Murder of Dawn Momohara

Dawn Momohara

Sketches of possible suspect and vehicle

On March 20, 1977, 16-year-old Dawn Momohara left her home in Honolulu, Hawaii telling her parents she was going to the Ala Moana Center on Ala Moana Blvd. She was supposed to meet up with friends, it was said that her friends were interviewed, but not if she had seen them that afternoon.

Around 10:30 pm Dawn's parents were worried that she had not come back home and called the police. They would report her missing. There was a search for her that night. She would not be found until the next day.

The next morning at around 7:25 am a teacher at McKinley High School would find Dawn's body. Dawn would be found on the second floor of McKinley High School. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death where she was found. She had been dead for around 8 to 12 hours. 

That night there the parking lot for the school was used for the adjoining Neal Blaisdell Center for a musical event. The school corridors and entryways did not have doors with the lights on, but individual rooms were locked. It would have been easy access for the public.

There is a possible suspect seen leaving the school. He was described as an Asian man with dark shoulder-length hair.  He stood 5'5" to 5'7". He was driving a 1974 or 1975 Pontiac Lemans with louvered rear windows, maroon bottom, and white vinyl top.

SOURCES:

Honolulu Police Department

Uncovered

Honolulu Star-Bulletin March 22, 1977

The Criminal Journal July 15, 2023

March 10, 1977 Point Judith, Rhode Island John Doe

On  March 10, 1977 a torso with a fragmented skull was found 30 miles off the coast of Point Judith, Rhode Island was hauled up by a fisherman. It's unknown how he had died, but he did have a .22 caliber bullet in his upper left hip. It's unknown when this injury had happened or if it had happened around time of death. He had died between 1974 to 1976.

John Doe was a male between 30 to 70 years old. He was around 5'6". The skin of the right lateral thorax shows a protruding 1.3cm skin tag consistent with papilloma.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Suspicious Death of Jerome P. O'Sullivan

On February 21, 1977, the Belknap County Sheriff's Department performed a search warrant at a home located on Beauty Hill Road in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. The sheriffs found four tons of marijuana equaling $6 million worth in an upstairs bedroom. On the bed was 29-year-old Jerome O'Sullivan. He had a gunshot wound to the right side of his head right above the ear. It's believed he died two to three days before. The medical examiner could not determine if it was suicide or homicide.

Jerome started in the home for several weeks to a few months newspaper articles vary. He was at the time living with a woman and neighbors noted that there were strange acting people who came in and out of the home. 

SOURCES:

New Hampshire Department of Justice

Uncovered

Glimanton NH History ( collage of news articles)

Disappearance of Charles Napolitano

On November 13, 1977 41-year-old Charles Napolitano was last seen in East Hartford Conneticut. Police believe that he was murdered. There is little information in this case. 

Charles was a white male and was 41-years-old at the time. He was 6'0" and 175lbs. He Hs black hair and brown eyes. On his right upper shoulder he has a tattoo of an Indian Maidens head. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Disappearance of Louis Ronald Vargas

On October 12, 1977, 13-year-old Louis Vargas was last seen in Chicago, Illinois. there is little information in this case. 

Louis is a White Hispanic male and was 13-years-old at the time. He was 4'10" at the time. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He has scars on his knees. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Murder of Sandra Talbott

At 5:30 p.m. of July 10, 1977, 27-year-old Sandra Talbott was dropped off at St. John's Church in El Dorado, Kansas. She would participate in a Bingo night at the church. When her mother returned about 5 hours later to pick her up she found that Sandra had already left. At the time Sandra had a bad lim from a vehicle accident several years before. She walked with a cane. The next day Sandra would be reported missing. It was believed that she had hitchhiked to Witchita to be with friends. One article states that she had been seen at a bar talking to two men on the 13th. One man left before her and the other man and it's unknown if the other man left with Sandra. 

On July 30th at 111th St. S. & 231st St. West Sedgwick County in a tree row, Sandra's body would be found. She had been murdered. 

SOURCES:

Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County (PDF)

The Witchita Eagle July 31, 1977

The Witchita Eagle September 8, 1977

Murder of Myrtle Jackson

On July 16, 1977, A Volkswagon was found running on 15 Spruce St. in Greenville, South Carolina. Inside was 27-year-old Myrtle Jackson. She was slumped over in the driver's seat dead from a gunshot wound to the head. 

At the time Myrtle also used the last name Grant or went by Mrs. Kenneth Grant. 

SOURCES:

Greenville Police Department

Murder of Helen Duffner

On April 27, 1977 the body of 63-year-old Helen Duffner was found off the Mount Rose Highway south of Reno, Nevada. She was found near an old shack and her 1964 white Chevy Nova was parked nearby. Helen had been shot twice in the back and once in the back of the head. It was described as an execution-type murder. Witnesses stated they heard the gunshots that morning. The area at the time was known as Mercury Mine and was frequented by hikers, dog walkers, motorcyclists, and 4-wheel-drive areas. 

Helen was from Santa Rosa, California but was living out of her vehicle in Nevada for a while. 

SOURCES:

Washoe County Sheriff

Reno Gazette-Journal April 29, 1977

Reno Gazette-Journal May 23, 1977

Nevada Evening Gazette May 23, 1977

Murder of Wilma Scribner

On November 2, 1977, 43-year-old Wilma Scribner was reported missing by her husband. She went missing with their dark green, wood-paneled 1968 Ford LTD Squire station wagon with a roof rack and Ver mont license plates C-8037.

On March 21, 1979, her body would be found in Otter Creek in the Town of Weybridge, Vermont. It was found that she had been strangled to death. In October the Ford would be found in the same creek up from where her body was found. 

SOURCES:

Vermont State Police

The Burlington Free Press March 23, 1979

Rutland Daily Herald October 3, 1979

Murder of June Ward

 

On Feb. 18, 1977, someone walking in the 1000 block of W. Fuller in Fort Worth, Texas found the body of 25-year-old June Ward. She was lying next to the curb. Her death had been brutal she had been attacked with a sharp instrument like an axe or hatchet, her fingers on her right hand were broken, and she had been strangled to death with a bra strap . Her white Chevrolet Laguna would be found at 4800 S. Freeway. 

At the time June was experiencing issues with her vehicle. The vehicle, which was blocking a thoroughfare, was near the parking lot that contained a K Mart. At the vehicle, investigators found battery jumper cables and a pair of ladies’ shoes. It's believed that June walked away from her vehicle to get help.

SOURCES:

Fort Worth Police Department

Cleburne Times-Review

Murder of Ruth Lori Ballew

 On Feb. 5, 1977, 21-year-old Ruth Ballew's body was found along Jellison Rd in Billings, Montana near the landfill. She had been shot to death and was likely dead for a couple of days. She had not been sexually assaulted. 

Ruth had a history of prostitution and drug-related arrests. She was known to work near the Empire Bar. 

SOURCES:

Yellowstone County Cold Cases

Find a Grave

Billings Gazette April 17, 1977

Billings Gazette September 15, 2015

The Topless Woman In Disney's The Rescuers

Screenshot of the topless woman

On June 22, 1977 Disney released their film "The Rescuers". It's Disney's 23rd  animated feature film. The film was based on the series of books by Margery Sharp. Mostly was taken from her books The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Biana (1962). 

The Rescuers follow two agents of the Rescue Aid Society. It's an international mouse organization headquartered in New York City. The organization helps abductions victims from all around the world. Jittery Bernard and Elegant Miss Biana set out to rescue Penny, a young orphan girl, who was abducted by Madam Medusa. Where she is being held hostage at the Devil's bayou.

The film went into development in 1962 but Walt Disney put it on the back burner due to the political overtones in it. In the 1970s the film was picked up again and was supposed to be done by younger animators, but it was taken over by the senior animation staff. There was a positive reception for the film, and this would lead to the first animated sequel Rescuers Down Under.

The Rescuers would premiere on VHS and LaserDisc on September 18, 1992, as part of the Walt Disney Classic Series. On Jan. 5, 1999, the film would be re-released on VHS as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. Three days later this film would be recalled. It was found in this release there was an image of a topless woman twice in non-consecutive frames during the scene where Bernard and Miss Bianca were flying on Orville's back in New York City. It's not noticeable during an ordinary viewing as the film moved at 24 frames per second. In 3 short days, the topless woman was seen. 

It's unknown who placed the nude woman in the film or who she is. It's believed that it was a prank done by a staff member as it was intentionally placed in the scene. This VHS release was from the original 1977 theatrical version and so the prank was not noticed till it was accidentally re-released on VHS. Disney maintained that picture was not placed there by animators, but by someone inserting it in the post-production process. Disney never outright stated whether or not they found the person behind the picture. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Snopes

IMDB

Murder of Louis "Doris" Maxfield

On Jan. 3, 1977, 46-year-old Louis Maxfield was found dead in her home in Thetford, Vermont by a family member. It was initially believed that her death was natural as she did suffer from seizures. However, it was found she had been strangled to death.

SOURCES:

Vermont State Police

Burlington Free Press December 19, 1994

December 18, 1977 Montara, California John Doe

 On December 18, 1977, a torso with thighs was found on the rocky area of Point Montara Lighthouse in Montara, California. It's likely he died drowning around 2 months before. 

He was a male between 10 to 20-years-old. There was evidence of blue denim remnants around the waist.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

San Mateo County Corners Office

Murder of Allen James Hamilton

 On August 12, 1977, 24-year-old Allen Hamilton was seen at the Tacoma Tavern around 5 p.m. He drinking with three men. The men are unidentified, but two were African American and one was White. He would not be seen again until August 15th. 

On August 15th around 2:15 p.m. Multnomah County, Sheriff's River Patrol retrieved Allen's body from the river, in Portland, Oregon. Allen had been stabbed in the neck, but his cause of death was drowning. 

At the time Allen was reported to be a transient and had issues with alcohol. 

SOURCES:

City of Portland Oregon

Fox 12

Murder of Richard Christenson

 

On November 17, 1977, 25-year-old Richard Christenson was found in a small copse of bush near 178 St. and 107 Ave in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His body was later identified, and his cause of death is unstated.

SOURCES:

Edmonton Police

Disappearance of Carolyn Jeanne Holloway

 

On September 30, 1977, 34-year-old Carolyn Holloway was last seen in Richardson, Texas. Foul play is suspected in her case and is believed she was taken against her will.

Carolyn is a white female and was 34-years-old at the time. She is 5'6" and 120 lbs. She has blonde hair and grey eyes. 

SOURCES:

Charley Project

Doe Network

NamUs

The Possible Homicide of Roy

 A witness came forward stating when they were a child, around 6-years-old, witnessed the murder of a man named Roy. He had been beaten to death with a fire poker and buried in a wooded area behind the witness's home in one of 6 states they lived in. 

Roy was a white male. He was a caretaker of a farm for an older white woman possibly named Quincey. He would have died between 1975 to 1979. It could have happened in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas.

SOURCES:

Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Murder of Charles Henry Gaskins

 

Around 8:25 a.m. on August 21, 1977, Charles Gaskins was shot and killed during a robbery on the 2600 block of  Stanton Rd, SE in Washington D.C. There is little information on this case.

SOURCES:

Metropolitan Police Department

Metropolitan Police Department PDF

Disappearance of Cindy Irene King

On July 19, 1977 15-year-old Cindy King was last seen in Grants Pass, Oregon. There is little information in this case. She may go by the name Suzzane

Cindy is a white female and was 15-years-old at the time. She's 5'3" and 115 lbs. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. She has a small scar near her right temple, a tattoo near her groin, her ears are pierced, and she has long toes. She aslo has large teeth and wore a dental retainer at te time of her disappearance. 

SOURCES:

Missing and Exploited Children 

Charley Project

Doe Network

NamUs