Disappearance of Wilda Mae Benoit

 

On July 23, 1992, 14-year-old Wilda Benoit was last seen in her bedroom at her home in Creole, Louisiana. Her Uncle had seen her just before he left. The next morning he didn't see her but assumed that she went to work with her aunt. However, it was found that she had not and was missing.

 Her family reported her as missing. The police believed she was a runaway because her jewelry box was missing. Her family did not believe that and if she did it was with someone else because she was scared of the dark.  If she had run away she may have tried to travel to Florida. 

She was living with her aunt and uncle at the time. She had also just been released from the hospital after a shoulder injury. She was under heavy sedation at the time due to it. 

Wilda is a white female and was 14 years old at the time. She was 5'0" and 100 lbs at the time. She had brown hair and blue eyes. She was suffering from a shoulder injury at the time, her ears are pierced, and has dimples. She was last seen wearing black and white shorts with a long-sleeved green shirt.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Missing and Exploited Children

Charley Project

KPLC TV December 26, 2022

Disappearance of Maxine Gray

On April 5, 1992, 30-year-old Maxine Gray was last seen driving her black 1965 Chevrolet Malibu with a Texas license plate in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

Maxine is a black female and was 30 years old at the time. She is 6'4" to 6'5" and 150 lbs. She has red hair and brown eyes. She has a bite mark on her cheek and a lighter patch of skin on her face. She was wearing a fancy watch and fancy rings. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Disappearance of Darren Tunstall

On December 3, 1992, 20-year-old Darren Tunstall would tell his family that he was going to visit friends over the weekend. He would leave his home in Walthamstow, England, and never be seen again.

Darren's family stated he was a shy and reserved man. He also spent significant time on family holidays in Ireland and knew it well. Since there are no signs of foul play its possible that he may have left on his own. His family has stated that if Darren wanted to ever contact them again their number was the same. 

Darren is a white male and is 6'4" and thin. He has brown wavy hair and brown eyes. He wears size 13 shoes. 

SOURCES:

Missing People

Doe Network

Unidentified WIki

My London April 4, 2022

May 14, 1992 St. Louis, Missouri Child Doe

On May 14, 1992 the skull of a child was confiscated from a storage locker from someone who lived in St. Louis, Missouri. The person who had the skull claimed to have bought it from a flea market or Antique shop. They believed it was a historical native American skull. It's not stated how long they believed the child had been dead. 

The skull belonged to a white child between 7 to 10-years-old. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki 

Disappearance of Ian Richardson

On April 30, 1992, 16-year-old Ian Richardson disappeared from Denver Colorado. He lived in the northern section of the city and frequented the Idaho Springs area. Foul play is suspected in this case. 

John Taylor is a prime suspect in Ian's disappearance as he was sexually abusing him since he was 13 until he disappeared. In 1991 Ian told police that John Taylor had sexually abused him in 1989 during a camping trip and again in 1990. John was then charged with child sexual abuse and harboring a runaway. These charges were dismissed after Ian recanted his story. 

In 1992 Ian accused John again, but this time of circumcising him while he was passed out drunk. John refuted stating that Ian had done it to himself. Ian would tell a counselor that he was being threatened and that if he testified he or his family would be harmed. He would then allegedly punch John in the face later. This would cause Ian to be charged with assault in juvenile court. He would disappear soon after. 

 John Taylor would admit that he had in fact sexually abused Ian. He claimed that Ian had killed himself. In 2002 however, a friend of his went to the police to tell them that John had in fact shot Ian and then chemically cremated him. John is a chemist and had the knowledge to do so. He claims that he's being framed for Ian's disappearance. 

Ian is a white male and was 16-years-old at the time. Ian was 5'10" and 150 lbs. He had brown hair and brown eyes. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Charley Project

International Missing Persons Wiki

Murder of Johanna Young

On December 23, 1992, at 7:30 p.m. 14-year-old Johanna Young left her home on Merton Rd in Watton, England. It was a foggy night and she was last seen walking around the Town Centre at Watton between 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. After 8:45 she was not seen again and did not return home.

Her parents had not realized she did not return home until her alarm went off at 6 a.m. the next morning. At first, it was believed she stayed at her boyfriend's or a friend's house due to the fog. Her parents noted that her newspaper bag was at home and when she didn't show up for her paper route an hour later her parents worried. She was then reported missing.

There was a great effort to find her. On the Afternoon of December 26th a man walking his dogs on Griston Rd. found a pair of training shoes in the undergrowth. He would then contact the police and a search was done of the area. Approximately 125-140 yards from her trainers.

Her partially nude body was found face down in a water-filled marl pit. Her lower clothing was removed and her jeans were missing. Her body was covered in scratches, she had a skull fracture, and had drowned. She likely was unconscious from the skull fracture and was tossed into the pit to drown in rainwater. There was no evidence of a sexual assault.

Unbeknownst to her parents, Johanna's boyfriend had broken up with her days prior to her death. He was suspected but ruled out as he had an alibi with friends that night and none of his shoes matched the prints left at the scene.

A witness came forward stating that a man and woman were seen leaning against a motorbike at the end of Griston rd. that night. 

SOURCES:

Norfolk Constabulary

Medium

BBC Feb. 17, 2018

Watton and Swaffham Times March 25, 2018

Unidentified Victims of Li Zhangou

 Xiaoqi John Doe is the first victim of Chinese Serial Killer Li Zhanguo. Li Zhangou was known as the "The Henan Gay Murderer". He would kill, mutilate, and rape 11 mentally disabled teenagers and young men between 1991 and 1995.  Li Zhangou was a suspect early in the murders. There was no evidence to arrest him, but he was caught by officers with a potential victim on August 4, 1995. He would admit to being the killer. He would be prosecuted and executed in 1995.

Going by the type of person Li Zhangou targeted it's likely that the victims were mentally disabled.

1st Victim: Xiaoqi John Doe

On March 18, 1991 there was a fire burning in a field in the Xiaoqi Township, China. Someone had set fire to a set of wheat straws. When the fire was extinguished the charred body of a young man was found. He was lying on his back his head and genitals were removed. His head would be found in a well 24 meters away to the west and his genitals were found in a ditch southwest of his body. It was found that from his stomach contents he had died recently and had been strangled to death with a cord. 

3rd Victim: 1992 Yangzhuang Township John Doe

On July 26, 1992, a neatly dressed young man (Li Zhangou) was seen with a young man (John Doe). They were seen walking from the Yangzhuan railway and even seen sleeping in a wheat field together that night. On their journey, it was seen that the well-dressed young man was hitting the other young man with a stick. On July 27th the well-dressed man was now seen leading the naked man to an abandoned explosives warehouse. It was later seen the well-dressed young man was sitting on the steps alone.

On July 29th John Doe's body was found in the warehouse. He had died due to blunt force trauma due to an unknown weapon. On the walls"I am the killer" and "Sacrifice" was written in the victim's blood.

7th Victim: 1993 Xiaoqi John Doe

There is little information on this victim. On October 15, 1993, he was found dead in a canal in Xiaoqi Township. He may have been a mental patient as he had screws inserted in his hands.

8th Victim: 1994 Xiaoqi John Doe

On February 20, 1994, John Doe's lower body (below the waist) was found in a canal with burn marks on his legs. The next day the upper half without his head with identical burn marks was found. he was cut in half and set on fire before being tossed in the canal.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Unidentified Wiki (1991 Xiaoqi John Doe)

Unidentified Wiki (1992 Yangzhuang Township John Doe)

Unidentified Wiki (1993 Xiaoqi John Doe)

Unidentified Wiki (1994 Xiaoqi John Doe)

Disappearance of Clarence Ruffin

Around noon on July 10, 1992, 71-year-old Clarence Ruffin went to get a haircut on Morgan Court in Avondale, Louisiana. He was never seen again. This was out of character for Clarence to leave without warning so foul play is suspected. 

Clarence is an African American male and 71-years-old at the time. He's 5'7" and 175 lbs. He had greying black hair and brown eyes. He had heart problems and Alzheimer's disease and required regular medicine. He was wearing blue or brown pants, a black shirt, black suspenders, and light-colored shoes. 

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SOURCES:

Jefferson Parrish Sheriff's Office

Louisiana Repository For Unidentified and Missing People

Charley Project

Murder of Clara L. Batton

At 11:45 a.m. on  Feb. 12, 1992,  a home health nurse came to a home at 416 W. Nichols in Springfield, Missouri. The nurse was suspicious about the back door being ajar. Inside she would find 67-year-old Clara Batton was in a pool of her own blood on the kitchen floor. She was stabbed in her upper chest and her throat was slit. She was last seen by a neighbor the evening before. 

At the time Clara was living with her 96-year-old father who was deaf and blind at the time. He was unharmed and was found lying in his bed.  Her light blue 1984 Dodge Omni was missing from the home and was found parked on the lot of a local convenience store. There was no evidence of a break-in. Clara was known to keep her doors locked and wouldn't let a stranger in the home, so it's likely her killer knew her. 

SOURCES:

Springfield Police

Springfield News-Leader Feb. 13, 1992

Murder of Maurice Grace

By 1988 26 or 36-year-old Maurice Grace was an inmate at the Maryland Division of Correction. On Jan. 9, 1992, at 9:52 p.m. he was returning from the recreation yard when he was stabbed by another inmate. There were suspects, but lack of evidence was not there for a trial.

SOURCES:

Maryland State Police

Baltimore Sun Jan. 10, 1992

Murder of Paul Anstutz

On the night of October 8, 1992, near 8:42 p.m. Paul Anstutz and his wife came back to their home at 2546 S. Glenwood Terrace in Springfield, Missouri. When they entered the home they interrupted a break-in. Paul confronted the man when he attempted to flee and was shot in the abdomen twice. The suspect would flee. Paul would die at the hospital. 

SOURCES:

Springfield Police

The Springfield News-Leader October 11, 1992

Murder of Regina Canzater

 

On September 27, 1992, Regina Canzater was found in a ditch along the railroad tracks on West Beltine Blvd in Columbia, South Carolina. She had been strangled to death. Regina would walk on the path where she was found constantly to get to and from her home to her daughter's home at the Colony Apartments from her home at the Jagers Terrace Apartments.


SOURCES:

Richland County Sheriff's Office

News 19

WIS News

Murder of Barbara Lynn Cagley

 

In the fall of 1990, Barbra Cagley would move to Alaska The 32-year-old would be last seen alive in September of 1991. Her body would be found on August 26, 1992 in a house that had burned down in Fairbanks, Alaska. She had been shot to death. 

SOURCES:

Alaska Department of Public Safety

Find a Grave

Daily Sitka Sentinel May 19, 1993

Daily Sitka Sentinel June 1, 1994

July 27, 1992 Toronto, Ontario, Canada John Doe

 On July 27, 1992, the body of a man was found in the Toronto Harbour of Lake Ontario in Toronto, Ontario.  Little informaiton in this case. 

He was a white male and between 20 to 40-years-old. He was 5'10" to 5'11" he's recorded as being 160 lbs, but that may be inaccurate due to decomposition. His upper right central incisor had a root canal treatment and metallic restoration at it's root end. There were several other sites of root canal treatment. He still had his appendix and was uncircumcised. 

SOURCES:

Royal Mounted Canadain Police

Doe Network

Murder of Elva J. Poore

On June 14, 1992, 17-year-old Elva Poore left a note on the kitchen table at her Delaware home stating she was riding to Ocean City with a girlfriend. She promised to call them later that week. Her parents had previously forbidden her from doing so and Elva did so anyway. But instead of going with a girlfriend like she wrote, she had left with some boys from Chesapeake City.

On June 15 a friend of Elva saw her on the boardwalk. She would be seen again by the friend the next morning at The Admiral, a low-budget motel, in the older part of Ocean City. She may have stayed in a separate room from the boys though she didn't have money to pay for it. On at least one of the nights she was gone she stayed in a baseball dugout with one of the boys. 

The last time Elva was seen alive was at 3 a.m. on the boardwalk. She was seen arguing with one of the boys. It was also stated she was last seen walking towards Ocean Lodge Motel. Elva would be found dead the next day on Marl Pit Rd off of U.S. 13 Northbound in Odessa.

Elva had cocaine in her system when she had died. She had been hit in the head and it's believed that the person who killed her strangled her to death with their forearm. It's believed more than one person was involved in her death as her body would not have ended up where it was without. 

Elva was said to be hanging out with men in their early 20's. These men were recreational drug users.  There are suspects in this case though no arrests were made.

SOURCES:

Delaware 

Newark Post

Murder of Loretta Melendez

At 4:48 am on June 26, 1992, the body of 28-year-old Loretta Melendez's body was found on 17 Morgan Street in Yonkers, New York. She was last seen on the same street by a female friend. She had been shot in the head. 

At the time Loretta was a divorced mother of four. She was unemployed at the time but did have previous arrests for prostitution and drugs. It's unknown if that had anything to do with her death. 

SOURCES:

City of Yonkers

New York Times

Murder of Cecil Lawrence Chacon Jr.

In June of 1992, Cecil Chacon Jr. was a vocational coordinator at the Vance County, North Carolina schools. On June 8, 1992, Cecil was returning from a long trip to Wilmington and stopped by his mother's home on Nelson St. In Henderson, North Carolina. His mother wanted him to stay for the night, but he declined and went home around 10 p.m. He would leave alone in his 1976 Buick Skylark.

Cecil was supposed to be at school the next day on Monday. He did not show up and his mother did not get her daily call from him. The police came by his residence around 9 p.m. to check up one him. They noticed an open window on the east side of the home and that the spotlight in the back was on. No other lights were on in the house. 

The front window's screen was lying on the ground and the deputies thought a breaking and entering may have happened. In order to gain access to the house one deputy entered through a basement window. They searched around the home. In a child's bedroom, they noticed overturned furniture and dark stains on the carpet. 

They would eventually find Cecil's body in the backyard in a shallow grave 140 ft from the house. This would not have been an easy task as he was 6'4" and weighed around 295 lbs. They had stabbed him several times and then dragged him out the back door. Then they would bury him where he was found. 

A blood luminol test was done in the home and it revealed bloody bare footprints inside. The murder or murderers made an attempt to clean up the scene by moping the kitchen floor and vacuuming the carpet.

A neighbor stated that they would see a Chevrolet Blazer type vehicle that may have been red and black with yellow license plates outside his residence around 10:30 p.m. Monday night.

SOURCES:
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations 
Find a Grave

April 22, 1992 Buchanan County, Missouri John Doe

On April 22, 1992, the skeletal remains of a man was found in Buchanan County, Missouri. He may have been dead for up to a year. He was a white male between 30 and 40-years-old. He may have been 5'9" and around 165 lbs. He had brown shoulder-length hair.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Murder of Frank Lee Foust

On Feb. 3, 1992, around 6:45 p.m. the building manager at 636 Broadway, San Diego, California where Frank Foust had an art studio went and checked on him. Inside they found Frank on the floor dead from a gunshot wound to his left eye caused by a small-caliber handgun. He wasn't seen for the last two days. His wallet and personal property were not taken and the motive is unknown. Frank was working as a welder and artist. 

SOURCES:
The City of San Diego

The Los Angeles

Books That Were Stolen From the Carter County Clerk's Office

On Jan. 23, 1992 someone came into the Carter County courthouse in Ardmore, Oklahoma. They removed two valuable Indian Roll Books from the Carter County clerks office without permission. The two books kept records of thousands of names of the five civilized tribes who were on record in 1902. This included the percentage of Indian blood, Name, Roll Number, Census Card Number, and Age. These books were older than statehood and cannot be replaced. The books were described as being the size of average paper about 3 inches thick with red covers. 

SOURCES:

Carter County Sheriff