This is what NamUs says about the circumstances of his death --

"John Doe #02-74" was found decomposed on 03/31/1974 in a remote desert rock formation near Baker, CA. He is described as a White male adult, approximately 20-39 years of age, 5'5"-5'7", 140-150 lbs, with long Red/Brown hair and a Red/Brown beard and mustache.

He is not listed on the Doe Network. I would like to know the name of the rock formation to see if that (or some synonym) is on the list.

 

[CALSAR]

Ground Zero for killer Kraft was Long Beach. As far as I know the furthest his victims were found were San Bernardino mountains. Other than his out of state murders, he was not known to have ventured that far out of the area.

Not to say he didn't. In fact, he may have taken a trip to Las Vegas.

That he was found nude and considering the timeline, I would say further investigation is necessary, recommended and wise!

His trophy collection may provide some help as well as any credit card receipts.

 

[CALSAR]

 

[CALSAR]

Also, regarding the cryptic notations on the scorecard:

"2 IN 1 MV TO PL"

I'm thinking that MV stands for Mission Viejo, (i.e., a coastal Orange County city right in Kraft's area of operation).

There are no two-word California cities with the initials PL, but it could be something like Placentia, which is a city in Northern Orange County.

"2 IN 1 MV TO PL" = 2 kills in one night from Mission Viejo to Point Loma, Navy Submarine Base and boot camp closed down since then.

 

[Ambercat]

Ground Zero for killer Kraft was Long Beach. As far as I know the furthest his victims were found were San Bernardino mountains. Other than his out of state murders, he was not known to have ventured that far out of the area.

Not to say he didn't. In fact, he may have taken a trip to Las Vegas.

That he was found nude and considering the timeline, I would say further investigation is necessary, recommended and wise!

His trophy collection may provide some help as well as any credit card receipts.

I think Malcolm Eugene Little, who was found on June 2, 1974 in a remote desert area near Highway 86, west of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, was the known California victim found furthest away from Long Beach (about 170 miles). Mikeal Laine, who was found after Randy Kraft was arrested, was also found more than 100 miles away from Long Beach near Ramona.

Long Beach to Baker is about 190 miles. (I calculated all the distances using Yahoo Maps).

Its also possible that the unknown man found near Baker was a victim of Patrick Kearney. Although he dismembered many of his victims, others he dumped nude in desert locales.

 

[CALSAR]

I think Malcolm Eugene Little, who was found on June 2, 1974 in a remote desert area near Highway 86, west of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, was the known California victim found furthest away from Long Beach (about 170 miles). Mikeal Laine, who was found after Randy Kraft was arrested, was also found more than 100 miles away from Long Beach near Ramona.

Long Beach to Baker is about 190 miles. (I calculated all the distances using Yahoo Maps).

Its also possible that the unknown man found near Baker was a victim of Patrick Kearney. Although he dismembered many of his victims, others he dumped nude in desert locales.

You are 100 percent correct! I live in Palm Springs so when I think of the Salton Sea, I don't think of it being all that far, but you are right and I forgot about that one. He is suspected of having been out this way a few times.

This Kraft guy is someone I think of often as I posted above. 3 month's before his arrest he tried to lure me into his web. I declined his advances and that night he had his last "2 in 1" I am glad to see someone else has been keeping up with this creedent.

At about 9:15 PM on the night of Friday, February 11, 1983, three months before Kraft was arrested, he tried to lure me into his car at DOK West, a bar in Garden Grove. I declined his advances and later that night he murdered two other young men. Geoffrey Nelson and Rodger DeVaul fell victim to kraft on that night.

IMO

 

[Ambercat]

You are 100 percent correct! I live in Palm Springs so when I think of the Salton Sea, I don't think of it being all that far, but you are right and I forgot about that one. He is suspected of having been out this way a few times.

This Kraft guy is someone I think of often as I posted above. 3 month's before his arrest he tried to lure me into his web. I declined his advances and that night he had his last "2 in 1" I am glad to see someone else has been keeping up with this creedent.

At about 9:15 PM on the night of Friday, February 11, 1983, three months before Kraft was arrested, he tried to lure me into his car at DOK West, a bar in Garden Grove. I declined his advances and later that night he murdered two other young men. Geoffrey Nelson and Rodger DeVaul fell victim to kraft on that night.

IMO

It's really something else all of the people who this guy crossed paths with --when he lived at the 1727 1/2 Ocean Blvd address in the mid-1970s, he was neighbors with my parents (I think he moved before I was born). I remember my mom talking about his arrest with one of her friends (who also knew him from the beach neighborhood). Recently out of curiosity, I asked my mom if she thought that Jeff Graves had been his accomplice (since she was acquainted with both of them) and she said (in her opinion) that she didn't think so, that Jeff had seemed like to gentle of a person to do those things.

I'm not that familiar with Garden Grove except for the area that directly borders Seal Beach. I am trying to find the locations of the bars (as well as other places Randy Kraft frequented because I think that possibly this might help with understanding the list). I know where Ripples, Siver Fox, and the Sportsman are because they are still there and I read that the Buoy Shed and Broomhilda's were at 9th and PCH in Sunset Beach (this is where John Doe Hawth Off Head's leg was found). DOK West is a new one to me.