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

[Milyandel]

Randy Kraft and his unidentified victims have been mentioned in some threads of this forum. I have been reading and searching information about him for a while, and thought it would be useful to get it all under one thread title. I have only speculated on bits and pieces so far, and would be happy to have other opinions and get the discussion going.

The crime library article about Kraft is here http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kraft/1.html and an article about Kraft's scorecard, which I will refer to, is here http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-02/local/me-4891_1_kraft-case-randy.

To start with the unidentified victims already connected to Randy Kraft, there were five of them at the time of the 1988 article, but Airplane Hill John Doe of the scorecard was identified as Kevin Clark Bailey in 1995 (http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-04/local/me-38689_1_clark-bailey), which leaves us with four UIDs:

1. Wilmington John Doe, found in February 6, 1973. http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1155umca.html
2. Hawth off head John Doe, found in April 22, 1973. Crime library article mentions this UID, but I haven't been able to find his information elsewhere - not in Doenetwoek nor in NamUs. It's possible that he has been indentified, but I haven't found any confirmation of that either.
3. 76 John Doe, found in August 29, 1979. https://identifyus.org/cases/4400
4. Portland Eck(?, Elk according to Doenetwork) John Doe, found in July 18, 1980 in Oregon. http://doenetwork.org/cases/1281umor.html

Of missing persons who might have ended up as victims of Kraft, Johnnie Joe Herrera is a possibility which has been discussed in the 1970's missing section in Herrera's own thread. I was thinking that Roger C. Levell might have been one of Kraft's victims, more specifically the "Angel" on the scorecard, because according to Doenetwork, he had a tattoo Angel on right arm. However, Charley Project states that he went missing in 1978 instead of Doenetwork's 1971, and even that the tattoo on the right arm was a picture of an angel. Changed information doesn't perhaps completely disprove my "theory", but it does make it more uncertain - and at the moment I'm not even sure which site has the correct information. Here are the links:
Doenetwork: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111211
Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/levell_roger.html

I haven't gotten very far with connecting Kraft to other unidentified victims, but one hot case at Doenetwork seemed promising. The victim was found in February 14, 1973 My attention was caught by the fact that he apparently had been wearing only socks and boots, and that the shoelaces of the boots were missing. Randy Kraft collected souvenirs from his victims - belts, shoelaces, clothing etc.

The Doe Network:
Hot Case 1230

No Image Available
Unidentified Male


The victim was discovered on February 14, 1973 in Yolo County, California
Estimated Date of Death: June 1972
Decomposed, partial skeletal remains
Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 40-70 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'10"
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair.
Clothing: Black calf-high socks. Two black leather calf-high boots. No laces with 6 eyelets and 4 hooks and each side of boots.
Dentals/DNA: Not available.
Fingerprints: Not available
Case History
The victim was located in the Sacramento River, 1.5 miles South of County Road 138, West Sacramento, CA.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Yolo County Coroner Office
Laurel Weeks
530-668-5292
Email
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Case Number:
3214-22-1973

Source Information:
Yolo County Coroner Office

http://www.doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1230.html

So, that's all I've come up with so far. I apologize for subjecting you all to such a mammoth of a post with links and all :truce:! I hope you forgive me anyway - I preferred squeezing all my notes in one post instead of double or triple posting, since there are many aspects in this case and yet they are closely connected. I personally believe that the unsolved notations on Kraft's scorecard mean there are lots of unfortunate young men still out there somewhere, without anyone knowing about them or having enough information to connect the dots - and it's really sad!

 

[tatertot]

I think it ought to be checked out. Levell was seven years younger than the lower end of the UID's age range but his height is only an inch off and their hair color matches. Also, if this UID was a Kraft victim, he wasn't the only one dumped in the water, nicknamed after his tattoo or left without his shoe/boot laces.

On the other hand, if this UID was at the upper end (70) of the estimated age range, he'd be significantly older than Kraft's other victims but who knows, maybe he picked up an older man one night if he couldn't locate anyone younger.

Also, I wonder if "Portland Elk" (entry #4) was actually someone he picked up from or near an Elks club. If the entry on Kraft's list really was meant to be "Eck," then maybe it's an abbreviation for an establishment which may or may not be in business today.

 

[cutegirltoo]

While googling, I got a hit on this church group for 'ECK" eckankarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckankar
I know there are several outposts of these teaching here in Oregon, both in Portland and Eugene.
It might be a red herring, but that is the first thing that jumped into my head when I read ECK on the scorecard.

 

[Carolyn H.]

Here in PA, the word "eck" is the German word for corner. There are many placenames with the word eck in them--means it's a crossroads. Bowman's Eck means Bowman's corner and refers to the crossroads there. Eck is also a fairly common German last name.

I can't say if that's the use for this "eck" or not so this is strictly FYI and take it for what it's worth, which may be nothing.

Carolyn H.

 

[Milyandel]

Thanks for your responses, keep those ideas and thoughts coming !

I have been wading through male hot cases and "normal case" UIDs in Doenetwork. I've taken notes of about 30 cases from 1972 onwards, which in my opinion require a bit more looking into. All of them are California UIDs.

Anyway, I´ve gotten as far as March 1980, so there's still a couple of years to go through, not to mention the years after Kraft got arrested - there's always a possibility that some of his victims where found in more recent years.

Some of the cases I've taken notes of are only remote possibilities, but many of them don't have much information to start with, so it's really hard to make any connections or estimate pros and cons, so to speak. I was planning to make a proper worksheet of all the cases, probably in a table form (excel or similar), but my Office for Mac -package is still in the process of being shipped to my address, so I can't get my hands on that task quite yet . When I get that table done, I try to separate those cases that realistically seem worth following further.

As a sample from the UID cases so far, here's one:
The Doe Network:
Hot Case 161

No Image Available
Unidentified White Male


The victim was discovered on June 7, 1978 in San Mateo County, California
Decomposed remains
Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 21 - 27 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5' 11"; 160 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Moderate length, brown hair with short beard and mustache; Brown eyes.
Distinguishing Marks: Possible scar on the inner aspect of the right leg, just below knee.
Clothing: Denim, blue jeans.
Jewelry: Man's ring, white metal or gold plated with synthetic red stone (size 7 3/4).
Fingerprints: Available
Dentals: Available
Case History
The badly decomposed remains was located on the north side of Tunitas Creek Road, one-quarter mile east of Bolitas Creek Road, in the coastal area of unincorporated in San Mateo County, California on June 7, 1978. The remains were located approximately 30-40 feet down an embankment, lying near a creek. Initially, there were two bodies located at the scene; one being identified as Raymond Oscar Wilson. The remains bore no identification. This subject may have been a member of the gay community in San Francisco.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
San Mateo County Coroner's Office
650-312-5562


You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
75-2 / CASE #78-511

NCIC Number:

Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
San Mateo County Coroner's Office
http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase161.html

(most interesting parts bolded by me)

I couldn't get to any information about Raymond Oscar Wilson, the national person registries and databases in the US being unfamiliar to me, but I think some information about him must be "out there" - maybe in some newspaper archives? And the reference to the San Francisco gay community is of course a possible connection to Kraft, even if it is quite far from his "usual area". But he did travel, and left bodies behind him elsewhere too. Do you think it would be worthwhile to e-mail to the Coroner's Office and ask more information and/or notify them of Kraft's scorecard? There are two unsolved notations, "2 IN 1 MV TO PL" and "2 IN 1 HITCH" on the scorecard, which might point to double homicides.

 

[CarlK90245]

I've wondered if Larry Dean Williams might have been a Randy Kraft victim.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/williams_larry_dean.html

He was known to be a frequent hitchhiker. Kraft operated in the Long Beach/Orange County areas and many of his victims were hitchhikers.

 

[CarlK90245]

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.

 

[dsntslp]

Palo Loma...Place? (Not a city.)
Orange, CA 82869

 

[CarlK90245]

Palo Loma...Place? (Not a city.)
Orange, CA 82869

Looking at it on the map, it looks like a very small residential side-street.

 

[carbuff]

I notice that that list includes a whole bunch of entries that aren't matched to either a UID or a known murder. 14 incidents, 16 people.


2. ANGEL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (late 1971 through 1972)

4. HARI KARI--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

6. MARINE DOWN--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

7. VAN DRIVEWAY--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

8. 2 IN 1 MV TO PL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder(s).

12. LB MARINA--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

14. DIABETIC--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

16. PORTLAND--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

17. NAVY WHITE--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

18. USER--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

31. 2 IN 1 HITCH--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder(s).

41. CARPENTER--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

43. MC DUMP HB SHORT--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

47. OXNARD--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (last one bfore the portland bunch that started in July 1980)

55. MC PLANTS--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (right after the Michigan cousins so might be in Michigan also)

58. ENGLAND--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

59. OIL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

61. WHAT YOU GOT--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

 

[tatertot]

Could #4 "Hari Kari" be Kraft's misspelling of harakiri, a form of suicide (or in Kraft's interpretation, murder) by disembowelment?

**Warning: disturbing details at link**
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_kari

Note the last paragraph in the Wikipedia entry: "In 1970, famed author Yukio Mishima and one of his followers committed public seppuku..." (continued at link above; warning: disturbing details.) If this event was publicized in American newspapers, maybe it gave Kraft the idea to murder someone in the same fashion.

A very long shot, if only for the long white robe and Japanese sandals. No mention of harikiri, though: http://doenetwork.org/cases/1149umca.html

 

[CarlK90245]

Could #4 "Hari Kari" be Kraft's misspelling of harakiri, a form of suicide (or in Kraft's interpretation, murder) by disembowelment?

Or it might mean that the victim was Japanese, or of other Asian descent.

 

[carbuff]

Or it might mean that the victim was Japanese, or of other Asian descent.

Could also be some kind of twisted baseball reference, since baseball announcer Harry Caray had just left Oakland for Chicago in 1971 wikipedia article about Caray. I remember they used to make jokes about his name sometimes. So maybe somebody in a White Sox jersey, or something like that? If the remains were skeletal, a disembowelment might not show.

 

[CarlK90245]

This MP was just listed yesterday in NamUs, but there is no photo.

Paul Fuchs
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/9440/1

He is thought to be a possible victim of Randy Kraft.

 

[Ambercat]

Randy Kraft and his unidentified victims have been mentioned in some threads of this forum. I have been reading and searching information about him for a while, and thought it would be useful to get it all under one thread title. I have only speculated on bits and pieces so far, and would be happy to have other opinions and get the discussion going.

The crime library article about Kraft is here http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kraft/1.html and an article about Kraft's scorecard, which I will refer to, is here http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-02/local/me-4891_1_kraft-case-randy.

To start with the unidentified victims already connected to Randy Kraft, there were five of them at the time of the 1988 article, but Airplane Hill John Doe of the scorecard was identified as Kevin Clark Bailey in 1995 (http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-04/local/me-38689_1_clark-bailey), which leaves us with four UIDs:

1. Wilmington John Doe, found in February 6, 1973. http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1155umca.html
2. Hawth off head John Doe, found in April 22, 1973. Crime library article mentions this UID, but I haven't been able to find his information elsewhere - not in Doenetwoek nor in NamUs. It's possible that he has been indentified, but I haven't found any confirmation of that either.
3. 76 John Doe, found in August 29, 1979. https://identifyus.org/cases/4400
4. Portland Eck(?, Elk according to Doenetwork) John Doe, found in July 18, 1980 in Oregon. http://doenetwork.org/cases/1281umor.html

Of missing persons who might have ended up as victims of Kraft, Johnnie Joe Herrera is a possibility which has been discussed in the 1970's missing section in Herrera's own thread. I was thinking that Roger C. Levell might have been one of Kraft's victims, more specifically the "Angel" on the scorecard, because according to Doenetwork, he had a tattoo Angel on right arm. However, Charley Project states that he went missing in 1978 instead of Doenetwork's 1971, and even that the tattoo on the right arm was a picture of an angel. Changed information doesn't perhaps completely disprove my "theory", but it does make it more uncertain - and at the moment I'm not even sure which site has the correct information. Here are the links:
Doenetwork: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111211
Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/levell_roger.html

Hello Milyandel,

I don’t believe that “Hawth off head” John Doe was ever identified. I looked on both the Los Angeles and Orange County Coroner’s websites (his body was found in both counties) and neither of them have any information about him.

I had wondered if the “Angel” listing could be Angelo Nicola Gatti Jr. who went missing in Orange County in July 1974 (Doe Network Case File 517DMCA). http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/517dmca.html
http://dojapp.doj.ca.gov/missing/detail.asp?FCN=3739221300043

I had also wondered if a John Doe found on December 18, 1981 (Riverside County lists the date he was found as 12-18-1981, yet Doe Network lists the date as March 16, 1980) in Riverside County, CA could have been a victim of Randy Kraft. He was found in the roadway without shoes, jewelry, or identification. http://www.riversidesheriff.org/coroner/unidentified/1980-4518.asp
www.doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1283.html

Yolo County is about 5 hours or so from Long Beach, where Randy Kraft lived at the time, but I read in Angel of Darkness by Douglas McDougal that Mr. Kraft did go on vacation to Lake Tahoe (maybe multiple times) and by car it would have taken him through that area.

 

[Ambercat]

I think it ought to be checked out. Levell was seven years younger than the lower end of the UID's age range but his height is only an inch off and their hair color matches. Also, if this UID was a Kraft victim, he wasn't the only one dumped in the water, nicknamed after his tattoo or left without his shoe/boot laces.

On the other hand, if this UID was at the upper end (70) of the estimated age range, he'd be significantly older than Kraft's other victims but who knows, maybe he picked up an older man one night if he couldn't locate anyone younger.

Also, I wonder if "Portland Elk" (entry #4) was actually someone he picked up from or near an Elks club. If the entry on Kraft's list really was meant to be "Eck," then maybe it's an abbreviation for an establishment which may or may not be in business today.

I thought that ECK or ELK could have been the man’s initials; Edward Daniel Moore (one of his earlier victims who was found deceased on December 26, 1972) was referred to as EDM on Randy Kraft’s list.

 

[Ambercat]

I notice that that list includes a whole bunch of entries that aren't matched to either a UID or a known murder. 14 incidents, 16 people.


2. ANGEL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (late 1971 through 1972)

4. HARI KARI--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

6. MARINE DOWN--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

7. VAN DRIVEWAY--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

8. 2 IN 1 MV TO PL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder(s).

12. LB MARINA--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

14. DIABETIC--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

16. PORTLAND--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

17. NAVY WHITE--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

18. USER--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

31. 2 IN 1 HITCH--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder(s).

41. CARPENTER--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

43. MC DUMP HB SHORT--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

47. OXNARD--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (last one bfore the portland bunch that started in July 1980)

55. MC PLANTS--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder. (right after the Michigan cousins so might be in Michigan also)

58. ENGLAND--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

59. OIL--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

61. WHAT YOU GOT--Name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

I had thought that MC DUMP HB SHORT refereed to Donnie Crisel who was found on a 405 (north) onramp for Irvine Center Drive wearing only his shorts on June 19, 1979. The LA Times has an article about the list at http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-02/local/me-4891_1_kraft-case-randy which explains who they think the entries refer to.

 

[carbuff]

I had thought that MC DUMP HB SHORT refereed to Donnie Crisel who was found on a 405 (north) onramp for Irvine Center Drive wearing only his shorts on June 19, 1979. The LA Times has an article about the list at http://articles.latimes.com/1988-10-02/local/me-4891_1_kraft-case-randy which explains who they think the entries refer to.

Yes, that's the article I extracted this list from. MC DUMP HB SHORT is #43 on the LA Times list as a name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

They list Donnie Crisel as #40:

40. MARINE DRUNK OVERNIGHT SHORTS--Donnie Harold Crisel, 20, a Marine from the Tustin base, found June 19, 1979, on the Irvine Center Drive on-ramp to the northbound San Diego Freeway. He was clothed only in shorts. His left nipple had been burned with an automobile cigarette lighter. Cause of death was acute poisoning due to alcohol and drugs. (Part of 16 murder charges.)

 

[Ambercat]

Yes, that's the article I extracted this list from. MC DUMP HB SHORT is #43 on the LA Times list as a name unconnected to any unsolved murder.

They list Donnie Crisel as #40:

40. MARINE DRUNK OVERNIGHT SHORTS--Donnie Harold Crisel, 20, a Marine from the Tustin base, found June 19, 1979, on the Irvine Center Drive on-ramp to the northbound San Diego Freeway. He was clothed only in shorts. His left nipple had been burned with an automobile cigarette lighter. Cause of death was acute poisoning due to alcohol and drugs. (Part of 16 murder charges.)

Sorry. I guess I merged both of the "Shorts" listings in my head.

 

[carbuff]

Sorry. I guess I merged both of the "Shorts" listings in my head.

No problem, just wanted to straighten it out. It's shocking how many there are on the list, and how similar they are. Those poor guys, thinking they were in for a night of pleasure and getting...that...