Identified! MA - Provincetown, Race Point, 'Lady in the Dunes' WhtFem 27-49, UP11840, Jul'74 - Ruth Marie Terry

[wary]

It came up in another thread that divorce used to be you put a notice in the paper and if the other party didn't respond, it was granted... I don't know if it's different in different states, but here's the thread.

OK - OK- Stephen Lee Murphy, LKA sometime in 1976, not reported missing until July 2022.

He wouldn't have had to worry about Ruth responding, because he knew she was deceased. Easy peasy.

Or, he could have just married and not cared because he knew if anyone questioned it, they wouldn't be able to produce Ruth, living, to charge him with bigamy.

That feels like one of those issues that has 50 different answers, one for each state, but very good thoughts about the situation.

 

[iamshadow21]

That feels like one of those issues that has 50 different answers, one for each state, but very good thoughts about the situation.

Well, we know he was granted his divorce from Manzanita after he alleged desertion, and that got the police curious. Perhaps, if he didn't seek divorce, it was because he didn't want the heat on him again. Bigamy, pre-digital era, must have been easier to get away with, especially if the earlier spouse is actually dead.

 

[Molly's Mom]

Well, we know he was granted his divorce from Manzanita after he alleged desertion, and that got the police curious. Perhaps, if he didn't seek divorce, it was because he didn't want the heat on him again. Bigamy, pre-digital era, must have been easier to get away with, especially if the earlier spouse is actually dead.

Personal family knowledge: If there had been an estate and children involved, bigamy would have been a problem. I'm assuming jerk-face husband never had any kids? Definitely made his getaways easy-peasy.

 

[iamshadow21]

Personal family knowledge: If there had been an estate and children involved, bigamy would have been a problem. I'm assuming jerk-face husband never had any kids? Definitely made his getaways easy-peasy.

I've seen no evidence he had children of his own. Manzanita had a teenage daughter, who he (allegedly) murdered when he murdered her mother. No biological relation.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Personal family knowledge: If there had been an estate and children involved, bigamy would have been a problem. I'm assuming jerk-face husband never had any kids? Definitely made his getaways easy-peasy.

He had a daughter with his first wife, who would've been born around 1946-1947--she was nine at the time of their divorce in 1956. A daughter is mentioned in that wife's obituary.

 

[weepingangel]

He Finally Found His Mom. She Was the Long-Unknown Murder Victim Lady of the Dunes

A son finally found his biological mother only to learn she was murdered decades ago, her body identified only as the Lady of the Dunes for many years: “At first I thought she was alive.” Richard Hanchett has learned more in the past month about his biological mother, Ruth Marie Terry, than he...

www.necn.com

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

Some new updates:

June 5, 1919 Per findagrave, Muldavin's 3rd/4th wife, Evelyn, was born Eveline Marie Emerson in Paris. Her father, Theodore Emerson, was married to someone else (Maud--who was involved in a famous court case in 1920, unsuccessfully contesting her wealthy adopted father's will, which left her $10, and her young stepmother/former housekeeper an estate of ~$100k--Maud admitted to being "rather wild" earlier in her life) at the time of Evelyn's birth, while her mother was Louise Strainchamps. The article confusingly says that Theodore married Marie Strainchamps as his third wife in 1921, then divorced in 1922--unclear to me if Louise and Marie are the same person.

October 26 or 27, 1923 Santa Fe, NM, birth, according to Muldavin's obituary in 2002. Per his brother Michael, Muldavin was born in Brooklyn. He was adopted by the Muldavins.

1925-1930s A number of passenger lists show that when Guy was young, he travelled with his family to Havana, Cuba, Hamburg, Germany, Genoa, Italy, and Le Havre, France from 1925 through the early 1930s. (Guy Muldavin)

1920s-1930s Per Daily News, Muldavin stated at his later trial that he resented being "a Jew and a foster child" and "squeaked through high school," before enrolling for a few months at Alfred University (in Alfred, NY). He was ineligible for military service due to a ruptured ear drum and a "bad leg." When he allegedly enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he took on a new persona, based on the success of his "foster brother," Michael Muldavin, an intelligence officer and Harvard Law grad--in this new persona, he claimed to have been a 2nd lieutenant in WWII, with degrees from the University of California and the University of British Columbia, and part-ownership of a hotel in Havana.

September 8, 1936 Ruth Marie Terry is born in Tennessee. (FBI)' in "Whitwell . . . the small mining town where Ruth Terry was born in a mountainside shack. Her father, Johnny, worked as a coal miner and her mom Eva died at the age of 23." (records indicate Eva was actually 24) "Johnny Ray Terry had the nickname 'Johnny Red' because of his red hair."--this is probably where Ruth got her red/auburn hair. She had an older sister and an older brother at that time. Her stepmother is widowed this year, as well. Her stepsister and sister confusingly have the same, somewhat uncommon first name--both are probably named after their similarly named fathers. Her sister appears to have gone by her middle name, though.

September 26, 1937 Ruth's mother Eva passes away related to epilepsy and is buried in Whitwell, TN.

Late 1930s Per Muldavin's brother Michael, around this time period, Muldavin changed his name from Rockwell Guy Muldavin to Raoul Guy Rockwell.

1940 Census records show Ruth living in Marion County, TN, with her widowed father, two older siblings, her widowed uncle, this uncle's child/Ruth's cousin, and her paternal grandparents--I had wondered how a coal miner with three extremely young children would cope; this appears to be how. "Ken [Ruth's younger half-brother] said Ruth was mostly raised by her grandparents until her marriage as a young teenager."

April 12, 1941 Muldavin's second wife, Manzanita, marries her first husband, William Mearns.

1940s Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they met while he was a professor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

May 9, 1946 Allegheny, PA, marriage to Joellen (Jo Ellen) Loop

~1946-1947 Per an article in the Honululu Advertiser in January 1962, approximately 15 years prior, Muldavin opened a "nocturnal antique shop," which was open from 6pm to midnight. This doesn't totally work for me in light of other info, I think more likely this would have been in the early 1950s.

Late 1947/Early 1948-1950 Per an article from 1960 in the Bellingham Herald, Muldavin lived in Fortuna in Humboldt County in northern CA with his in-laws, the Loops. Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they lived in a "tree stump along a river," and Muldavin (named as Guy Raoul Rockwell) "sang at KIEM radio station Monday to Friday at five pm."

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s."

1949-1950 Ruth Marie Terry (per her half-brother) marries Billy Ray Smith for the first time, at the age of 13. They later split up and remarry.

June 18, 1950 The body of Henry Baird, 22, was found near Fortuna, CA. He had been shot in the back of the head with a .32 caliber gun (one of which was missing from Baird's car) and was naked except for his socks/shoes, with his clothes folded nearby. He had last been seen with Barbara Kelley, 17, who was a waitress in Fortuna. Her clothes were folded under his, but she was never found. Barbara worked at one of the two restaurants in Fortuna; Muldavin was a short-order cook at the other, which was owned by his then-FIL. When he was arrested in 1960 on the larceny charge, the Humboldt County Sheriff wanted to speak with Muldavin regarding the Baird murder/Kelley disappearance. It doesn't seem super consistent with his known MOs, though. Gail Patrick Irish confessed to their murders in 1963 but appeared to have mental health issues. Authorities said they would consider Irish's confession a hoax unless he was able to lead them to Barbara. He did lead them on at least one unsuccessful search, but I can't find that he was ever able take them to her body or be convicted. There was speculation at the time of the original murder that it was a murder-suicide, with Barbara's body being pulled out to sea, where she theoretically drowned herself after shooting Baird, as well as if she had fled.

Early 1950s? Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, "they moved to the northwest, and he worked at the Seattle Bon Marche furniture department."

"By age 20, [Ruth Terry] left the coal mining town in the mountains of Tennessee where she was born, grew up and married."

1955-1956/Late 1950s "In the late 1950s, around the age of 19 [DOB 9/8/36], Ruth left Whitwell to work at the Fisher Body automotive plant in Livonia, Michigan. During that time she gave birth to Hanchett, who was raised by Ruth’s friends who could provide him a stable life." "She was a free spirit. She was looking for something more than just a country life I guess you’d say," Ruth's brother Ken added." "“She wanted to explore. She wanted more than what she thought her life was in Tennessee,” Novonglosky said." She later moves to CA, unknown when.

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s." Personally searching these records (just search Muldavin) also reveals that his brother M owned property in Provincetown. M completed a bachelors degree (1949) and a law degree (1952) at Harvard in this time period as well.

October 18, 1955 An article in the Corvallis, OR Gazette-Times about the fifth annual antique show and sale in Corvallis lists Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell" from Seattle) as an exhibitor.

1956 Muldavin's brother Michael stated in an AP article in 1960 that he had last seen Muldavin four years prior.

Early 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in Jan 1962, William and Mazanita Ryan Mearns come into Muldavin's antique shop, and Muldavin and "Manzie" hit it off immediately. She is described, like Terry, as “a vivacious redhead,” in Ann Rule's book, Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder.

Mid 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Muldavin told Joellen to "clear out of the shop, he was through with her," "without warning and in the presence of customers."

July 16, 1956 Joellen obtains a divorce and custody of their nine year old daughter.

September 23, 1956 An ad for an antique show at the Coliseum in the Spokane Spokesman Review features Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell") as an exhibitor.

October 21, 1956 Ruth Marie Terry marries Billy Ray Smith in Marion, TN.

Late 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Manzanita and her oldest daughter Dolores move into Muldavin's Seattle home, allegedly married after both obtaining divorces--this is inconsistent with records showing Mearns and Muldavin married in 1958.

1957 "In Michigan, sometime around 1957, [Ruth Terry] took a job in car manufacturing." This was at Fisher Body in Livonia.

1958 "Terry gives birth to her son in Livonia, MI, and he is given up for adoption to friends/coworkers. Her ex-husband, "Billy Ray Smith is known not to have been Hanchett’s father." "The Hanchetts rented a house for Ruth Marie Terry across the street from the plant during the last 2½ months of her pregnancy. They got to know her well then, Richard Hanchett said. On the day of the delivery, Thelma Hanchett, who had red hair and blue eyes like Terry, gave her driver's license to Ruth Marie to use as ID when she was admitted to the maternity ward and then the three of them went to the hospital."

September 30, 1958 Kootenai, ID, marriage to Manzanita Mearns--why there? There is both a Kootenai town and a Kootenai County, both in northwest Idaho--Couer d'Alene is in Kootenai County. The population of Kootenai in 1960 was 180. I know my grandparents crossed state lines to marry in the 1940s because there wasn't a waiting period in the adjacent state.

Early 1959 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Evelyn Emerson and her stepmother and her husband Clifford and Germaine Emerson Winkler go to Muldavin's antique shop, where Evelyn and Muldavin again immediately form a connection. Manzanita reportedly was so distraught she sought medical attention and allegedly told the physician that "she would fight to the last ditch to keep her husband."

Early 1960 Muldavin alleges that he paid $500 to Terry Devlin, a Vancouver man, to act as middleman ("picker") to obtain a collection of American Indian artifacts that Devlin had told Muldavin about.

March 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser in 1962 states that this was the first month that Manzanita and Dolores missed their visit to Vancouver to see the other two children, Anita (13) and Mavis (7). Her ex-husband contacted Manzanita's sister, Rita, who stated she hadn't seen her for months, but this was due to a rift regarding Rita's disapproval of Muldavin.

There's an unsubstantiated tip that Muldavin made a trip to central Washington around this time ("spring").

April 1, 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser (1962) states that Manzanita again missed the visit to Vancouver. One of the Vancouver daughters (Anita) called Muldavin to ask where Manzanita was, and Muldavin told her that Manzanita was ill.

April 15, 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin files for divorce from Manzanita. He is testy with police investigating her disappearance and tells them she was discussing divorce when she left, but he would charge desertion and divorce her. Allegedly he did this with an eye to marrying Evelyn, but when she proved reluctant, a (forged) letter was sent to her stepmother, Mrs. Winkler, from "Maj John Riley," telling them of Muldavin's "conspicuous gallantry as an intelligence officer from 1939-1945." At trial, this letter was revealed to have been written by Ron Gregory, husband of Irene Gregory, who comes up later. Evelyn had briefly been married to a Frenchman that she divorced in Mexico after the war and resumed her maiden name. Her father passed away, and her stepmother remarried well, and Evelyn then spent most of her time with the wealthy Winklers.

May 1960 Per the AP, Muldavin allegedly started telling friends that he would be going to Africa and Portugal on a Fulbright scholarship. Per the Honolulu Advertiser, this is when William Mearns reported his wife missing to Seattle police--apparently he had done so at one point in the past, prior to their divorce, and it turned out she was with Muldavin in Seattle (this may explain the discrepancies regarding the date of Muldavin and Manzanita's marriage).

June 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin told Evelyn that he had the opportunity to purchase the aforementioned American Indian artifacts, and, if he had the money to do so, they could be resold at a profit, with the proceeds split. Evelyn suggested that he borrow the money from her stepmother, who agreed and gave him a $10,000 check.

July 21, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin's divorce from Mearns on the grounds of desertion is finalized.

July 29, 1960 Kings Count, WA, first marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Raoul Guy Rockwell name.

August 2, 1960 Allegedly in preparation for his trip to Africa and Portugal, Muldavin auctions off the contents of his antique shop for $3,000 (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He telephones Evelyn that evening to say that he was on his way to British Columbia to get the artifacts

August 3-5, 1960 At his trial, Muldavin stated that he intended to go to British Columbia, but alleged that Devlin appeared, asking for $1500. Muldavin claimed that he told Devlin that he couldn't pay without more information, Devlin told him fine, but then never came back with the info, leaving Muldavin with the loan check from Evelyn's stepmother, Mrs. Geraldine Winkler for $10,000. He claims, "I was expected to make money out of it." He allegedly planned to go to San Francisco to acquire some antiques to sell instead of getting the artifacts. He THEN claimed to have thought of his friend's wife, Irene Gregory (described by some press as "Eurasian"), who, again allegedly, had been making advances towards him and wanted him to take her to Portugal. He very confusingly claimed that he thought if he took her to San Francisco, her husband would "find out what kind of girl she was." For her part, Irene claimed that Muldavin had been trying to get her to go to Portugal and Africa with HIM for months, while she was "unsatisfied" with her husband Ronald and "infatuated with Rocky." (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He met her at the Sea-Tac airport with a wedding ring (she was apparently unaware he was already married) and promised her they would go to Reno or Mexico for her to divorce Ronald. They then flew to San Francisco.

On the second day in San Francisco, Irene confessed to Muldavin that she had disobeyed his order not to tell anyone about their trip and told her neighbor. He forgave her, and they spent another night together. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

Irene woke up the next day with a sore throat, and Muldavin told her that he had arranged for a doctor friend to meet her on the University of California campus. No one met her, and when she went back to the hotel room, Muldavin and the wedding ring were gone.(Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

August 6, 1960 Per the New York Daily News, Muldavin flew to Reno, NV, bought a sports car under the name Michael Strong, and drove to Provincetown, MA, where he passed himself off as a writer for a Vancouver newspaper/magazine. He then went to New York, where he had surgery on his nose, and then drove to Key West, before flying back to NY for yet another operation on his nose ("straightening").

August 8, 1960 Muldavin's trip to British Columbia for the artifacts was supposed to take about five days, so Evelyn now became concerned that the plane had gone down in Puget Sound. Mrs. Winkler, OTOH, is becoming concerned about that $10k check. When the detectives looking for Delores and Mazanita come around, she supposedly encouraged them to check the house, where the women's full wardrobes were found.

August 11, 1960 Mrs. Winkler and Evelyn reported Muldavin missing, per an AP article from October 19, 1961.

August 30, 1960 Per an AP article, remains were found in a septic tank in the half-finished basement, covered with new cement. The "creaky old house" was both Muldavin's home and antique shop, two stories, on the Seattle Lake Union waterfront.

Early September 1960 Two legs are found about 200 miles east of Seattle, in the Columbia River in central Washington. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962). They have a distinctive upturned toe that Manzanita's sister says could be Manzie's. However, these remains, along with those from the septic tank, are later stated to be from a female aged 16-20.

December 1, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin is arrested in his "curio-cluttered Greenwich Village apartment" by the FBI. He's described as 6'2", 250 lbs, with his brown hair dyed red. He was using the name Michael Strong.

December 7, 1960 Per the Spokane Chronicle, Muldavin is returned to Seattle for questioning regarding the disappearance of his wife Manzanita, and stepdaughter, Dolores Mearns.

October 1961 Trial on charge of grand larceny. His mother, Sylvia da Silva Muldavin ("of New York"), brother, Michael Muldavin ("prominent economist from San Diego"), and wife, referred to as Evelyn Emerson Rockwell, were all present.

October 26, 1961 Muldavin is convicted on the charge of grand larceny, on his 38th birthday.

November 21, 1961 Per the AP, a judge declined to dismiss perjury charges against Muldavin for claims Muldavin made regarding Vancouver antique dealer Daniel Terrance Devlin during the previous month's larceny trial.

March 22, 1962 Muldavin is released on a suspended sentence for the grand larceny charge. The judge stated that there was a "difficult aspect" in sentencing Muldavin "because he is suspected of having committed 'a much more serious crime.'" (AP, 3-24-62) His brother Michael stated that Muldavin's family in San Diego was prepared to rehabilitate him, and his wife Evelyn would also welcome him there (AP 3-23-1962).

August 10, 1963 Los Angeles, CA, second marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Guy R. Muldavin name.

December 18, 1970 An article in The Mercury from the Newsweek Feature Service about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell, Inc. in LA.

December 27-28, 1971 An article in The Mercury (among other papers) about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell's in CA.

1973 "The year before Ruth [Marie Terry] was killed she tried to reach out to Hanchett [her son, raised by friends], who was a teenager at the time but he wasn’t ready to connect." Another article quotes him as saying this occurred in "about 1972," "But he was in the hospital because of a drug overdose that left him in a coma for 18 days."

April 30, 1973 An ad in the Los Angeles Times seeks salespersons for David Orgell, with Muldavin interviewing.

February 16, 1974 Reno, NV, marriage to Ruth Terry.

Spring/Summer 1974 Muldavin and Terry travel to TN to see her family. "Ken [Ruth's half-brother] said the last time he saw Ruth was a few months before she disappeared. She had come to Whitwell to visit the family with her new husband, Guy Muldavin." I wonder if they married, traveled to TN en route to Provincetown, then he made his final visit to the Terrys on his way back to CA? "Novonglosky [Terry's great-niece] said her family remembers Terry wasn't herself when Muldavin was by her side. She said Terry was almost inaccessible when she was with him, and it was like he owned her, that she was his property."

"The couple came to Carole and Kenneth Terry’s house in Chattanooga, Tennessee, most likely after they’d stopped in Whitwell for a family visit, Carole Terry said.

'She was just the same sweet Ruth,' she said. 'They didn’t stay very long. They were leaving. They said they were going to travel the United States. He was an art dealer. They were going to look for antiques.'

Kenneth Terry said he recalled the couple saying they were returning to Massachusetts after they left."

July 26, 1974 Ruth Terry's unidentified body is found "in the dunes about a mile east of the Race Point Ranger Station in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The cause of death was a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. Her hands were missing, presumably removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints and her head was nearly severed from her body. The left side of her skull had been crushed. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Her nude body was discovered lying on a beach blanket with her head resting on folded jeans." (FBI)

"Alyssa Metcalfe’s sister, Leslie, who has since died, made the gruesome discovery. She was 12 years old at the time.
Leslie was walking to the C-Scape dune shack when a dog ran off and began barking. At first, Metcalfe said, her sister didn’t know it was a body in the dunes; she thought it was a deer but realized what it was when she got closer.
“I remember my sister saying she looked really peaceful because she was just laying there. She thought she looked more like a mannequin than a human,” Metcalfe said."

Late 1974 Muldavin travels to TN to tell Terry's family that she is missing. “He was so blunt and just said he didn’t know where she was and all that but he didn’t stay very long,” said Jan Terry. "Novonglosky's great-grandfather then travelled to California and hired a private investigator, who told them all of her belongings had been sold and that she left the state." "He also said Terry was part of a religious cult. "

Alternatively, it's also stated that "By 1974, though, when Ruth Marie Terry hadn’t shown up again in Whitwell for a visit, her brother James went to California to find her, a relative said. 'They couldn’t find anything,' Hanchett said. 'They confronted that Muldavin guy, and he just said she just left, you know, free-spirited, this, that and the other.'"

October 18, 1975 Los Angeles, CA, marriage to PS/PR

November 18, 1975 Notice in the Las Vegas Optic of Muldavin as plaintiff vs his brother Michael (aka Samyon) in the fourth judicial district court for the county of San Miguel in NM, regarding real estate in that county.

~1976 Per article from 1985 in The Californian, 9 years prior, Muldavin quit his job as executive vice president at David Orgell's, a china, crystal, and silver store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

"Muldavin apparently penned a bizarre book, titled “Cooking with Rump Oil,” that was published two years after Ruth Marie Terry’s murder. It includes disturbing recipes and fictional beings.

One page is a recipe for 'Cape Cod Shid.' In part it reads, 'Out of the water and into the pan. The sweet turpentine taste will turn to that of a burnt glove and the tender look will become one of despair.'"

February 1, 1977 Muldavin, described as a "satirical author," is featured on a KCRW-FM radio show, per the Los Angeles Times.

~1980 Per 2002 obituary, had lived in Salinas for 22 years at the time of his death

October 30, 1981 An article in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin's wife P, of Marina Del Rey, CA, attended a 50th anniversary party for her parents, G and ES.

November 22, 1981 Ruth's father Johnny dies and is buried in Marion County, TN

February 24, 1983 Notice in The Californian that Muldavin was appointed to the Chualar County Water District Board of Directors.

July 5, 1985 Per article in The Californian, was working as a DJ at KAZU

October 17, 1986 Notice in the Los Angeles Times that PMuldavin's paintings ("When Beauty Is Enough") are being exhibited at Woman's Building.

Spring 1988 Multiple notices in the Los Angeles Times that his wife P has (a) painting(s) on exhibition at Mount St. Mary's College, a women's university in LA.

May 12, 1988 Obituary for his MIL in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin is living in LA with his wife, P.

March 18, 1994 Very interestingly, an obituary for P's father lists his surviving children, with their spouses, and, in one case, even a "friend" in parentheses after their names. P is listed as Phyllis S-Muldavin, but no spouse is listed with her. Then, the next day, Guy is added in.

June 19, 1994 Ad for exhibition "The World of Cups" at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena lists his wife, P, as a featured artist.

March 14, 2002 Salinas, CA, death. Obituary references a long illness and hospice. P is still listed as his wife.

February 22, 2007 Ruth Terry's ex-husband Billy Ray dies in Chattanooga.

October 7, 2008 Ruth Terry's stepmother dies in Jasper, TN; Ruth is listed as surviving her.

August 11, 2010 Ruth Terry's sister dies, Ruth is listed as predeceasing her. Interesting the two routes these obituary writers took.

February 25, 2017 Ruth's half-sister dies, she is not mentioned as predeceasing or surviving in the obituary. It's worth looking at her photo; she and Ruth resemble each other closely.

2018 Ruth's son Hanchett uploads his DNA to ancestry.com. "Marilyn Renee Hill, Ruth’s niece, who died last year at 65, had visited her aunt in California and had submitted DNA to ancestry.com in hopes of finding Hanchett, he said. His DNA matched with hers." This does answer my question about whether or not they were aware that Ruth had a child.

November 8, 2018 Ruth's stepsister dies; Ruth is not mentioned in the obituary as predeceasing or a survivor.

November 17, 2021 Muldavin's widow P dies in Thousand Oaks, CA. (2021 Fall Los Angeles Collegian 6 , p. 9)

Further biographical info: Muldavin's obituary references one sister, (JT of Salinas), who was living at the time of his death in 2002. Per The Independent, this was actually a woman with whom he had had a romantic relationship that later turned platonic. However, there's only about a year between the death of Ruth Terry and his marriage to P--hopefully, it occurred sometime then?

"'We know he’s resided in Seattle, we know that he’s been a resident of California. We know that he was in Chicago briefly and of course we know he was married to Ruth and Ruth had family in Tennessee,' Mason added."

"Pat Hanchett, [Terry's son] Richard’s older sister, had kept in touch with Terry while she was in California. Richard recalled Pat saying that Ruth had stopped corresponding in the mid-1970s. Pat was murdered by her husband in 1980," leaving that as another dead end regarding Terry's life from 1958-1974.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

If her family is correct in thinking that Ruth initially married her first husband at age 13, said husband was 18 at the time. Poor Ruth.

 

[fred&edna]

Some new updates:

June 5, 1919 Per findagrave, Muldavin's 3rd/4th wife, Evelyn, was born Eveline Marie Emerson in Paris. Her father, Theodore Emerson, was married to someone else (Maud--who was involved in a famous court case in 1920, unsuccessfully contesting her wealthy adopted father's will, which left her $10, and her young stepmother/former housekeeper an estate of ~$100k--Maud admitted to being "rather wild" earlier in her life) at the time of Evelyn's birth, while her mother was Louise Strainchamps. The article confusingly says that Theodore married Marie Strainchamps as his third wife in 1921, then divorced in 1922--unclear to me if Louise and Marie are the same person.

October 26 or 27, 1923 Santa Fe, NM, birth, according to Muldavin's obituary in 2002. Per his brother Michael, Muldavin was born in Brooklyn. He was adopted by the Muldavins.

1925-1930s A number of passenger lists show that when Guy was young, he travelled with his family to Havana, Cuba, Hamburg, Germany, Genoa, Italy, and Le Havre, France from 1925 through the early 1930s. (Guy Muldavin)

1920s-1930s Per Daily News, Muldavin stated at his later trial that he resented being "a Jew and a foster child" and "squeaked through high school," before enrolling for a few months at Alfred University (in Alfred, NY). He was ineligible for military service due to a ruptured ear drum and a "bad leg." When he allegedly enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he took on a new persona, based on the success of his "foster brother," Michael Muldavin, an intelligence officer and Harvard Law grad--in this new persona, he claimed to have been a 2nd lieutenant in WWII, with degrees from the University of California and the University of British Columbia, and part-ownership of a hotel in Havana.

September 8, 1936 Ruth Marie Terry is born in Tennessee. (FBI)' in "Whitwell . . . the small mining town where Ruth Terry was born in a mountainside shack. Her father, Johnny, worked as a coal miner and her mom Eva died at the age of 23." (records indicate Eva was actually 24) "Johnny Ray Terry had the nickname 'Johnny Red' because of his red hair."--this is probably where Ruth got her red/auburn hair. She had an older sister and an older brother at that time. Her stepmother is widowed this year, as well. Her stepsister and sister confusingly have the same, somewhat uncommon first name--both are probably named after their similarly named fathers. Her sister appears to have gone by her middle name, though.

September 26, 1937 Ruth's mother Eva passes away related to epilepsy and is buried in Whitwell, TN.

Late 1930s Per Muldavin's brother Michael, around this time period, Muldavin changed his name from Rockwell Guy Muldavin to Raoul Guy Rockwell.

1940 Census records show Ruth living in Marion County, TN, with her widowed father, two older siblings, her widowed uncle, this uncle's child/Ruth's cousin, and her paternal grandparents--I had wondered how a coal miner with three extremely young children would cope; this appears to be how. "Ken [Ruth's younger half-brother] said Ruth was mostly raised by her grandparents until her marriage as a young teenager."

April 12, 1941 Muldavin's second wife, Manzanita, marries her first husband, William Mearns.

1940s Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they met while he was a professor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

May 9, 1946 Allegheny, PA, marriage to Joellen (Jo Ellen) Loop

~1946-1947 Per an article in the Honululu Advertiser in January 1962, approximately 15 years prior, Muldavin opened a "nocturnal antique shop," which was open from 6pm to midnight. This doesn't totally work for me in light of other info, I think more likely this would have been in the early 1950s.

Late 1947/Early 1948-1950 Per an article from 1960 in the Bellingham Herald, Muldavin lived in Fortuna in Humboldt County in northern CA with his in-laws, the Loops. Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they lived in a "tree stump along a river," and Muldavin (named as Guy Raoul Rockwell) "sang at KIEM radio station Monday to Friday at five pm."

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s."

1949-1950 Ruth Marie Terry (per her half-brother) marries Billy Ray Smith for the first time, at the age of 13. They later split up and remarry.

June 18, 1950 The body of Henry Baird, 22, was found near Fortuna, CA. He had been shot in the back of the head with a .32 caliber gun (one of which was missing from Baird's car) and was naked except for his socks/shoes, with his clothes folded nearby. He had last been seen with Barbara Kelley, 17, who was a waitress in Fortuna. Her clothes were folded under his, but she was never found. Barbara worked at one of the two restaurants in Fortuna; Muldavin was a short-order cook at the other, which was owned by his then-FIL. When he was arrested in 1960 on the larceny charge, the Humboldt County Sheriff wanted to speak with Muldavin regarding the Baird murder/Kelley disappearance. It doesn't seem super consistent with his known MOs, though. Gail Patrick Irish confessed to their murders in 1963 but appeared to have mental health issues. Authorities said they would consider Irish's confession a hoax unless he was able to lead them to Barbara. He did lead them on at least one unsuccessful search, but I can't find that he was ever able take them to her body or be convicted. There was speculation at the time of the original murder that it was a murder-suicide, with Barbara's body being pulled out to sea, where she theoretically drowned herself after shooting Baird, as well as if she had fled.

Early 1950s? Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, "they moved to the northwest, and he worked at the Seattle Bon Marche furniture department."

"By age 20, [Ruth Terry] left the coal mining town in the mountains of Tennessee where she was born, grew up and married."

1955-1956/Late 1950s "In the late 1950s, around the age of 19 [DOB 9/8/36], Ruth left Whitwell to work at the Fisher Body automotive plant in Livonia, Michigan. During that time she gave birth to Hanchett, who was raised by Ruth’s friends who could provide him a stable life." "She was a free spirit. She was looking for something more than just a country life I guess you’d say," Ruth's brother Ken added." "“She wanted to explore. She wanted more than what she thought her life was in Tennessee,” Novonglosky said." She later moves to CA, unknown when.

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s." Personally searching these records (just search Muldavin) also reveals that his brother M owned property in Provincetown. M completed a bachelors degree (1949) and a law degree (1952) at Harvard in this time period as well.

October 18, 1955 An article in the Corvallis, OR Gazette-Times about the fifth annual antique show and sale in Corvallis lists Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell" from Seattle) as an exhibitor.

1956 Muldavin's brother Michael stated in an AP article in 1960 that he had last seen Muldavin four years prior.

Early 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in Jan 1962, William and Mazanita Ryan Mearns come into Muldavin's antique shop, and Muldavin and "Manzie" hit it off immediately. She is described, like Terry, as “a vivacious redhead,” in Ann Rule's book, Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder.

Mid 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Muldavin told Joellen to "clear out of the shop, he was through with her," "without warning and in the presence of customers."

July 16, 1956 Joellen obtains a divorce and custody of their nine year old daughter.

September 23, 1956 An ad for an antique show at the Coliseum in the Spokane Spokesman Review features Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell") as an exhibitor.

October 21, 1956 Ruth Marie Terry marries Billy Ray Smith in Marion, TN.

Late 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Manzanita and her oldest daughter Dolores move into Muldavin's Seattle home, allegedly married after both obtaining divorces--this is inconsistent with records showing Mearns and Muldavin married in 1958.

1957 "In Michigan, sometime around 1957, [Ruth Terry] took a job in car manufacturing." This was at Fisher Body in Livonia.

1958 "Terry gives birth to her son in Livonia, MI, and he is given up for adoption to friends/coworkers. Her ex-husband, "Billy Ray Smith is known not to have been Hanchett’s father." "The Hanchetts rented a house for Ruth Marie Terry across the street from the plant during the last 2½ months of her pregnancy. They got to know her well then, Richard Hanchett said. On the day of the delivery, Thelma Hanchett, who had red hair and blue eyes like Terry, gave her driver's license to Ruth Marie to use as ID when she was admitted to the maternity ward and then the three of them went to the hospital."

September 30, 1958 Kootenai, ID, marriage to Manzanita Mearns--why there? There is both a Kootenai town and a Kootenai County, both in northwest Idaho--Couer d'Alene is in Kootenai County. The population of Kootenai in 1960 was 180. I know my grandparents crossed state lines to marry in the 1940s because there wasn't a waiting period in the adjacent state.

Early 1959 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Evelyn Emerson and her stepmother and her husband Clifford and Germaine Emerson Winkler go to Muldavin's antique shop, where Evelyn and Muldavin again immediately form a connection. Manzanita reportedly was so distraught she sought medical attention and allegedly told the physician that "she would fight to the last ditch to keep her husband."

Early 1960 Muldavin alleges that he paid $500 to Terry Devlin, a Vancouver man, to act as middleman ("picker") to obtain a collection of American Indian artifacts that Devlin had told Muldavin about.

March 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser in 1962 states that this was the first month that Manzanita and Dolores missed their visit to Vancouver to see the other two children, Anita (13) and Mavis (7). Her ex-husband contacted Manzanita's sister, Rita, who stated she hadn't seen her for months, but this was due to a rift regarding Rita's disapproval of Muldavin.

There's an unsubstantiated tip that Muldavin made a trip to central Washington around this time ("spring").

April 1, 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser (1962) states that Manzanita again missed the visit to Vancouver. One of the Vancouver daughters (Anita) called Muldavin to ask where Manzanita was, and Muldavin told her that Manzanita was ill.

April 15, 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin files for divorce from Manzanita. He is testy with police investigating her disappearance and tells them she was discussing divorce when she left, but he would charge desertion and divorce her. Allegedly he did this with an eye to marrying Evelyn, but when she proved reluctant, a (forged) letter was sent to her stepmother, Mrs. Winkler, from "Maj John Riley," telling them of Muldavin's "conspicuous gallantry as an intelligence officer from 1939-1945." At trial, this letter was revealed to have been written by Ron Gregory, husband of Irene Gregory, who comes up later. Evelyn had briefly been married to a Frenchman that she divorced in Mexico after the war and resumed her maiden name. Her father passed away, and her stepmother remarried well, and Evelyn then spent most of her time with the wealthy Winklers.

May 1960 Per the AP, Muldavin allegedly started telling friends that he would be going to Africa and Portugal on a Fulbright scholarship. Per the Honolulu Advertiser, this is when William Mearns reported his wife missing to Seattle police--apparently he had done so at one point in the past, prior to their divorce, and it turned out she was with Muldavin in Seattle (this may explain the discrepancies regarding the date of Muldavin and Manzanita's marriage).

June 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin told Evelyn that he had the opportunity to purchase the aforementioned American Indian artifacts, and, if he had the money to do so, they could be resold at a profit, with the proceeds split. Evelyn suggested that he borrow the money from her stepmother, who agreed and gave him a $10,000 check.

July 21, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin's divorce from Mearns on the grounds of desertion is finalized.

July 29, 1960 Kings Count, WA, first marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Raoul Guy Rockwell name.

August 2, 1960 Allegedly in preparation for his trip to Africa and Portugal, Muldavin auctions off the contents of his antique shop for $3,000 (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He telephones Evelyn that evening to say that he was on his way to British Columbia to get the artifacts

August 3-5, 1960 At his trial, Muldavin stated that he intended to go to British Columbia, but alleged that Devlin appeared, asking for $1500. Muldavin claimed that he told Devlin that he couldn't pay without more information, Devlin told him fine, but then never came back with the info, leaving Muldavin with the loan check from Evelyn's stepmother, Mrs. Geraldine Winkler for $10,000. He claims, "I was expected to make money out of it." He allegedly planned to go to San Francisco to acquire some antiques to sell instead of getting the artifacts. He THEN claimed to have thought of his friend's wife, Irene Gregory (described by some press as "Eurasian"), who, again allegedly, had been making advances towards him and wanted him to take her to Portugal. He very confusingly claimed that he thought if he took her to San Francisco, her husband would "find out what kind of girl she was." For her part, Irene claimed that Muldavin had been trying to get her to go to Portugal and Africa with HIM for months, while she was "unsatisfied" with her husband Ronald and "infatuated with Rocky." (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He met her at the Sea-Tac airport with a wedding ring (she was apparently unaware he was already married) and promised her they would go to Reno or Mexico for her to divorce Ronald. They then flew to San Francisco.

On the second day in San Francisco, Irene confessed to Muldavin that she had disobeyed his order not to tell anyone about their trip and told her neighbor. He forgave her, and they spent another night together. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

Irene woke up the next day with a sore throat, and Muldavin told her that he had arranged for a doctor friend to meet her on the University of California campus. No one met her, and when she went back to the hotel room, Muldavin and the wedding ring were gone.(Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

August 6, 1960 Per the New York Daily News, Muldavin flew to Reno, NV, bought a sports car under the name Michael Strong, and drove to Provincetown, MA, where he passed himself off as a writer for a Vancouver newspaper/magazine. He then went to New York, where he had surgery on his nose, and then drove to Key West, before flying back to NY for yet another operation on his nose ("straightening").

August 8, 1960 Muldavin's trip to British Columbia for the artifacts was supposed to take about five days, so Evelyn now became concerned that the plane had gone down in Puget Sound. Mrs. Winkler, OTOH, is becoming concerned about that $10k check. When the detectives looking for Delores and Mazanita come around, she supposedly encouraged them to check the house, where the women's full wardrobes were found.

August 11, 1960 Mrs. Winkler and Evelyn reported Muldavin missing, per an AP article from October 19, 1961.

August 30, 1960 Per an AP article, remains were found in a septic tank in the half-finished basement, covered with new cement. The "creaky old house" was both Muldavin's home and antique shop, two stories, on the Seattle Lake Union waterfront.

Early September 1960 Two legs are found about 200 miles east of Seattle, in the Columbia River in central Washington. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962). They have a distinctive upturned toe that Manzanita's sister says could be Manzie's. However, these remains, along with those from the septic tank, are later stated to be from a female aged 16-20.

December 1, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin is arrested in his "curio-cluttered Greenwich Village apartment" by the FBI. He's described as 6'2", 250 lbs, with his brown hair dyed red. He was using the name Michael Strong.

December 7, 1960 Per the Spokane Chronicle, Muldavin is returned to Seattle for questioning regarding the disappearance of his wife Manzanita, and stepdaughter, Dolores Mearns.

October 1961 Trial on charge of grand larceny. His mother, Sylvia da Silva Muldavin ("of New York"), brother, Michael Muldavin ("prominent economist from San Diego"), and wife, referred to as Evelyn Emerson Rockwell, were all present.

October 26, 1961 Muldavin is convicted on the charge of grand larceny, on his 38th birthday.

November 21, 1961 Per the AP, a judge declined to dismiss perjury charges against Muldavin for claims Muldavin made regarding Vancouver antique dealer Daniel Terrance Devlin during the previous month's larceny trial.

March 22, 1962 Muldavin is released on a suspended sentence for the grand larceny charge. The judge stated that there was a "difficult aspect" in sentencing Muldavin "because he is suspected of having committed 'a much more serious crime.'" (AP, 3-24-62) His brother Michael stated that Muldavin's family in San Diego was prepared to rehabilitate him, and his wife Evelyn would also welcome him there (AP 3-23-1962).

August 10, 1963 Los Angeles, CA, second marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Guy R. Muldavin name.

December 18, 1970 An article in The Mercury from the Newsweek Feature Service about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell, Inc. in LA.

December 27-28, 1971 An article in The Mercury (among other papers) about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell's in CA.

1973 "The year before Ruth [Marie Terry] was killed she tried to reach out to Hanchett [her son, raised by friends], who was a teenager at the time but he wasn’t ready to connect." Another article quotes him as saying this occurred in "about 1972," "But he was in the hospital because of a drug overdose that left him in a coma for 18 days."

April 30, 1973 An ad in the Los Angeles Times seeks salespersons for David Orgell, with Muldavin interviewing.

February 16, 1974 Reno, NV, marriage to Ruth Terry.

Spring/Summer 1974 Muldavin and Terry travel to TN to see her family. "Ken [Ruth's half-brother] said the last time he saw Ruth was a few months before she disappeared. She had come to Whitwell to visit the family with her new husband, Guy Muldavin." I wonder if they married, traveled to TN en route to Provincetown, then he made his final visit to the Terrys on his way back to CA? "Novonglosky [Terry's great-niece] said her family remembers Terry wasn't herself when Muldavin was by her side. She said Terry was almost inaccessible when she was with him, and it was like he owned her, that she was his property."

"The couple came to Carole and Kenneth Terry’s house in Chattanooga, Tennessee, most likely after they’d stopped in Whitwell for a family visit, Carole Terry said.

'She was just the same sweet Ruth,' she said. 'They didn’t stay very long. They were leaving. They said they were going to travel the United States. He was an art dealer. They were going to look for antiques.'

Kenneth Terry said he recalled the couple saying they were returning to Massachusetts after they left."

July 26, 1974 Ruth Terry's unidentified body is found "in the dunes about a mile east of the Race Point Ranger Station in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The cause of death was a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. Her hands were missing, presumably removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints and her head was nearly severed from her body. The left side of her skull had been crushed. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Her nude body was discovered lying on a beach blanket with her head resting on folded jeans." (FBI)

"Alyssa Metcalfe’s sister, Leslie, who has since died, made the gruesome discovery. She was 12 years old at the time.
Leslie was walking to the C-Scape dune shack when a dog ran off and began barking. At first, Metcalfe said, her sister didn’t know it was a body in the dunes; she thought it was a deer but realized what it was when she got closer.
“I remember my sister saying she looked really peaceful because she was just laying there. She thought she looked more like a mannequin than a human,” Metcalfe said."

Late 1974 Muldavin travels to TN to tell Terry's family that she is missing. “He was so blunt and just said he didn’t know where she was and all that but he didn’t stay very long,” said Jan Terry. "Novonglosky's great-grandfather then travelled to California and hired a private investigator, who told them all of her belongings had been sold and that she left the state." "He also said Terry was part of a religious cult. "

Alternatively, it's also stated that "By 1974, though, when Ruth Marie Terry hadn’t shown up again in Whitwell for a visit, her brother James went to California to find her, a relative said. 'They couldn’t find anything,' Hanchett said. 'They confronted that Muldavin guy, and he just said she just left, you know, free-spirited, this, that and the other.'"

October 18, 1975 Los Angeles, CA, marriage to PS/PR

November 18, 1975 Notice in the Las Vegas Optic of Muldavin as plaintiff vs his brother Michael (aka Samyon) in the fourth judicial district court for the county of San Miguel in NM, regarding real estate in that county.

~1976 Per article from 1985 in The Californian, 9 years prior, Muldavin quit his job as executive vice president at David Orgell's, a china, crystal, and silver store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

"Muldavin apparently penned a bizarre book, titled “Cooking with Rump Oil,” that was published two years after Ruth Marie Terry’s murder. It includes disturbing recipes and fictional beings.

One page is a recipe for 'Cape Cod Shid.' In part it reads, 'Out of the water and into the pan. The sweet turpentine taste will turn to that of a burnt glove and the tender look will become one of despair.'"

February 1, 1977 Muldavin, described as a "satirical author," is featured on a KCRW-FM radio show, per the Los Angeles Times.

~1980 Per 2002 obituary, had lived in Salinas for 22 years at the time of his death

October 30, 1981 An article in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin's wife P, of Marina Del Rey, CA, attended a 50th anniversary party for her parents, G and ES.

November 22, 1981 Ruth's father Johnny dies and is buried in Marion County, TN

February 24, 1983 Notice in The Californian that Muldavin was appointed to the Chualar County Water District Board of Directors.

July 5, 1985 Per article in The Californian, was working as a DJ at KAZU

October 17, 1986 Notice in the Los Angeles Times that PMuldavin's paintings ("When Beauty Is Enough") are being exhibited at Woman's Building.

Spring 1988 Multiple notices in the Los Angeles Times that his wife P has (a) painting(s) on exhibition at Mount St. Mary's College, a women's university in LA.

May 12, 1988 Obituary for his MIL in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin is living in LA with his wife, P.

March 18, 1994 Very interestingly, an obituary for P's father lists his surviving children, with their spouses, and, in one case, even a "friend" in parentheses after their names. P is listed as Phyllis S-Muldavin, but no spouse is listed with her. Then, the next day, Guy is added in.

June 19, 1994 Ad for exhibition "The World of Cups" at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena lists his wife, P, as a featured artist.

March 14, 2002 Salinas, CA, death. Obituary references a long illness and hospice. P is still listed as his wife.

February 22, 2007 Ruth Terry's ex-husband Billy Ray dies in Chattanooga.

October 7, 2008 Ruth Terry's stepmother dies in Jasper, TN; Ruth is listed as surviving her.

August 11, 2010 Ruth Terry's sister dies, Ruth is listed as predeceasing her. Interesting the two routes these obituary writers took.

February 25, 2017 Ruth's half-sister dies, she is not mentioned as predeceasing or surviving in the obituary. It's worth looking at her photo; she and Ruth resemble each other closely.

2018 Ruth's son Hanchett uploads his DNA to ancestry.com. "Marilyn Renee Hill, Ruth’s niece, who died last year at 65, had visited her aunt in California and had submitted DNA to ancestry.com in hopes of finding Hanchett, he said. His DNA matched with hers." This does answer my question about whether or not they were aware that Ruth had a child.

November 8, 2018 Ruth's stepsister dies; Ruth is not mentioned in the obituary as predeceasing or a survivor.

November 17, 2021 Muldavin's widow P dies in Thousand Oaks, CA. (2021 Fall Los Angeles Collegian 6 , p. 9)

Further biographical info: Muldavin's obituary references one sister, (JT of Salinas), who was living at the time of his death in 2002. Per The Independent, this was actually a woman with whom he had had a romantic relationship that later turned platonic. However, there's only about a year between the death of Ruth Terry and his marriage to P--hopefully, it occurred sometime then?

"'We know he’s resided in Seattle, we know that he’s been a resident of California. We know that he was in Chicago briefly and of course we know he was married to Ruth and Ruth had family in Tennessee,' Mason added."

"Pat Hanchett, [Terry's son] Richard’s older sister, had kept in touch with Terry while she was in California. Richard recalled Pat saying that Ruth had stopped corresponding in the mid-1970s. Pat was murdered by her husband in 1980," leaving that as another dead end regarding Terry's life from 1958-1974.

Wonderful research !

 

[PatLaurel]

Some new updates:

June 5, 1919 Per findagrave, Muldavin's 3rd/4th wife, Evelyn, was born Eveline Marie Emerson in Paris. Her father, Theodore Emerson, was married to someone else (Maud--who was involved in a famous court case in 1920, unsuccessfully contesting her wealthy adopted father's will, which left her $10, and her young stepmother/former housekeeper an estate of ~$100k--Maud admitted to being "rather wild" earlier in her life) at the time of Evelyn's birth, while her mother was Louise Strainchamps. The article confusingly says that Theodore married Marie Strainchamps as his third wife in 1921, then divorced in 1922--unclear to me if Louise and Marie are the same person.

October 26 or 27, 1923 Santa Fe, NM, birth, according to Muldavin's obituary in 2002. Per his brother Michael, Muldavin was born in Brooklyn. He was adopted by the Muldavins.

1925-1930s A number of passenger lists show that when Guy was young, he travelled with his family to Havana, Cuba, Hamburg, Germany, Genoa, Italy, and Le Havre, France from 1925 through the early 1930s. (Guy Muldavin)

1920s-1930s Per Daily News, Muldavin stated at his later trial that he resented being "a Jew and a foster child" and "squeaked through high school," before enrolling for a few months at Alfred University (in Alfred, NY). He was ineligible for military service due to a ruptured ear drum and a "bad leg." When he allegedly enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he took on a new persona, based on the success of his "foster brother," Michael Muldavin, an intelligence officer and Harvard Law grad--in this new persona, he claimed to have been a 2nd lieutenant in WWII, with degrees from the University of California and the University of British Columbia, and part-ownership of a hotel in Havana.

September 8, 1936 Ruth Marie Terry is born in Tennessee. (FBI)' in "Whitwell . . . the small mining town where Ruth Terry was born in a mountainside shack. Her father, Johnny, worked as a coal miner and her mom Eva died at the age of 23." (records indicate Eva was actually 24) "Johnny Ray Terry had the nickname 'Johnny Red' because of his red hair."--this is probably where Ruth got her red/auburn hair. She had an older sister and an older brother at that time. Her stepmother is widowed this year, as well. Her stepsister and sister confusingly have the same, somewhat uncommon first name--both are probably named after their similarly named fathers. Her sister appears to have gone by her middle name, though.

September 26, 1937 Ruth's mother Eva passes away related to epilepsy and is buried in Whitwell, TN.

Late 1930s Per Muldavin's brother Michael, around this time period, Muldavin changed his name from Rockwell Guy Muldavin to Raoul Guy Rockwell.

1940 Census records show Ruth living in Marion County, TN, with her widowed father, two older siblings, her widowed uncle, this uncle's child/Ruth's cousin, and her paternal grandparents--I had wondered how a coal miner with three extremely young children would cope; this appears to be how. "Ken [Ruth's younger half-brother] said Ruth was mostly raised by her grandparents until her marriage as a young teenager."

April 12, 1941 Muldavin's second wife, Manzanita, marries her first husband, William Mearns.

1940s Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they met while he was a professor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

May 9, 1946 Allegheny, PA, marriage to Joellen (Jo Ellen) Loop

~1946-1947 Per an article in the Honululu Advertiser in January 1962, approximately 15 years prior, Muldavin opened a "nocturnal antique shop," which was open from 6pm to midnight. This doesn't totally work for me in light of other info, I think more likely this would have been in the early 1950s.

Late 1947/Early 1948-1950 Per an article from 1960 in the Bellingham Herald, Muldavin lived in Fortuna in Humboldt County in northern CA with his in-laws, the Loops. Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, they lived in a "tree stump along a river," and Muldavin (named as Guy Raoul Rockwell) "sang at KIEM radio station Monday to Friday at five pm."

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s."

1949-1950 Ruth Marie Terry (per her half-brother) marries Billy Ray Smith for the first time, at the age of 13. They later split up and remarry.

June 18, 1950 The body of Henry Baird, 22, was found near Fortuna, CA. He had been shot in the back of the head with a .32 caliber gun (one of which was missing from Baird's car) and was naked except for his socks/shoes, with his clothes folded nearby. He had last been seen with Barbara Kelley, 17, who was a waitress in Fortuna. Her clothes were folded under his, but she was never found. Barbara worked at one of the two restaurants in Fortuna; Muldavin was a short-order cook at the other, which was owned by his then-FIL. When he was arrested in 1960 on the larceny charge, the Humboldt County Sheriff wanted to speak with Muldavin regarding the Baird murder/Kelley disappearance. It doesn't seem super consistent with his known MOs, though. Gail Patrick Irish confessed to their murders in 1963 but appeared to have mental health issues. Authorities said they would consider Irish's confession a hoax unless he was able to lead them to Barbara. He did lead them on at least one unsuccessful search, but I can't find that he was ever able take them to her body or be convicted. There was speculation at the time of the original murder that it was a murder-suicide, with Barbara's body being pulled out to sea, where she theoretically drowned herself after shooting Baird, as well as if she had fled.

Early 1950s? Per his first wife Joellen's obituary, "they moved to the northwest, and he worked at the Seattle Bon Marche furniture department."

"By age 20, [Ruth Terry] left the coal mining town in the mountains of Tennessee where she was born, grew up and married."

1955-1956/Late 1950s "In the late 1950s, around the age of 19 [DOB 9/8/36], Ruth left Whitwell to work at the Fisher Body automotive plant in Livonia, Michigan. During that time she gave birth to Hanchett, who was raised by Ruth’s friends who could provide him a stable life." "She was a free spirit. She was looking for something more than just a country life I guess you’d say," Ruth's brother Ken added." "“She wanted to explore. She wanted more than what she thought her life was in Tennessee,” Novonglosky said." She later moves to CA, unknown when.

"Barnstable County [MA] records show [Muldavin's] parents bought land and properties in town in the late 1940s and mid-1950s." Personally searching these records (just search Muldavin) also reveals that his brother M owned property in Provincetown. M completed a bachelors degree (1949) and a law degree (1952) at Harvard in this time period as well.

October 18, 1955 An article in the Corvallis, OR Gazette-Times about the fifth annual antique show and sale in Corvallis lists Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell" from Seattle) as an exhibitor.

1956 Muldavin's brother Michael stated in an AP article in 1960 that he had last seen Muldavin four years prior.

Early 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in Jan 1962, William and Mazanita Ryan Mearns come into Muldavin's antique shop, and Muldavin and "Manzie" hit it off immediately. She is described, like Terry, as “a vivacious redhead,” in Ann Rule's book, Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder.

Mid 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Muldavin told Joellen to "clear out of the shop, he was through with her," "without warning and in the presence of customers."

July 16, 1956 Joellen obtains a divorce and custody of their nine year old daughter.

September 23, 1956 An ad for an antique show at the Coliseum in the Spokane Spokesman Review features Muldavin ("Raoul Rockwell") as an exhibitor.

October 21, 1956 Ruth Marie Terry marries Billy Ray Smith in Marion, TN.

Late 1956 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Manzanita and her oldest daughter Dolores move into Muldavin's Seattle home, allegedly married after both obtaining divorces--this is inconsistent with records showing Mearns and Muldavin married in 1958.

1957 "In Michigan, sometime around 1957, [Ruth Terry] took a job in car manufacturing." This was at Fisher Body in Livonia.

1958 "Terry gives birth to her son in Livonia, MI, and he is given up for adoption to friends/coworkers. Her ex-husband, "Billy Ray Smith is known not to have been Hanchett’s father." "The Hanchetts rented a house for Ruth Marie Terry across the street from the plant during the last 2½ months of her pregnancy. They got to know her well then, Richard Hanchett said. On the day of the delivery, Thelma Hanchett, who had red hair and blue eyes like Terry, gave her driver's license to Ruth Marie to use as ID when she was admitted to the maternity ward and then the three of them went to the hospital."

September 30, 1958 Kootenai, ID, marriage to Manzanita Mearns--why there? There is both a Kootenai town and a Kootenai County, both in northwest Idaho--Couer d'Alene is in Kootenai County. The population of Kootenai in 1960 was 180. I know my grandparents crossed state lines to marry in the 1940s because there wasn't a waiting period in the adjacent state.

Early 1959 Per the Honolulu Advertiser in 1962, Evelyn Emerson and her stepmother and her husband Clifford and Germaine Emerson Winkler go to Muldavin's antique shop, where Evelyn and Muldavin again immediately form a connection. Manzanita reportedly was so distraught she sought medical attention and allegedly told the physician that "she would fight to the last ditch to keep her husband."

Early 1960 Muldavin alleges that he paid $500 to Terry Devlin, a Vancouver man, to act as middleman ("picker") to obtain a collection of American Indian artifacts that Devlin had told Muldavin about.

March 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser in 1962 states that this was the first month that Manzanita and Dolores missed their visit to Vancouver to see the other two children, Anita (13) and Mavis (7). Her ex-husband contacted Manzanita's sister, Rita, who stated she hadn't seen her for months, but this was due to a rift regarding Rita's disapproval of Muldavin.

There's an unsubstantiated tip that Muldavin made a trip to central Washington around this time ("spring").

April 1, 1960 The Honolulu Advertiser (1962) states that Manzanita again missed the visit to Vancouver. One of the Vancouver daughters (Anita) called Muldavin to ask where Manzanita was, and Muldavin told her that Manzanita was ill.

April 15, 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin files for divorce from Manzanita. He is testy with police investigating her disappearance and tells them she was discussing divorce when she left, but he would charge desertion and divorce her. Allegedly he did this with an eye to marrying Evelyn, but when she proved reluctant, a (forged) letter was sent to her stepmother, Mrs. Winkler, from "Maj John Riley," telling them of Muldavin's "conspicuous gallantry as an intelligence officer from 1939-1945." At trial, this letter was revealed to have been written by Ron Gregory, husband of Irene Gregory, who comes up later. Evelyn had briefly been married to a Frenchman that she divorced in Mexico after the war and resumed her maiden name. Her father passed away, and her stepmother remarried well, and Evelyn then spent most of her time with the wealthy Winklers.

May 1960 Per the AP, Muldavin allegedly started telling friends that he would be going to Africa and Portugal on a Fulbright scholarship. Per the Honolulu Advertiser, this is when William Mearns reported his wife missing to Seattle police--apparently he had done so at one point in the past, prior to their divorce, and it turned out she was with Muldavin in Seattle (this may explain the discrepancies regarding the date of Muldavin and Manzanita's marriage).

June 1960 Per the Honolulu Advertiser, Muldavin told Evelyn that he had the opportunity to purchase the aforementioned American Indian artifacts, and, if he had the money to do so, they could be resold at a profit, with the proceeds split. Evelyn suggested that he borrow the money from her stepmother, who agreed and gave him a $10,000 check.

July 21, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin's divorce from Mearns on the grounds of desertion is finalized.

July 29, 1960 Kings Count, WA, first marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Raoul Guy Rockwell name.

August 2, 1960 Allegedly in preparation for his trip to Africa and Portugal, Muldavin auctions off the contents of his antique shop for $3,000 (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He telephones Evelyn that evening to say that he was on his way to British Columbia to get the artifacts

August 3-5, 1960 At his trial, Muldavin stated that he intended to go to British Columbia, but alleged that Devlin appeared, asking for $1500. Muldavin claimed that he told Devlin that he couldn't pay without more information, Devlin told him fine, but then never came back with the info, leaving Muldavin with the loan check from Evelyn's stepmother, Mrs. Geraldine Winkler for $10,000. He claims, "I was expected to make money out of it." He allegedly planned to go to San Francisco to acquire some antiques to sell instead of getting the artifacts. He THEN claimed to have thought of his friend's wife, Irene Gregory (described by some press as "Eurasian"), who, again allegedly, had been making advances towards him and wanted him to take her to Portugal. He very confusingly claimed that he thought if he took her to San Francisco, her husband would "find out what kind of girl she was." For her part, Irene claimed that Muldavin had been trying to get her to go to Portugal and Africa with HIM for months, while she was "unsatisfied" with her husband Ronald and "infatuated with Rocky." (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-62). He met her at the Sea-Tac airport with a wedding ring (she was apparently unaware he was already married) and promised her they would go to Reno or Mexico for her to divorce Ronald. They then flew to San Francisco.

On the second day in San Francisco, Irene confessed to Muldavin that she had disobeyed his order not to tell anyone about their trip and told her neighbor. He forgave her, and they spent another night together. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

Irene woke up the next day with a sore throat, and Muldavin told her that he had arranged for a doctor friend to meet her on the University of California campus. No one met her, and when she went back to the hotel room, Muldavin and the wedding ring were gone.(Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962)

August 6, 1960 Per the New York Daily News, Muldavin flew to Reno, NV, bought a sports car under the name Michael Strong, and drove to Provincetown, MA, where he passed himself off as a writer for a Vancouver newspaper/magazine. He then went to New York, where he had surgery on his nose, and then drove to Key West, before flying back to NY for yet another operation on his nose ("straightening").

August 8, 1960 Muldavin's trip to British Columbia for the artifacts was supposed to take about five days, so Evelyn now became concerned that the plane had gone down in Puget Sound. Mrs. Winkler, OTOH, is becoming concerned about that $10k check. When the detectives looking for Delores and Mazanita come around, she supposedly encouraged them to check the house, where the women's full wardrobes were found.

August 11, 1960 Mrs. Winkler and Evelyn reported Muldavin missing, per an AP article from October 19, 1961.

August 30, 1960 Per an AP article, remains were found in a septic tank in the half-finished basement, covered with new cement. The "creaky old house" was both Muldavin's home and antique shop, two stories, on the Seattle Lake Union waterfront.

Early September 1960 Two legs are found about 200 miles east of Seattle, in the Columbia River in central Washington. (Honolulu Advertiser, 1-7-1962). They have a distinctive upturned toe that Manzanita's sister says could be Manzie's. However, these remains, along with those from the septic tank, are later stated to be from a female aged 16-20.

December 1, 1960 Per Daily News, Muldavin is arrested in his "curio-cluttered Greenwich Village apartment" by the FBI. He's described as 6'2", 250 lbs, with his brown hair dyed red. He was using the name Michael Strong.

December 7, 1960 Per the Spokane Chronicle, Muldavin is returned to Seattle for questioning regarding the disappearance of his wife Manzanita, and stepdaughter, Dolores Mearns.

October 1961 Trial on charge of grand larceny. His mother, Sylvia da Silva Muldavin ("of New York"), brother, Michael Muldavin ("prominent economist from San Diego"), and wife, referred to as Evelyn Emerson Rockwell, were all present.

October 26, 1961 Muldavin is convicted on the charge of grand larceny, on his 38th birthday.

November 21, 1961 Per the AP, a judge declined to dismiss perjury charges against Muldavin for claims Muldavin made regarding Vancouver antique dealer Daniel Terrance Devlin during the previous month's larceny trial.

March 22, 1962 Muldavin is released on a suspended sentence for the grand larceny charge. The judge stated that there was a "difficult aspect" in sentencing Muldavin "because he is suspected of having committed 'a much more serious crime.'" (AP, 3-24-62) His brother Michael stated that Muldavin's family in San Diego was prepared to rehabilitate him, and his wife Evelyn would also welcome him there (AP 3-23-1962).

August 10, 1963 Los Angeles, CA, second marriage to Evelyn Emerson, using the Guy R. Muldavin name.

December 18, 1970 An article in The Mercury from the Newsweek Feature Service about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell, Inc. in LA.

December 27-28, 1971 An article in The Mercury (among other papers) about Christmas sales trends has a comment from Muldavin, listing him as the executive VP at David Orgell's in CA.

1973 "The year before Ruth [Marie Terry] was killed she tried to reach out to Hanchett [her son, raised by friends], who was a teenager at the time but he wasn’t ready to connect." Another article quotes him as saying this occurred in "about 1972," "But he was in the hospital because of a drug overdose that left him in a coma for 18 days."

April 30, 1973 An ad in the Los Angeles Times seeks salespersons for David Orgell, with Muldavin interviewing.

February 16, 1974 Reno, NV, marriage to Ruth Terry.

Spring/Summer 1974 Muldavin and Terry travel to TN to see her family. "Ken [Ruth's half-brother] said the last time he saw Ruth was a few months before she disappeared. She had come to Whitwell to visit the family with her new husband, Guy Muldavin." I wonder if they married, traveled to TN en route to Provincetown, then he made his final visit to the Terrys on his way back to CA? "Novonglosky [Terry's great-niece] said her family remembers Terry wasn't herself when Muldavin was by her side. She said Terry was almost inaccessible when she was with him, and it was like he owned her, that she was his property."

"The couple came to Carole and Kenneth Terry’s house in Chattanooga, Tennessee, most likely after they’d stopped in Whitwell for a family visit, Carole Terry said.

'She was just the same sweet Ruth,' she said. 'They didn’t stay very long. They were leaving. They said they were going to travel the United States. He was an art dealer. They were going to look for antiques.'

Kenneth Terry said he recalled the couple saying they were returning to Massachusetts after they left."

July 26, 1974 Ruth Terry's unidentified body is found "in the dunes about a mile east of the Race Point Ranger Station in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The cause of death was a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. Her hands were missing, presumably removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints and her head was nearly severed from her body. The left side of her skull had been crushed. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Her nude body was discovered lying on a beach blanket with her head resting on folded jeans." (FBI)

"Alyssa Metcalfe’s sister, Leslie, who has since died, made the gruesome discovery. She was 12 years old at the time.
Leslie was walking to the C-Scape dune shack when a dog ran off and began barking. At first, Metcalfe said, her sister didn’t know it was a body in the dunes; she thought it was a deer but realized what it was when she got closer.
“I remember my sister saying she looked really peaceful because she was just laying there. She thought she looked more like a mannequin than a human,” Metcalfe said."

Late 1974 Muldavin travels to TN to tell Terry's family that she is missing. “He was so blunt and just said he didn’t know where she was and all that but he didn’t stay very long,” said Jan Terry. "Novonglosky's great-grandfather then travelled to California and hired a private investigator, who told them all of her belongings had been sold and that she left the state." "He also said Terry was part of a religious cult. "

Alternatively, it's also stated that "By 1974, though, when Ruth Marie Terry hadn’t shown up again in Whitwell for a visit, her brother James went to California to find her, a relative said. 'They couldn’t find anything,' Hanchett said. 'They confronted that Muldavin guy, and he just said she just left, you know, free-spirited, this, that and the other.'"

October 18, 1975 Los Angeles, CA, marriage to PS/PR

November 18, 1975 Notice in the Las Vegas Optic of Muldavin as plaintiff vs his brother Michael (aka Samyon) in the fourth judicial district court for the county of San Miguel in NM, regarding real estate in that county.

~1976 Per article from 1985 in The Californian, 9 years prior, Muldavin quit his job as executive vice president at David Orgell's, a china, crystal, and silver store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

"Muldavin apparently penned a bizarre book, titled “Cooking with Rump Oil,” that was published two years after Ruth Marie Terry’s murder. It includes disturbing recipes and fictional beings.

One page is a recipe for 'Cape Cod Shid.' In part it reads, 'Out of the water and into the pan. The sweet turpentine taste will turn to that of a burnt glove and the tender look will become one of despair.'"

February 1, 1977 Muldavin, described as a "satirical author," is featured on a KCRW-FM radio show, per the Los Angeles Times.

~1980 Per 2002 obituary, had lived in Salinas for 22 years at the time of his death

October 30, 1981 An article in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin's wife P, of Marina Del Rey, CA, attended a 50th anniversary party for her parents, G and ES.

November 22, 1981 Ruth's father Johnny dies and is buried in Marion County, TN

February 24, 1983 Notice in The Californian that Muldavin was appointed to the Chualar County Water District Board of Directors.

July 5, 1985 Per article in The Californian, was working as a DJ at KAZU

October 17, 1986 Notice in the Los Angeles Times that PMuldavin's paintings ("When Beauty Is Enough") are being exhibited at Woman's Building.

Spring 1988 Multiple notices in the Los Angeles Times that his wife P has (a) painting(s) on exhibition at Mount St. Mary's College, a women's university in LA.

May 12, 1988 Obituary for his MIL in the North Bay Nugget states that Muldavin is living in LA with his wife, P.

March 18, 1994 Very interestingly, an obituary for P's father lists his surviving children, with their spouses, and, in one case, even a "friend" in parentheses after their names. P is listed as Phyllis S-Muldavin, but no spouse is listed with her. Then, the next day, Guy is added in.

June 19, 1994 Ad for exhibition "The World of Cups" at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena lists his wife, P, as a featured artist.

March 14, 2002 Salinas, CA, death. Obituary references a long illness and hospice. P is still listed as his wife.

February 22, 2007 Ruth Terry's ex-husband Billy Ray dies in Chattanooga.

October 7, 2008 Ruth Terry's stepmother dies in Jasper, TN; Ruth is listed as surviving her.

August 11, 2010 Ruth Terry's sister dies, Ruth is listed as predeceasing her. Interesting the two routes these obituary writers took.

February 25, 2017 Ruth's half-sister dies, she is not mentioned as predeceasing or surviving in the obituary. It's worth looking at her photo; she and Ruth resemble each other closely.

2018 Ruth's son Hanchett uploads his DNA to ancestry.com. "Marilyn Renee Hill, Ruth’s niece, who died last year at 65, had visited her aunt in California and had submitted DNA to ancestry.com in hopes of finding Hanchett, he said. His DNA matched with hers." This does answer my question about whether or not they were aware that Ruth had a child.

November 8, 2018 Ruth's stepsister dies; Ruth is not mentioned in the obituary as predeceasing or a survivor.

November 17, 2021 Muldavin's widow P dies in Thousand Oaks, CA. (2021 Fall Los Angeles Collegian 6 , p. 9)

Further biographical info: Muldavin's obituary references one sister, (JT of Salinas), who was living at the time of his death in 2002. Per The Independent, this was actually a woman with whom he had had a romantic relationship that later turned platonic. However, there's only about a year between the death of Ruth Terry and his marriage to P--hopefully, it occurred sometime then?

"'We know he’s resided in Seattle, we know that he’s been a resident of California. We know that he was in Chicago briefly and of course we know he was married to Ruth and Ruth had family in Tennessee,' Mason added."

"Pat Hanchett, [Terry's son] Richard’s older sister, had kept in touch with Terry while she was in California. Richard recalled Pat saying that Ruth had stopped corresponding in the mid-1970s. Pat was murdered by her husband in 1980," leaving that as another dead end regarding Terry's life from 1958-1974.

Excellent post! Thank you!

As a side, I helped the author of the book about Evelyn's father, finding Maud's obit. Marie Strainchamps and Louise Strainchamps are the same person. IIRC Marie was Louise's mother.

ETA: Checked my notes, Louise's mother's name was Flore Pauline Sury. Marie was probably a transcription typo.

 

[iamshadow21]

June 18, 1950 The body of Henry Baird, 22, was found near Fortuna, CA. He had been shot in the back of the head with a .32 caliber gun (one of which was missing from Baird's car) and was naked except for his socks/shoes, with his clothes folded nearby. He had last been seen with Barbara Kelley, 17, who was a waitress in Fortuna. Her clothes were folded under his, but she was never found. Barbara worked at one of the two restaurants in Fortuna; Muldavin was a short-order cook at the other, which was owned by his then-FIL. When he was arrested in 1960 on the larceny charge, the Humboldt County Sheriff wanted to speak with Muldavin regarding the Baird murder/Kelley disappearance. It doesn't seem super consistent with his known MOs, though. Gail Patrick Irish confessed to their murders in 1963 but appeared to have mental health issues. Authorities said they would consider Irish's confession a hoax unless he was able to lead them to Barbara. He did lead them on at least one unsuccessful search, but I can't find that he was ever able take them to her body or be convicted. There was speculation at the time of the original murder that it was a murder-suicide, with Barbara's body being pulled out to sea, where she theoretically drowned herself after shooting Baird, as well as if she had fled.

RSBM RBBM

Um, weird?

'Here, honey, hold my gun while I strip naked and fold my clothing. Now you, and now I shoot you and drown myself.'

Sounds like someone came up with a theory as to why a gun wasn't found with Baird's body and clung onto it, despite the fact that it's complete nonsense. I'm sure it drove the investigators nuts that not only was he without a gun, but was shot in the back of the head.

I favour more a 'Zodiac' or Lover's Lane killer style MO. Ambush, make the pair strip off, fold their clothing and kneel, one at a time (her first, hence her clothing folded on the bottom), shoot Baird, abduct Kelley. It's plausible, I think. Zodiac wasn't active, that we know of, until nearly twenty years later. They may not have seen this type of crime before and been baffled by it.

 

[DrQ]

IMHO I'm happy to see RT identified. I ran across the case many years ago on an unsolved mystery show. All cases are sad but when someone is missing and unidentified for so long it makes you wonder if they are really able to rest in peace.

 

[PamCake]

at the time of Evelyn's birth, while her mother was Louise Strainchamps. The article confusingly says that Theodore married Marie Strainchamps as his third wife in 1921, then divorced in 1922--unclear to me if Louise and Marie are the same person.

Just as a possible explanation: my female Canadian French ancestors were often all named Marie-__________ with a second name, such as "Marie-Louise", so Marie and Louise are probably the same person.

 

[PamCake]

He had a daughter with his first wife, who would've been born around 1946-1947--she was nine at the time of their divorce in 1956. A daughter is mentioned in that wife's obituary.

He indeed had a daughter with JoEllen Loop, his first wife. She is listed as Towe Joy Rockwell in this 1950 US federal census in Seattle, WA.

Upon doing more research I found that she was born Oct 16, 1949 in Eureka, CA, the very same place where Rockwell is suspected of murdering a bread deliveryman (body found naked with clothes neatly folded) and a waitress (body never found) near a restaurant owned by his f-i-l in 1950. This might explain why he quickly moved to Seattle, about 600 mi away as evidenced by the census.

According to subsequent research, I found she may have died June 10, 1994, but there's no evidence that I can find, just a date on an Ancestry.com family tree. I DID find a newspaper legal "estate of" ad from Bellingham, WA dated Aug 20, 2021 She was listed as Towers Joy Corbley Rockwell, Corbley being the name of her mother's second husband. This has led me to believe that she did not die in 1994, 27 years before the legal ad. Lots of work left to do here...

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

He indeed had a daughter with JoEllen Loop, his first wife. She is listed as Towe Joy Rockwell in this 1950 US federal census in Seattle, WA.

Upon doing more research I found that she was born Oct 16, 1949 in Eureka, CA, the very same place where Rockwell is suspected of murdering a bread deliveryman (body found naked with clothes neatly folded) and a waitress (body never found) near a restaurant owned by his f-i-l in 1950. This might explain why he quickly moved to Seattle, about 600 mi away as evidenced by the census.

According to subsequent research, I found she may have died June 10, 1994, but there's no evidence that I can find, just a date on an Ancestry.com family tree. I DID find a newspaper legal "estate of" ad from Bellingham, WA dated Aug 20, 2021 She was listed as Towers Joy Corbley Rockwell, Corbley being the name of her mother's second husband. This has led me to believe that she did not die in 1994, 27 years before the legal ad. Lots of work left to do here...

JoEllen died in 2002, and her obituary references her daughter surviving her. It’s possible that she had another daughter, but I think it would be unusual for the obituary to not reference an additional daughter who predeceased her.

 

[Susikatze]

Weird obit

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Ruth Marie TerryPhoto byFBI
On July 26, 1974, a twelve-year-old girl was walking her dog in the Cape Cod dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when she came across a naked woman she thought was sunbathing. The woman was lying facedown on a beach blanket. When she got closer, she made a realization that made her blood run cold, and she bolted.


The police were called, and they confirmed the woman was deceased. The woman was missing her hands, and her nearly decapitated head was resting on a pair of folded jeans and a blue bandana. It was determined that she had likely been there for two weeks before the discovery of her body, which already gave law enforcement a challenge in identifying her. She would be called the Lady of the Dunes and become Massachusetts’s longest unidentified homicide victim.

She was described as a redhead of athletic build and medium height. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and her toes were painted with pink nail polish. The thing that had led to the biggest hope of someone recognizing was that the Jane Doe had extensive dental work, with multiple gold crowns, which was estimated to have cost upwards of $5000 at the time. It was estimated that she was in her thirties.

At the time of her discovery, there was very little for the police to go on. There were two sets of footprints that led to the body. Her cause of death was determined to be severe blunt force trauma to the skull, and her autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted, likely postmortem. In addition to her hands being removed, she was also missing a forearm. Detectives canvassed nearby motels, rooming houses, and thousands of missing woman reports, and they even had a clay model reconstruction of the woman. However, despite best efforts, little could be uncovered about the woman, and the case would ultimately go cold for many decades.

Jane Doe, “Lady of the Dunes,” Identified after 48 years | True Crime Mysteries (Megan) | NewsBreak Original

FBI identified Ruth Marie Terry as 1974 murder victim. On July 26, 1974, a twelve-year-old girl was walking her dog in the Cape Cod dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when she came across a naked woman she thought was sunbathing. The woman was lying facedown on a beach blanket. When she got...

original.newsbreak.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Sometime in 1974, Ruth went to visit family in Tennessee with a new husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin. After this visit, Ruth’s family never heard from her again. Ruth’s sister-in-law Carole Terry is quoted saying, “I always had a bad feeling about that guy that she married.” They had only been married for six months before her body was discovered. Once she had gone missing, Muldavin disappeared, never reporting his new bride missing.

Ruth had been known to use several different variations of her name. Law enforcement says she had connections to Tennessee, Michigan, and California, and they are looking for more information about her life before and up to 1974.

Authorities announced shortly after Ruth was identified that they were also looking for any information about Guy Muldavin. He also used several names, was known to travel around the US, and was the lead suspect in the murder of his second wife and stepdaughter in 1960 in Seattle, Washington. It is strongly believed that he is responsible for Ruth’s murder, the murders in Seattle, and the additional murders of an unidentified victim. After he fled Washington, human remains were discovered in the septic tank of his home.

Jane Doe, “Lady of the Dunes,” Identified after 48 years

FBI identified Ruth Marie Terry as 1974 murder victim

truecrimemysteries.medium.com

 

[Richard]

Serial Killer?....

Raoul Guy Rockwell Muldavin​

BIRTH 26 Oct 1923 New York, USA
DEATH 14 Mar 2002 (aged 78) California, USA
Burial Details Unknown

The late Guy Rockwell Muldavin is believed to have married Ruth Marie Terry in February 1974, just a few months before the 37-year-old Terry's body was found in Provincetown...

A murder suspect in death of his wife and step daughter in 1960, and a primary suspect in the death of another wife in 1980...

How many others were there, and who are they?

LINKS:

Guy Rockwell Muldavin, husband of 'Lady of the Dunes,' was suspect in 1960 Seattle deaths

Guy Rockwell Muldavin was a suspect in the deaths of a previous wife and a stepdaughter in Seattle in 1960.

www.cbsnews.com

Raoul Guy Rockwell Muldavin (1923-2002) - Find a...

A murder suspect in death of his wife and step daughter in 1960, and a primary suspect in the death of another wife in 1980. This memorial has been created because it should be known he was apparently not a good man, but apparently a heartless murderer.

www.findagrave.com

 

[SolVic]

Serial Killer?....

Raoul Guy Rockwell Muldavin​

BIRTH 26 Oct 1923 New York, USA
DEATH 14 Mar 2002 (aged 78) California, USA
Burial Details Unknown

The late Guy Rockwell Muldavin is believed to have married Ruth Marie Terry in February 1974, just a few months before the 37-year-old Terry's body was found in Provincetown...

A murder suspect in death of his wife and step daughter in 1960, and a primary suspect in the death of another wife in 1980...

How many others were there, and who are they?

LINKS:

Guy Rockwell Muldavin, husband of 'Lady of the Dunes,' was suspect in 1960 Seattle deaths

Guy Rockwell Muldavin was a suspect in the deaths of a previous wife and a stepdaughter in Seattle in 1960.

www.cbsnews.com

Raoul Guy Rockwell Muldavin (1923-2002) - Find a...

A murder suspect in death of his wife and step daughter in 1960, and a primary suspect in the death of another wife in 1980. This memorial has been created because it should be known he was apparently not a good man, but apparently a heartless murderer.

www.findagrave.com

Wait, he possibly murdered another wife in 1980? I don’t remember hearing about that.

Also, I hate the fact this guy used multiple names. I’m guessing it’s really just Guy Rockwell Muldavin. No Raoul. He claimed to have been born in New Mexico, but his place of birth was actually New York. Some sources say that he was born on October 26th, but according to the FBI, it was the 27th.