Found Deceased CA - Ronald Cole, 18, Fillmore, 1 May 1965 - remains found October 1966, identified January 2026

[historicallyaccurate]

A 1986 obit for Lucy LaFever is here, listing David LaFever of Arizona as a stepson. If so, then David LaFever wouldn't have been a half brother of Ronald by blood, just a half brother by marriage. It also lists no bio children for her. But some obits are selective versions of the truth.

Ronald and David have the same mother- Lara Hope Ladd. David's father is Harvey LaFever, otherwise known as Ted. Ronald's father is George Washington Cole.

 

[historicallyaccurate]

Current updates in research:
RONALD JOE COLE HAS HIS BIRTH YEAR LISTED INCORRECTLY ON ALL SOURCES. After countless hours of research, I found a spring census from 1950. Ronnie is 3 at the time and his older sister Myrtle is 4. Her birthdate is 100% confirmed as being October 16, 1945. So if she was born in 1945 and 4 at the time of the 1950 census, and Ronnie was a year younger, he'd have to have been born September 21, 1946- NOT 1945 as it's listed everywhere. Ronnie and Myrtle were full blood siblings- both parents were George Washington Cole and Lara Hope (Ladd) Cole. It's impossible that Ronald was born within a couple months of her either way, but she was definitely his older sister. I cannot for the life of me find is birth certificate, but I am fully confident in this discovery. If anyone wants to help with getting this corrected en masse- I've not been responded to by Henry Co Sheriffs office nor by the DNA Doe Project. Maybe I'm overly dwelling on this detail, but he deserves to have his birthdate listed correctly. He was 18 when he disappeared- not 19.
Ronnie (this was what his family called him) has maybe one living sibling- George Washington Cole Jr. He'd be about 77, but locating him is not proving fruitful. He would have been about 15 when Ronnie left to go to David Arthur LaFever's home, and was in the Fillmore are when Ronnie left there.
Siblings are as follows:
Arlene LaFever
David Lafever
Susan Tharp- I believe this is the sister he called when he arrived to David's house!
Myrtle Cole
Ronald Cole
George W Cole
Pamela Cole

His father George W Cole's obituary mentions a *Mrs* Judith Anne Baughman as a surviving child, and George Cole was married prior to Lara Hope, but I cannot find any birth records from the two of them.

Timeline for David Arthur Lafever (so far):
1950- Indiana with grandma
1965- San Diego
1969- Logan, Ohio - David and Margarett's son born
1974- Galt (Sacramento)
1977- h3015 San Carlos Way Sacramento - believe this is where Margarett's brother was buried
1983- Glen Canyon City, Utah (Big Water), 17 miles from Page, AZ
1996- Roff, Oklahoma
1997/98-2000- Phoenix, AZ
2000/2001-2007(death)- Anchorage Alaska

ETA: Records show Margarett and David filing for divorce in April 1974- trying to verify whether this was just a filing or whether it went through, because they stayed together after this time, clearly. Also still looking for their marriage license- thinking it was in Ohio (son born in Ohio, she's from Ohio, but divorce was filed in Sacramento)

 

[Rikissa]

Current updates in research:
RONALD JOE COLE HAS HIS BIRTH YEAR LISTED INCORRECTLY ON ALL SOURCES. After countless hours of research, I found a spring census from 1950. Ronnie is 3 at the time and his older sister Myrtle is 4. Her birthdate is 100% confirmed as being October 16, 1945. So if she was born in 1945 and 4 at the time of the 1950 census, and Ronnie was a year younger, he'd have to have been born September 21, 1946- NOT 1945 as it's listed everywhere. Ronnie and Myrtle were full blood siblings- both parents were George Washington Cole and Lara Hope (Ladd) Cole. It's impossible that Ronald was born within a couple months of her either way, but she was definitely his older sister. I cannot for the life of me find is birth certificate, but I am fully confident in this discovery. If anyone wants to help with getting this corrected en masse- I've not been responded to by Henry Co Sheriffs office nor by the DNA Doe Project. Maybe I'm overly dwelling on this detail, but he deserves to have his birthdate listed correctly. He was 18 when he disappeared- not 19.
Ronnie (this was what his family called him) has maybe one living sibling- George Washington Cole Jr. He'd be about 77, but locating him is not proving fruitful. He would have been about 15 when Ronnie left to go to David Arthur LaFever's home, and was in the Fillmore are when Ronnie left there.

I don't know how the information of the data on old birth certificates in the US was collected, stored, and later perhaps even photocopied/scanned on microfilm, or some other media. I can understand how the date of birth on an old birth certificate got wrong. What I have seen of old birth certificates, they were usually pre-printed documents, with space where additional info such as name, date of birth, and so on was filled in. Back in the mid-1940 the added info could either be written by hand, or typed in. Back then the typewriter tapes were made of fabric, and reused, often for a long time, and faded out letters/numbers could be difficult to interpret, especially from a photocopied original. It might be difficult to see the difference between a '5' and a '6', maybe even with handwritten ones.

 

[historicallyaccurate]

I don't know how the information of the data on old birth certificates in the US was collected, stored, and later perhaps even photocopied/scanned on microfilm, or some other media. I can understand how the date of birth on an old birth certificate got wrong. What I have seen of old birth certificates, they were usually pre-printed documents, with space where additional info such as name, date of birth, and so on was filled in. Back in the mid-1940 the added info could either be written by hand, or typed in. Back then the typewriter tapes were made of fabric, and reused, often for a long time, and faded out letters/numbers could be difficult to interpret, especially from a photocopied original. It might be difficult to see the difference between a '5' and a '6', maybe even with handwritten ones.

Definitely makes sense. A lot of the marriage certificates you can find are handwritten, and it can be hard to read. Even the census forms I read through, you'll see how Ai (or whatever software reads through the documents) will mistake a cursive "a" for an "o" or an "i" with a faint dot mistaken as an "e". And it is true that even David Arthur LaFever's own birth certificate doesn't even have his name on it yet, and it's all hand filled in. Also, Ronald did go missing the year he was turning 19- so maybe the math was done just based on the year, they started saying 19, and then it just went on from there. There's just not a lot out there on this young man, and it'd be nice to at least have his age/birth date correct.

 

[historicallyaccurate]

I'm not surprised his half brother was never charged with killing him back then, as there was no known body. But why wasn't his half brother, David LaFever, not ever charged with killing his wife's Margaret's brother!?

I also wonder why his body was found so faraway. His half brother had known connections to Indianapolis, but not Illinois. Of course, disposing of a body faraway lessens the chance of a correct identification, especially back in the day. Still, that's a long distance to transport a body if Ronald was killed in California. His body was indeed by a creek, as David LaFever claimed to a family member (that's mentioned in an earlier post on this thread), just not the much more obvious one near Fillmore, CA that David mentioned.

It would make sense he was traveling to Indiana and dumped him along the way

 

[beubeubeu]

It would make sense he was traveling to Indiana and dumped him along the way

Or he needed his help with carrying something maybe - like, pack up all this stuff, were going to X and then Im gonna drop you off at mom's place for few days, unload at the destination & die, you know too much.
Driving a body states away doest seem like an evolution point of a guy who murders his young brother in law and buries him in the family backyard (to me).

You did some great work, congrats.
But in same time its pretty sad news... cause it means that he got even less time to live. And possibly went to look for his first real job, hoping to set up a life close to his older siblings.
Over 60 years passed but he barely counted as "young man", still a kid.
I made it up in my mind so now I can haunt myself with it, that he got murdered as he had a hope of getting away from his monstrous brother and seeing home, mom and dad... and never did.

 

[historicallyaccurate]

Or he needed his help with carrying something maybe - like, pack up all this stuff, were going to X and then Im gonna drop you off at mom's place for few days, unload at the destination & die, you know too much.
Driving a body states away doest seem like an evolution point of a guy who murders his young brother in law and buries him in the family backyard (to me).

You did some great work, congrats.
But in same time its pretty sad news... cause it means that he got even less time to live. And possibly went to look for his first real job, hoping to set up a life close to his older siblings.
Over 60 years passed but he barely counted as "young man", still a kid.
I made it up in my mind so now I can haunt myself with it, that he got murdered as he had a hope of getting away from his monstrous brother and seeing home, mom and dad... and never did.

Very possible. The idea of driving from California to Illinois, in warmer weather, in 1965 when man cars didn't have AC, it has me leaning towards Ronnie being alive for at least part of the trip, then add the great point that he buried his BIL in his own backyard, and it pushes me even harder towards him being alive on the trip.
Also, yes!! He was a kid! And the idea he thought he was on a trip back to Indiana to see some family isn't far fetched. So very sad. That's partly why this case has gotten me wrapped up.

*side note- his mom was living in California at the time- I believe he even may have been living with her at the time he went to DAL's in Fillmore. His father was still living in Indiana, however, and I believe his sister Myrtle ("Sharon") also lived there.

 

[beubeubeu]

Very possible. The idea of driving from California to Illinois, in warmer weather, in 1965 when man cars didn't have AC, it has me leaning towards Ronnie being alive for at least part of the trip, then add the great point that he buried his BIL in his own backyard, and it pushes me even harder towards him being alive on the trip.
Also, yes!! He was a kid! And the idea he thought he was on a trip back to Indiana to see some family isn't far fetched. So very sad. That's partly why this case has gotten me wrapped up.

*side note- his mom was living in California at the time- I believe he even may have been living with her at the time he went to DAL's in Fillmore. His father was still living in Indiana, however, and I believe his sister Myrtle ("Sharon") also lived there.

Oh... I havent thought about the temp at all.

If not only his sister but also mom lived in California then, there would have to be some serious scheming going on on David's part to explain how he has no idea where Ronald is.
Or not... cause the person who got fed most tales could be just Ronald. Then I guess it could be just oh, he just packed up his stuff and was gone, we dont know where he could go kind of excuse. And considering that he already moved to Cali and was switching places where he stayed... that wouldnt neccessarily appear highely suspicious to cops. After all guy at 18, looking for job could just get wherever to look for a job and may be expected to get in touch with family in the matter of weeks or months... and as that time passed: how to look for him in 1965?

Was the identity of these two kids they abducted ever discovered?
Or wasnt it said "at least two". Does it mean that blood tests said that its possible that they were their kids but there was something off about the birth certificates like with the 12yo girl's certificate?
May be bit too random thought BUT...

Ronald was murdered in 1965... as Jon was about ~8 years old.
Then Jon was murdered in 1977/8... as the girl was about ~7/8 years old.

How these people got from renting and living in trailers into owning businesses in Alaska despite of years spend in prison?

Was it looked at if in early 1970's there were some women or couples with a kid going missing or maybe some bodies found with a bullet in the back of their skull in the general area where David lived?
I mean... how they got these kids? Is there a chance that they murdered mom or both parents and took the kid to abuse and pretend its their own?
How did they ended up with at least TWO not biological kids without good explanation where they came from?
Were these six took from them ALL the kids they had & kept hostage or did they had more around in the past?
"Suspected of a chain of murders" proven to be child sexual abuser, kidnapper and had his brother in law buried in his backyard... from where these kids came from?
Girl possibly remembered Jon. Did Jon also remembered Ronald? What Ronald saw that he had to die?
And for how long David's reign of terror was really going on? Who starts killing with putting a bullet in the back of their teenage younger brother?

 

[historicallyaccurate]

Oh... I havent thought about the temp at all.

If not only his sister but also mom lived in California then, there would have to be some serious scheming going on on David's part to explain how he has no idea where Ronald is.
Or not... cause the person who got fed most tales could be just Ronald. Then I guess it could be just oh, he just packed up his stuff and was gone, we dont know where he could go kind of excuse. And considering that he already moved to Cali and was switching places where he stayed... that wouldnt neccessarily appear highely suspicious to cops. After all guy at 18, looking for job could just get wherever to look for a job and may be expected to get in touch with family in the matter of weeks or months... and as that time passed: how to look for him in 1965?

Was the identity of these two kids they abducted ever discovered?
Or wasnt it said "at least two". Does it mean that blood tests said that its possible that they were their kids but there was something off about the birth certificates like with the 12yo girl's certificate?
May be bit too random thought BUT...

Ronald was murdered in 1965... as Jon was about ~8 years old.
Then Jon was murdered in 1977/8... as the girl was about ~7/8 years old.

How these people got from renting and living in trailers into owning businesses in Alaska despite of years spend in prison?

Was it looked at if in early 1970's there were some women or couples with a kid going missing or maybe some bodies found with a bullet in the back of their skull in the general area where David lived?
I mean... how they got these kids? Is there a chance that they murdered mom or both parents and took the kid to abuse and pretend its their own?
How did they ended up with at least TWO not biological kids without good explanation where they came from?
Were these six took from them ALL the kids they had & kept hostage or did they had more around in the past?
"Suspected of a chain of murders" proven to be child sexual abuser, kidnapper and had his brother in law buried in his backyard... from where these kids came from?
Girl possibly remembered Jon. Did Jon also remembered Ronald? What Ronald saw that he had to die?
And for how long David's reign of terror was really going on? Who starts killing with putting a bullet in the back of their teenage younger brother?

His sister Sue, his mother, and his younger brother were in San Diego. His oldest sister, Arlene ("Laura"- also older sister of David Arthur LaFever) was in Redding, CA when she was 16 (1947). I so wish we knew what LaFever's explanation was to family and police! And you're so right... it was so much easier to just disappear in the 60s (look back in this thread alone and see where it was wondered if he was trying to escape the draft and fled to Canada). I'm sure his family did not buy whatever story he tried to sell him. I sense some sort of tension in the fact that Arlene's name/existence is left out of her paternal grandmother's obituary, but a grandson (David) is mentioned. It's crazy to me that there seem to be NO available word for word interviews with Ronnie OR David's family members. Please correct me if I'm wrong here!
The two attached articles say the LaFevers had 4 of their own children, and two were not theirs and were put in foster care. That's the only thing I've really found about that so far. The girl was in a mental hospital for years before she could even go into foster care, and it also mentions they took her in when she was 9 months old... so maybe time to look into missing 9 month olds around 1972/73/74... I also can only find birth record of one of their children, so far, born in 1969. Meaning Margaret was 19, Lafever was 33. I mention this only because she was 15 when Ronnie was killed, and Lafever was heading that way. Did he meet her when she was still a teenager and groom her?? Likely... ugh!
The idea that the young girl knew Jon seems likely also... again, terribly sad. I would love to know which relative tipped off the police to Jon being buried in their yard...

Their lives in Alaska- I found an article about a Nadine LaFevre in Anchorage having a car come through her house... coincidence, or slight name change for Margaret (Nadine being her middle name). I think they moved there to escape everyone who knew their name. Even in the 90s/2000s, I don't think people were looking up this couple and researching their background up in Alaska. They chose that state for a reason.

Also a good point about whether Ronnie was the first Victim or not... I've wondered how much his dad's life of crime was David's introduction to crime...

 

[summergirl1]

Early 1965 - Ronald Joe Cole born 21st September 1945, had left his home in San Diego to stay with his half brother David Arthur LaFever in Fillmore CA while he looked for a job.
He was last seen at his home in Fillmore CA on 1st May 1965.


1977/1978 - Margaret LaFever`s brother Jon Brian Skaggs (born May 15th 1957,Indianapolis) disappears Sacramento area.



September 17th 1983-

A 12 year old girl was arrested in Indiana for alledgedly stealing a car. She claimed to Law Enforcement that her parents sent her back there because she had been telling her story of being abused.
She reported that she had been taken out of school sometime prior.Her parents claimed she had mental health problems after she spoke of her abuse to classmates labelling her parents "freaks".
Once removed from school she would be kept at the couples Glen Canyon Gift Shop business near Page.The girl was rarely allowed out and on one occasion when she was, she told her story to a Park Ranger. Again the parents played it down and subsequently moved from Greenlake Caravan Park near Lake Powell where they had lived since 1979 after moving from the house on Stockton Boulevard in Galt (where the body of Jon Brian Skaggs was soon to be found), to Bigwater in the summer of 1983.The girl also made claims about her grandfather and her uncle.(Possibly Skaggs)

Later that day the LaFevers were arrested in Bigwater. Police seized pornographic images of the girl with an adult male strongly suspected to be David Arthur LaFever. Some of the images were found to be taken in the gift shop and it was suspected that the photographer was Margaret LaFever.Other images and paraphernalia were also recovered.
The family was found to be living in two big trailers plus a 3rd that their boys stayed in.They had four boys and two girls aged 4 to 14. Blood testing showed at least two of the children were not genetically related to the LaFevers.The birth certificate the LaFevers provided for the 12 year old girl indicated she was one of a pair of twins born in Colorado but according to Chief Deputy Coconino County Attorney Terry Hance,"there is no record of twins.Only one birth.I don`t know how they came by the child".
The 12 year old victim of the case was committed to a Utah psychiatric hospital shortly after this. The other LaFever children were placed into foster homes.


The discovery of Jon Brian Skaggs - July 10th 1984

Jon Brian Skaggs brother of Margaret Nadine Skaggs LaFever (born 17th February 1950) .He had been living in Sacramento at the time but not with the LaFevers according to Sacramento Sheriff`s Lt. Ray Biondi.Biondi added "Investigators believe he was killed in 1978"
His skeletal remains were found buried in a 7.5 foot garbage pit in the back yard of the property formerly rented by the LaFevers in Galt.
Law Enforcement had received a tip from someone in custody in another state between 9 and 12 months previously saying Skaggs was dead and giving the location of the body.He was identified by dental charts and was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head.No motive for the killing was revealed although officials said it may have had something to do with another molestation case.A photograph of Skaggs was found among sexually explicit images involving children. The LaFevers became prime suspects when the Galt body was identified to be Skaggs.


1984 - Police begin to probe connections between LaFever and his missing half brother Ronald Joe Cole.

LaFever had apparently boasted to family members that he had killed Cole. Cole`s sister (possibly Peggy Leigh Cole) told investigating officers that LaFever claimed to have buried Ronald Cole in Sespe Creek north of Fillmore CA.



Tuesday,2nd July,1985- Coconino County Superior County Court-

David LaFever pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor.
Margaret LaFever pleads guilty to facilitation of exploitation of a minor.
Both entered their pleas under the Alford Plea,meaning that while they maintain they are innocent,they believed they would have likely been convicted had they been tried.The plea bargain was made in order that some other unspecified charges would be dropped.Deputy County Attorney Fred Newton said the charges were dropped to save the victim the trauma of testifying. David LaFever responded the girl was not telling the truth because of her psychological problems which he was not responsible for. Newton was quick to refute this and pointed out that David LaFever was about to send her to a friend,saying "she would do what he wanted".Newton said the girl had been "continually exploited".
Judge Jeffrey Coker remarked of the photographs of the victim featuring David LaFever and taken by Margaret LaFever. "What a terrible tragedy occurred to this child" He told Margaret LaFever "There is no question in my mind that the girl is telling the truth.There is no doubt in my mind that the damage was caused by you and Mr LaFever"

Judge Coker sentenced David Arthur LaFever to 14 years in state prison and Margaret LaFever to 1.875 years. The maximum sentences available to him.


According to an L.A times article dated Monday August 20th 1984. LaFever was suspected of committing "a chain of murders in Sacramento,Indianapolis,Olympia,Washington and Phoenix".

At one point after his conviction LaFever claimed he had information about the 1318 N. LaSalle St. murders on Dec. 1, 1971, where three "businessmen" Robert Hinson, 30; James C. Barker, 27; and Robert Gierse, 34, were found with their hands and feet bound and their throats cut.LaFever later changed his mind and recanted.


I find the connection to LaSalle unlikely.I doubt LaFever had the mettle for gangland triple murders.In my opinion Lasalle was over something else entirely.However there are a few spooky coincidences that will require further research.


1. Arizona authorities flew to Indianapolis and confirmed that LaFever did indeed know Hinson.

2. The LaSalle trio had set up a microfilming business called B&B Microfilm Service. When police searched the office it was discovered that the microfilming equipment they had was actually stolen from the Records Security Office at 752 East Market Street,Indianapolis on June 24th 1969. This is only 0.54 miles from LaFevers South Oriental Street address in 1967.I shudder to think of the connection between the activities of LaFever and a microfilming service.

3. The Secretary for the slain trio at B&B was called........Louise COLE. Could she be related to Ronald? Or is it just coincidence?


NO Homicide charge has ever been brought against LaFever.




Margaret LaFever had been staying in East Windsor Ave, Phoenix possibly from her release until 1996.David LaFever had a P.O Box address 11917 PO Box,Phoenix Arizona,85061-1917,USA. 4 miles from Margarets house from 1990.

After his release it is understood he moved to Anchorage with Margaret Lafaver circa 2000. David LaFever died on August 12th 2007. Margaret LaFever is thought to still be living there at the time of writing November 5th 2020.




648DMCA - Ronald Joe Cole
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

This was posted earlier in thread, quite some time ago, and before he was identified:

"1984 - Police begin to probe connections between LaFever and his missing half brother Ronald Joe Cole.

LaFever had apparently boasted to family members that he had killed Cole. Cole`s sister (possibly Peggy Leigh Cole) told investigating officers that LaFever claimed to have buried Ronald Cole in Sespe Creek north of Fillmore".

This was one thing he apparently told a family member about Ronald's disappearence. The original quote is from a 2020 post.