citizen_sleuth
Verified family member - Orie Donald Esh thread
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NamUs #UP72085 / Doe Network 3455UMCA
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 17-25
Estimated Year of Death: 1973
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'2"-5'10" (62-70 inches), Estimated
Weight: 135-160 lbs, Estimated
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: April 22, 1973
NamUs Case Created: August 30, 2011
ME/C QA Reviewed: August 31, 2011
Location Found: Wilmington, California
County: Los Angeles County
Circumstances of Recovery: At around 2:15 a.m. on April 22, 1973, a Marine stationed at the Terminal Island Naval Station discovered a green plastic bag containing the right leg and foot of a young man on the Terminal Island Freeway just south of Anaheim Street. The man's arms, which had been severed at the shoulders and wrists, were found by police officers in a similar bag on the Pacific Coast Highway onramp to the Terminal Island Freeway at around 5:30 a.m. At approximately 10:25 a.m., the man's torso was discovered near the intersection of Alameda Street and Henry Found Avenue.
Police quickly determined that the man had been the victim of a homicide, with the cause of death listed as stab wounds. On April 24, police searched a public pool in Wilmington after a lifeguard reported seeing a large pool of blood as well as a bloody men's clothing, although authorities later stated it was not related to the dismembered man's murder.
Just before dawn on April 25, a man searching for bottles to use in ornamental glass work found the left leg of the man inside of a trash bag, wrapped in three white paper towels, in a commercial trash bin behind Broom Hilda's Bar at 16865 Pacific Coast Highway. There was also a business card for a Covina, CA pool table service and repair shop in the bag.
Later that same day, police received a tip from a woman who was traveling westbound on the Artesia Freeway in the afternoon of April 21 when she witnessed a man toss what appeared to be a heavy, green plastic bag over an embankment. The woman claimed that the vehicle, which was stopped in the slow lane of the freeway, contained two Caucasian men -- a heavy-set male who was in the driver's seat, and a tall, lanky man who was witnessed throwing the bag out of the vehicle. Police responded and searched the area beside the westbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Lakewood Boulevard as a result of the woman's tip and recovered an empty green plastic bag. Police believe that the bag used to contain body parts but speculated that animals may have scavenged them.
The last part of the man's body to be found was the head, which was found in a paper bag by a conveyor belt worker at the Pioneer Paper Stock Co., 705 W. 182nd St., on April 26. Authorities determined that the head had originally been disposed of in a trash bin behind the Alpha Beta Market, 644 Redondo Avenue.
It is estimated that the man was killed a day before the first body part was discovered, although there were signs the remains had been refrigerated before being disposed. As a result, he may have died earlier.
He is believed to be a victim of serial killer Randy Kraft. Kraft kept a "scorecard" of his victims, and the decedent is believed to be the victim referred to as "Hawth Off Head."
Kraft killed up to 67 victims between 1971 and 1983. At least three other victims remain unidentified.
Inventory of Remains: One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains: Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Head Hair Description: Wavy curls, ~5" long
Facial Hair Description: Thin, fine mustache
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Physical Features: Possible small mole on right side of neck below right ear
Clothing and Accessories
- None
News Coverage
<modsnip: removed images of full length newspaper articles>
Tim Lemm, "Detectives check new murder clue," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 24 April 1973, A1.
A sizeable [sic] pool of blood discovered Monday at a city swimming pool is being investigated as a possible link to the murder of a young man whose hacked body was found scattered in the Harbor Area.
[...]
Police said blood found on the pool deck is being analyzed for comparison to blood samples taken from the hacked up body of the youth which was found stuffed in three green plastic bags.
A bloody shirt and pair of men's shorts found near the pool of blood were booked into evidence for analysis.
Tim Lemm, "Search resumed for missing parts of body scattered in Harbor Area," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 25 April 1973, A1.
Police said the new clue came from a Lakewood woman who said she saw a car stop on the Artesia Freeway Saturday afternoon and observed a man dump a bulky green bag over the shoulder of the road.
[...]
Sgt. Ron Skaggs and Gene Brizzolara of the Long Beach homicide detail said the bag spotted on the Artesia Freeway was empty and may have been torn open by animals.
With the discovery of the new evidence there, however, the Long Beach police search and rescue teams were called out shortly after dusk and a search of the area was begun.
More than 20 men searched the area beside the westbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Lakewood Boulevard.
The Lakewood woman who told authorities about seeing the bulky plastic bag dumped over the freeway embankment said that there were two men in the car.
The woman said she and her family were driving westbound on the Artesia Freeway when a car containing two men stopped in the slow lane of the freeway.
She said there was a heavy-set man driving the car and a tall, lanky man alongside who got out of the vehicle, dumped the bag over the embankment and then climbed back into the car.
The woman said both men in the car were Caucasian and the vehicle was last seen headed westbound on the freeway.
[...]
Meanwhile, a pool of blood found at a Wilmington swimming pool Monday apparently is not connected with the murder of the young man.
Jim Stingley, "Murders of Four Young Men in Beach Areas Linked, Police Say," Los Angeles Times, 25 April 1973, 3.
Tim Lemm, "Leg of mutilated body found in Seal Beach," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 26 April 1973, A1.
The left leg of the young man now listed simply as John Doe No. 52 was found shortly after dawn in a commercial trash bin behind Broom Hilda's Bar at 16865 Pacific Coast Highway.
Tim McAuliffe of Sunset Beach told Orange County sheriff's deputies he made the grisly discovery while looking for ornamental cut glass in the trash bin.
Deputies said the human leg was wrapped in three white paper towels and stuffed inside a 30-gallon trash can liner.
A business card for a Covina pool table service and repair shop was also found inside the plastic bag.
[...]
Harbor Division police said the victim of this latest murder had also been castrated and suffered multiple stab wounds in the back.
A Marine at the Terminal Island Naval Station discovered the first green plastic garbage bag about 2:15 a.m. Sunday on the Terminal Island Freeway just south of Anaheim Street.
The bag contained the right leg and foot of a young man.
Three hours later, police found a similar bag at the Pacific Coast Highway onramp to the Terminal Island Freeway.
It contained the victim's arms, which had been severed at the shoulders and hands.
The torso of the young man was discovered about 10:25 a.m. near Alameda Street and Henry Ford Avenue.
Lou Godfrey, "Grisly body matchup: Missing leg found in beach bin," Independent Press-Telegram [Long Beach, CA], 26 April 1973, A1.
Harbor Division detectives said the series of finds may be linked, at least in nature, to three bodies found previously in the area, and one investigator speculated there may be more than one "sexual maniac" following the same pattern of butchery throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.
[...]
Police said the three murders were all of a "sexual nature" but declined to specifically tie those slayings to this week's dismemberment murder except to say they might be linked in nature.
"Young man sought to identify butchery victims," Independent Press-Telegram [Long Beach, CA], 5 May 1973, A3.
Despite discovery of the head on the conveyor belt at the Pioneer Paper Stock Co., 705 W. 182nd St., Lynch said the body remains unidentified. He added, however, that the head had been traced through disposal crews to a trash bin behind the Alpha Beta Market, 644 Redondo Ave.
The detective said the young man police are seeking may also be able to identify the body of another "John Doe," found on the Terminal Island Freeway a quarter-mile south of Pacific Coast Highway last Feb. 6.
"The man we're looking for is not wanted as a suspect in any case and will not be arrested," said Lynch. "But we believe both the victims were known to him, and we are anxious to talk with this man."
The man was described as white, in his early or mid-20's, about six feet tall and weighing about 175 pounds with medium-length black hair. Lynch also described him as clean-shaven, a neat dresser and believed to be driving a small car, probably of foreign manufacture.
Demographics
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 17-25
Estimated Year of Death: 1973
Estimated PMI: N/A
Height: 5'2"-5'10" (62-70 inches), Estimated
Weight: 135-160 lbs, Estimated
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing
Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: April 22, 1973
NamUs Case Created: August 30, 2011
ME/C QA Reviewed: August 31, 2011
Location Found: Wilmington, California
County: Los Angeles County
Circumstances of Recovery: At around 2:15 a.m. on April 22, 1973, a Marine stationed at the Terminal Island Naval Station discovered a green plastic bag containing the right leg and foot of a young man on the Terminal Island Freeway just south of Anaheim Street. The man's arms, which had been severed at the shoulders and wrists, were found by police officers in a similar bag on the Pacific Coast Highway onramp to the Terminal Island Freeway at around 5:30 a.m. At approximately 10:25 a.m., the man's torso was discovered near the intersection of Alameda Street and Henry Found Avenue.
Police quickly determined that the man had been the victim of a homicide, with the cause of death listed as stab wounds. On April 24, police searched a public pool in Wilmington after a lifeguard reported seeing a large pool of blood as well as a bloody men's clothing, although authorities later stated it was not related to the dismembered man's murder.
Just before dawn on April 25, a man searching for bottles to use in ornamental glass work found the left leg of the man inside of a trash bag, wrapped in three white paper towels, in a commercial trash bin behind Broom Hilda's Bar at 16865 Pacific Coast Highway. There was also a business card for a Covina, CA pool table service and repair shop in the bag.
Later that same day, police received a tip from a woman who was traveling westbound on the Artesia Freeway in the afternoon of April 21 when she witnessed a man toss what appeared to be a heavy, green plastic bag over an embankment. The woman claimed that the vehicle, which was stopped in the slow lane of the freeway, contained two Caucasian men -- a heavy-set male who was in the driver's seat, and a tall, lanky man who was witnessed throwing the bag out of the vehicle. Police responded and searched the area beside the westbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Lakewood Boulevard as a result of the woman's tip and recovered an empty green plastic bag. Police believe that the bag used to contain body parts but speculated that animals may have scavenged them.
The last part of the man's body to be found was the head, which was found in a paper bag by a conveyor belt worker at the Pioneer Paper Stock Co., 705 W. 182nd St., on April 26. Authorities determined that the head had originally been disposed of in a trash bin behind the Alpha Beta Market, 644 Redondo Avenue.
It is estimated that the man was killed a day before the first body part was discovered, although there were signs the remains had been refrigerated before being disposed. As a result, he may have died earlier.
He is believed to be a victim of serial killer Randy Kraft. Kraft kept a "scorecard" of his victims, and the decedent is believed to be the victim referred to as "Hawth Off Head."
Kraft killed up to 67 victims between 1971 and 1983. At least three other victims remain unidentified.
Inventory of Remains: One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains: Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Head Hair Description: Wavy curls, ~5" long
Facial Hair Description: Thin, fine mustache
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Physical Features: Possible small mole on right side of neck below right ear
Clothing and Accessories
- None
News Coverage
<modsnip: removed images of full length newspaper articles>
Tim Lemm, "Detectives check new murder clue," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 24 April 1973, A1.
A sizeable [sic] pool of blood discovered Monday at a city swimming pool is being investigated as a possible link to the murder of a young man whose hacked body was found scattered in the Harbor Area.
[...]
Police said blood found on the pool deck is being analyzed for comparison to blood samples taken from the hacked up body of the youth which was found stuffed in three green plastic bags.
A bloody shirt and pair of men's shorts found near the pool of blood were booked into evidence for analysis.
Tim Lemm, "Search resumed for missing parts of body scattered in Harbor Area," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 25 April 1973, A1.
Police said the new clue came from a Lakewood woman who said she saw a car stop on the Artesia Freeway Saturday afternoon and observed a man dump a bulky green bag over the shoulder of the road.
[...]
Sgt. Ron Skaggs and Gene Brizzolara of the Long Beach homicide detail said the bag spotted on the Artesia Freeway was empty and may have been torn open by animals.
With the discovery of the new evidence there, however, the Long Beach police search and rescue teams were called out shortly after dusk and a search of the area was begun.
More than 20 men searched the area beside the westbound lanes of the Artesia Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Lakewood Boulevard.
The Lakewood woman who told authorities about seeing the bulky plastic bag dumped over the freeway embankment said that there were two men in the car.
The woman said she and her family were driving westbound on the Artesia Freeway when a car containing two men stopped in the slow lane of the freeway.
She said there was a heavy-set man driving the car and a tall, lanky man alongside who got out of the vehicle, dumped the bag over the embankment and then climbed back into the car.
The woman said both men in the car were Caucasian and the vehicle was last seen headed westbound on the freeway.
[...]
Meanwhile, a pool of blood found at a Wilmington swimming pool Monday apparently is not connected with the murder of the young man.
Jim Stingley, "Murders of Four Young Men in Beach Areas Linked, Police Say," Los Angeles Times, 25 April 1973, 3.
Tim Lemm, "Leg of mutilated body found in Seal Beach," News-Pilot [San Pedro, CA], 26 April 1973, A1.
The left leg of the young man now listed simply as John Doe No. 52 was found shortly after dawn in a commercial trash bin behind Broom Hilda's Bar at 16865 Pacific Coast Highway.
Tim McAuliffe of Sunset Beach told Orange County sheriff's deputies he made the grisly discovery while looking for ornamental cut glass in the trash bin.
Deputies said the human leg was wrapped in three white paper towels and stuffed inside a 30-gallon trash can liner.
A business card for a Covina pool table service and repair shop was also found inside the plastic bag.
[...]
Harbor Division police said the victim of this latest murder had also been castrated and suffered multiple stab wounds in the back.
A Marine at the Terminal Island Naval Station discovered the first green plastic garbage bag about 2:15 a.m. Sunday on the Terminal Island Freeway just south of Anaheim Street.
The bag contained the right leg and foot of a young man.
Three hours later, police found a similar bag at the Pacific Coast Highway onramp to the Terminal Island Freeway.
It contained the victim's arms, which had been severed at the shoulders and hands.
The torso of the young man was discovered about 10:25 a.m. near Alameda Street and Henry Ford Avenue.
Lou Godfrey, "Grisly body matchup: Missing leg found in beach bin," Independent Press-Telegram [Long Beach, CA], 26 April 1973, A1.
Harbor Division detectives said the series of finds may be linked, at least in nature, to three bodies found previously in the area, and one investigator speculated there may be more than one "sexual maniac" following the same pattern of butchery throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.
[...]
Police said the three murders were all of a "sexual nature" but declined to specifically tie those slayings to this week's dismemberment murder except to say they might be linked in nature.
"Young man sought to identify butchery victims," Independent Press-Telegram [Long Beach, CA], 5 May 1973, A3.
Despite discovery of the head on the conveyor belt at the Pioneer Paper Stock Co., 705 W. 182nd St., Lynch said the body remains unidentified. He added, however, that the head had been traced through disposal crews to a trash bin behind the Alpha Beta Market, 644 Redondo Ave.
The detective said the young man police are seeking may also be able to identify the body of another "John Doe," found on the Terminal Island Freeway a quarter-mile south of Pacific Coast Highway last Feb. 6.
"The man we're looking for is not wanted as a suspect in any case and will not be arrested," said Lynch. "But we believe both the victims were known to him, and we are anxious to talk with this man."
The man was described as white, in his early or mid-20's, about six feet tall and weighing about 175 pounds with medium-length black hair. Lynch also described him as clean-shaven, a neat dresser and believed to be driving a small car, probably of foreign manufacture.
Last edited by a moderator:
