Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #7 Pam Buckley & James P Freund

[Canaille]

I never thought of a left handed shooter. My first thought was someone held one with the left arm around to the front with the gun in the right hand under their chin. Because I’m right handed and keep trying to play it out in my head.

 

[jmbuff1]

I never thought of a left handed shooter. My first thought was someone held one with the left arm around to the front with the gun in the right hand under their chin. Because I’m right handed and keep trying to play it out in my head.

I suppose it's possible, but it seems like a really dangerous way to do it for the shooter and unnecessarily more complicated. Also, if what everyone says is true in that this type of shot is usually "the finisher", it seems much more likely they were lying on the ground dead or dying from the first two body shots, and the final neck shot was standing over them and sticking the barrel right under the chin. I guess there is no way to know anymore whether or not the neck shots were really first, last or in between. I always imagine the position you describe more in line with a standoff type situation, and there is little to indicate that was going on here, but then again, I'm no expert! Just my $.02.

 

[Sweetluv]

They are identifiable, someone is just not coming forward...
If there involvement was drugs, the people in their inner circle might not have come forward in fear of implicating themselves in illegal activity.
Also, if you look at the crime scene photos, they are lying on their back. This makes me think the last two shots had to have been the chest and neck....(?)

 

[Thuwal]

Rest in peace! We have not forgotten about you both!!!!!

The fact here is the LE has forgotten them since the very first time

 

[Thuwal]

It always seemed as if local LE did not investigate the case properly. I think the KOA owners were questioned at the time, though. The lack of pursuit of the suspect with the murder weapon was also inexplicable. Even then, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number - I think it was a big .357 revolver with its serial number removed - is a Federal crime. I think someone was protecting the perpetrator, and critical information was concealed.

I agree. Somebody was protecting (maybe IS protecting...) the perpetrator/s.
Somebody rich and powerful.

 

[Warwick1991]

I think execution..
Three shots each is overkill..
No wounds to head and face suggests they wanted clear identification to whomever they were....sending a message to...
Drug running?

Three shots was how law enforcement trained its personnel with revolvers back when revolvers were standard issue. That was considered the way to stop a threat; I believe it still is for many LE organizations. Head shots are rare for either criminals or law enforcement because they are difficult, especially with a moving target. There's nothing unusual about 3 shots, especially with revolver training at the time.

 

[Warwick1991]

After 44 years, it may be way overdue to start thinking outside the box. But, it just seems to me that if they were from the US, surely someone would've recognized them by now. I could better understand if the bodies had been decayed, making it hard to recognize them.

Some things that I've just started to attempt to look into...

Vehicle. I suppose they could've hitchhiked the trip, but if so, what would they have slept in? Could they have traveled in a vehicle that was desired by collectors? Whatever kind of vehicle they might have traveled in, I suspect he was the owner of it. So, if it was stolen, there would be no one to report the car stolen. I did a quick search yesterday for vehicles most stolen in 1976, but didn't have any luck.

Missing persons websites. I'm not finding it as easy to find a data base in other countries like we have in the US.

If he drove, then he would've had a driver's license. I'm guessing there is no way for LE to search records with the Department of Motor Vehicles that would show driver's licenses not renewed between 1976 and 1980 or so.

I have soooooo many thoughts and questions about this case.

I think they must have had a vehicle - it is the most likely explanation for their travels. If they were from outside the US, they might have had international drivers licenses. If they were Canadian they could their Canadian licenses. They might have purchased a vehicle to use for long stay in the US, with the intent of selling it at a later date.

 

[Warwick1991]

Like others, I think the shots in the back and chest likely occurred during a pursuit of the victims, or perhaps even inside a vehicle. The neck is a much smaller target, and the neck shots probably would have been from a short distance with the victims already immobilized. The coroner would have ( or should have) known if they were shot at close range due to powder residue at the wound sites, but I've never seen anything definitive on that.

I think there are details that have not been shared that might aid in identification. These include whether the male was circumcised, and whether they were killed at the site where they were found.

I still think they are not from the US. One thing I find interesting is that Jane Doe wore Stride Rite sandals, which was a children's brand. They did not make shoes for adults. I think an adult female from the US would be unlikely to buy children's shoes, but someone from another country might have seen them in a store and purchased them without knowing that they were for children. They look Mediterranean, but that covers a broad range of people, from the Middle East and Southern Europe to South America. Canada has always been a possibility; Mexico is a possibility also.

 

[retrometro]

I still think they are not from the US. One thing I find interesting is that Jane Doe wore Stride Rite sandals, which was a children's brand. They did not make shoes for adults. I think an adult female from the US would be unlikely to buy children's shoes, but someone from another country might have seen them in a store and purchased them without knowing that they were for children. They look Mediterranean, but that covers a broad range of people, from the Middle East and Southern Europe to South America. Canada has always been a possibility; Mexico is a possibility also.

Mexico has crossed my mind too given Jane's southwestern-looking jewelry and the matches (there was a Grants truck stop in Lupton on Arizona/New Mexico border). I wasn't aware of Jane's sandals being a children's brand. That is interesting.

 

[CCJD]

I still think they are not from the US. One thing I find interesting is that Jane Doe wore Stride Rite sandals, which was a children's brand. They did not make shoes for adults. I think an adult female from the US would be unlikely to buy children's shoes, but someone from another country might have seen them in a store and purchased them without knowing that they were for children.

rsbm

Ad for Stride Rite Sandals - The Record (Hackensack, NJ) May 26, 1976
"Moms have been seen in Stride Rite Sandals too."

link to source - subscription needed
26 May 1976, 95 - The Record at Newspapers.com

 

[jmbuff1]

Like others, I think the shots in the back and chest likely occurred during a pursuit of the victims, or perhaps even inside a vehicle. The neck is a much smaller target, and the neck shots probably would have been from a short distance with the victims already immobilized. The coroner would have ( or should have) known if they were shot at close range due to powder residue at the wound sites, but I've never seen anything definitive on that.

I think there are details that have not been shared that might aid in identification. These include whether the male was circumcised, and whether they were killed at the site where they were found.

I still think they are not from the US. One thing I find interesting is that Jane Doe wore Stride Rite sandals, which was a children's brand. They did not make shoes for adults. I think an adult female from the US would be unlikely to buy children's shoes, but someone from another country might have seen them in a store and purchased them without knowing that they were for children. They look Mediterranean, but that covers a broad range of people, from the Middle East and Southern Europe to South America. Canada has always been a possibility; Mexico is a possibility also.

Another thing we've never heard is whether or not shell casings were found at the site. I realize the shooter(s) may have picked them up, but it would be interesting to know if any were found, as that would confirm they were killed right there.

 

[Canaille]

I think I read somewhere that they were shot at close range.

As for the shoes... she might have worn a small shoe size that was hard to find. Or she could’ve picked them up at a thrift store. Or she just liked them.

 

[Warwick1991]

Another thing we've never heard is whether or not shell casings were found at the site. I realize the shooter(s) may have picked them up, but it would be interesting to know if any were found, as that would confirm they were killed right there.

The shooter used a revolver. Unless the shooter reloaded his weapon, the empty cases stay in the cylinder until the cylinder is swung out and the cases ejected. The revolver he used had 6 shots. In theory, he could have used the 6 rounds in the cylinder without reloading. If there were more shots fired, the shooter would have had to eject the empty cases and reload. We don’t know if he did that. There wouldn’t be empty cases unless the shooter reloaded. Not a lot shared about that with the public....

 

[Deleted member 269000]

The shooter used a revolver. Unless the shooter reloaded his weapon, the empty cases stay in the cylinder until the cylinder is swung out and the cases ejected. The revolver he used had 6 shots. In theory, he could have used the 6 rounds in the cylinder without reloading. If there were more shots fired, the shooter would have had to eject the empty cases and reload. We don’t know if he did that. There wouldn’t be empty cases unless the shooter reloaded. Not a lot shared about that with the public....

And if it were a professional hit or someone with experience using a firearm, as seems likely, they could easily have policed their brass and picked up the shell casings. Moreover, someone else implied that the actual crime scene may have been elsewhere, in which case we wouldn’t expect to see shell casings where the bodies were found.

 

[branmuffin]

I also notice the neck shots were more toward the right side of the body, unless I'm seeing it wrong, in which case the shooter was probably left handed. To me, Jane Doe's is clearly on the right, while Jock's is also on the right, maybe a little closer to the center, but still leaning right. Another clue that could maybe have helped at the time if they were paying attention. I wonder if LGH or any relation of his was a lefty...

The no underwear thing is strange indeed, but in the spirit of wild speculation (after 40+ years why not?), perhaps they were parked on the side of the road near the highway somewhere to spend the night, and given the time of night it all happened, maybe certain unmentionable activities were getting underway, at which point an interruption could have caused them to hurriedly dress leaving behind underwear and in Jock's case, even his shoes. I don't know, just wild ideas because hey, what else do we have at this point? It will all come down to the DNA in the end I think, and I can hardly wait. We really need some closure in this case..

It was fairly common for people in the late 60s and 70s not to wear underwear. I don't think you can read anymore into it than that. A lot of people speculated they were foreign because of that aspect but it was fairly common in North America, too.

People have speculated that the woman was foreign because she didn't shave her legs and I believe her armpits. Again, it was fairly common back then. It was more to do with lack of access to a bathroom and a razor. It could have been a statement regarding feminism rather than lack of hygiene.

It's a lot to take in but reading the different threads really does help since the presentation of theories are dissected and discussed and fall anywhere within reasonable doubt or pie in the sky thinking.

 

[jmbuff1]

The shooter used a revolver. Unless the shooter reloaded his weapon, the empty cases stay in the cylinder until the cylinder is swung out and the cases ejected. The revolver he used had 6 shots. In theory, he could have used the 6 rounds in the cylinder without reloading. If there were more shots fired, the shooter would have had to eject the empty cases and reload. We don’t know if he did that. There wouldn’t be empty cases unless the shooter reloaded. Not a lot shared about that with the public....

I did not know that about revolvers. Thanks very much for the insight.

 

[Canaille]

Does anyone else here ever find themselves obsessed with a case to the point that it almost feels personal? It's times like this that I feel the hole that was left by Foxfire's passing. Those of you who are longtime sleuths will likely remember him. Those who aren't familiar with him, he was very devoted to the cases he followed. He introduced me to some of the cases I have followed.

I'm one of those weird folks who "gets feelings" about things. Premonitions, I guess. Anyway, for some reason when I fell into this case, I kept picturing this couple traveling the country with the windows down and hair blowing in the wind while listening to this song. I guess what was weird for me was learning that this song was released in July 1976. I feel like it's their theme song.

 

[branmuffin]

After 44 years, it may be way overdue to start thinking outside the box. But, it just seems to me that if they were from the US, surely someone would've recognized them by now. I could better understand if the bodies had been decayed, making it hard to recognize them.

Some things that I've just started to attempt to look into...

Vehicle. I suppose they could've hitchhiked the trip, but if so, what would they have slept in? Could they have traveled in a vehicle that was desired by collectors? Whatever kind of vehicle they might have traveled in, I suspect he was the owner of it. So, if it was stolen, there would be no one to report the car stolen. I did a quick search yesterday for vehicles most stolen in 1976, but didn't have any luck.

Missing persons websites. I'm not finding it as easy to find a data base in other countries like we have in the US.

If he drove, then he would've had a driver's license. I'm guessing there is no way for LE to search records with the Department of Motor Vehicles that would show driver's licenses not renewed between 1976 and 1980 or so.

I have soooooo many thoughts and questions about this case.

We haven't even identified Mostly Harmless, a hiker on the Florida Trail who died of starvation and his pictures have been plastered all over the internet. He died two years ago. These people died over 44 years ago; family members, especially parents have probably been dead for a decade or two. If they weren't American or Canadian that makes it doubly hard to identify them.

It was America's Bicentennial and the country was in party mode. Montreal hosted the Olympics, apartheid was ending in South Africa, a military coup overthrew Eva Peron in Argentina (lots of 'disappeared' there which has led to speculation that our Does could be from South America). The Baader Meinhoff gang were active in Europe, The Troubles were still going strong in Northern Ireland and various terrorist groups started bombing planes and airports well into the 80s.

A lot was happening in the world and two unknowns without identification weren't going to shift anything off the front page. Plus Son of Sam was probably grabbing all the headlines, luckily for the perpetrator in South Carolina.

 

[Canaille]

Damn. I hate to admit that I don’t recall having heard about him. Especially considering an article I just read stated that authorities think he might have ties in Louisiana. Hopefully, he will be identified soon since the article was dated July 25, 2020 and there is a company in Texas working with his DNA.

Another sad reason I depend on sleep aids. I’ll be going to bed tonight thinking about him.

 

[Canaille]

Thank you for bringing him to my attention. I will share his story on FB and will be following his case.