Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - Pamela Buckley & James Freund #9

[Grammar]

I've heard that too, but I'm baffled. If they were on a motorcycle, where would they have kept their belongings while on the road? They were clean, they probably would have had to have been carrying extra clothes, toiletries, laundry detergent, etc. James would also have had to have his driver's/motorcycle license, I assume. Granted, I've never been on a motorcycle, but it seems like it would be impossible to fit two people's belongings on it and ride around? The only thing I could think of is that one of them was carrying a very small bag with stuff for laundry and they would just wash and dry the clothes they were wearing when they could (maybe hand-washing?), and relied on using the free toiletries at motels to clean themselves.

I don’t know about other states, but Florida didn’t have a special motorcycle license back then. As for clothes, etc, you can fit a few changes of clothes in a duffle bag strapped to the bike. There are coin laundries in most towns. The bike might have had a storage unit on it. If the bike was a fancy new one, it might have been what the murderer was after

 

[Grammar]

Oops! Double post

 

[Andreee]

Well, if so - there still a missing vehicle - it would just be a motorcycle then.

Even if not, as I sated a few days ago, with their identities now known I truly believe that investigators now have information on a vehicle to work with giving them new leads and/or possible suspects.

That's good. As for a motorcycle, I would think the neighbour who heard the vehicle would recognize if it had been one, rather than a car.

 

[wary]

That's good. As for a motorcycle, I would think the neighbour who heard the vehicle would recognize if it had been one, rather than a car.

I can’t quite visualize James, Pamela, and their murderer/s all arriving on one motorcycle. If they’d been traveling the country on a motorcycle, I think they must have arrived, alive or not, in the murderer’s vehicle, and then he went back and collected their motorcycle from wherever it’d been left.

This isn’t a solid theory—if anyone else can visualize the logistics of the situation, I’d love to hear it.

I’d guess, though, that the fruit stand/motorcycle story just isn’t accurate.

 

[Drew5571]

Hope this does not come across as weird, what if we put ourselves in the nind of the killer? What would be his or her motives? It could be something as simple as a random act of violence that was committed for no reason or something staged to make it look like it involved illegal activity. Or a fellow traveler or hitchhiker or camper or friend who became envious or hated them because they had options or came from relatively stable homes and they did not. Could have been someone stealing or doing something on their property that would offend them to cause them to become angry at them and become irrational and violent. Hope this makes sense, this is not trying to make the victims look bad but trying to understand how this situation happened.

 

[Valiant]

If they traveled by motorcycle, they'd probably have been very tanned. Same as if they'd hitchhiked for any period of time.

It seems having a car makes sense and we don't know if either (or both) had a car at the time of their meeting then at their disappearance.

 

[southerngospel]

here's an interesting footnote. A dentist who examined james remarked on how he had a fluted root canal..which was only done by a few dentists at the time. The dentist said whoever did the root canal was a "master craftsman" SO James had a root canal performed by a world class expert in dentistry. They were pretty sure back then that it would be the detail that would solve his identity...but it never panned out.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

I'd love to see a map of the area at the time although I can't seem to find one anywhere.

Back in the 70s, many of the major highways didn't have on and off ramps as they do now, but simply had crossings on them in more rural areas. As they call it a frontage road, it seems to me that back then, there very well may have been easier access to the intestate at both ends of Lockyear Road via crossroads at County Road 43-62 and Lynches River Road on either end. Before the overpasses and on ramps were put in. Easy peasy and convenient to pull of then if you're a trucker for a nap.

Trying to link an example of one that that I am familiar with.

Huntsville - Google Maps

Thinking back, the winter of 1975-76 was extremely cold, and a friend and I on impulse took advantage of our Christmas break from college to pack a few things in my VW Beetle and head south from Pennsylvania to Florida, which neither of us had ever seen. We later called it the last hippie road trip. We took I-95 South, and must have passed within a stone’s throw of where the Sumter County Does would be murdered eight months later. While I don’t have specific recollections of the exact area (and wish I did), I do recall traveling on completed sections of the Interstate in South Carolina and Georgia, then being shunted off onto two lane roads with bumper to bumper traffic for long distances, then back onto finished sections, and so on.
I-95 never was intended to have at-grade crossings, all intersections were meant to have interchanges from day one, though some may have not been completed at first.

 

[worm]

@Drew5571 , I’ve been off in the weird zone too as some of these cases are so strange that weird thinking may be required. I’ve been of mind that this was random, that they were probably forced in a car somewhere. With nothing of theirs being found or an abandoned campsite anywhere, somebody wanted their ids and such destroyed.

I’ve even wondered if this could be a copycat situation since that is Pee Wee Gaskins home area.

 

[Drew5571]

@Drew5571 , I’ve been off in the weird zone too as some of these cases are so strange that weird thinking may be required. I’ve been of mind that this was random, that they were probably forced in a car somewhere. With nothing of theirs being found or an abandoned campsite anywhere, somebody wanted their ids and such destroyed. I know someone who shall remain nameless, he was interviewed on the anniversary of the murder. He lived near the murder scene. He wrote a book about his life, it had to do with Jesus saving his life. One would assume that this murder would be mentioned in the book as it is highly unusual and would have made a great chapter- especially how God was looking out for him. There is no mention of it. It’s probably nothing. I don’t want to accuse someone Would this be of interest or just coincidence?

I’ve even wondered if this could be a copycat situation since that is Pee Wee Gaskins home area.

DBM

 

[Triss]

@Drew5571 , I’ve been off in the weird zone too as some of these cases are so strange that weird thinking may be required. I’ve been of mind that this was random, that they were probably forced in a car somewhere. With nothing of theirs being found or an abandoned campsite anywhere, somebody wanted their ids and such destroyed.

I’ve even wondered if this could be a copycat situation since that is Pee Wee Gaskins home area.

You're right, someone wanted their IDs and other belongings destroyed but on the other hand their bodies were left in plain sight. It's like the killer(s) didn't mind if someone found the couple's bodies, but at the same time the killer(s) didn't want PB and JF's names to be known. Why?

 

[Drew5571]

Dumb question, how do I delete a post?

 

[worldwatcher]

I can’t quite visualize James, Pamela, and their murderer/s all arriving on one motorcycle. If they’d been traveling the country on a motorcycle, I think they must have arrived, alive or not, in the murderer’s vehicle, and then he went back and collected their motorcycle from wherever it’d been left.

This isn’t a solid theory—if anyone else can visualize the logistics of the situation, I’d love to hear it.

I’d guess, though, that the fruit stand/motorcycle story just isn’t accurate.

In previous thread, there are a lot of post about a mechanic from York NE who worked on a car/van that fitted the description of JPF and PM.

This is one from @dotr.
[URL="https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/mystery-couple-murdered-in-south-carolina-1976-7-pam-buckley-james-p-freund.479868/#post-15494397"]Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #7 Pam Buckley & James P Freund[/URL]

 

[Drew5571]

@Drew5571 , I’ve been off in the weird zone too as some of these cases are so strange that weird thinking may be required. I’ve been of mind that this was random, that they were probably forced in a car somewhere. With nothing of theirs being found or an abandoned campsite anywhere, somebody wanted their ids and such destroyed. This goes back to my theory that it might be the other person I mentioned. Hope I am not being rude. The other person was a MP at Fort Jackson, would know how to dispose of a body or how to handle a crime scene.

I’ve even wondered if this could be a copycat situation since that is Pee Wee Gaskins home area.

 

[Mbt]

You would think that looking at James's arms would tell you if they had a car or not: if the left arm is tanner than the right = car. This is based on the assumption that he and not Pamela was the primary driver.

I know it's the South and it's hot, but still, long hours in the car are going to deepen the tan. Fellow veterans of road-trips, what do you think?

 

[worldwatcher]

Dumb question, how do I delete a post?

You can only edit it and put in DBM (deleted by me)

 

[Valiant]

You would think that looking at James's arms would tell you if they had a car or not: if the left arm is tanner than the right = car. This is based on the assumption that he and not Pamela was the primary driver.

I know it's the South and it's hot, but still, long hours in the car are going to deepen the tan. Fellow veterans of road-trips, what do you think?

Only if the car did not have A/C (or they didn't use the A/C).

 

[Fede]

here's an interesting footnote. A dentist who examined james remarked on how he had a fluted root canal..which was only done by a few dentists at the time. The dentist said whoever did the root canal was a "master craftsman" SO James had a root canal performed by a world class expert in dentistry. They were pretty sure back then that it would be the detail that would solve his identity...but it never panned out.

I find this really interesting and solid. Maybe LE interviewed some dentists that did this type of intervention at the time? Now that James has his identity back maybe if the dentist was young enough in the early seventies (meaning, he is not yet deceased) he may have kept his patients registers.

 

[worm]

You're right, someone wanted their IDs and other belongings destroyed but on the other hand their bodies were left in plain sight. It's like the killer(s) didn't mind if someone found the couple's bodies, but at the same time the killer(s) didn't want PB and JF's names to be known. Why?

Great point, whoever it was didn’t care if they were found, maybe the belongings were at the murder scene itself and the suspect wanted to clear that?

 

[worldwatcher]

I find this really interesting and solid. Maybe LE interviewed some dentists that did this type of intervention at the time? Now that James has his identity back maybe if the dentist was young enough in the early seventies (meaning, he is not yet deceased) he may have kept his patients registers.

I think the dentist work was done in Germany , where he was stationed at that time, I remember quite vague, that it was unique for USA standards. So Germany used other methods then in the USA for root canal.