Ventura County's Cold Cases: June 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

UNSOLVED: Florence Hackney

On September 9, 1989, Florence Hackney was sexually assaulted and strangled to death in her home.

At 10:55pm, she was discovered by her daughter Margaret Haskell, who lived only a block away. At first, her daughter thought she was only unconscious and called the paramedics. She was later pronounced dead at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, with the autopsy revealing her sexual assault.

Florence was well known and liked by her neighbors in the small community of Fillmore, with a population of 11,000 at the time. Known as a safe area, many people didn't lock their doors at night. Florence lived alone on the 900 block of Central Avenue, which was surrounded by an 11 acre orange grove. There was no sign of forced entry and no valuables were taken. She was 90 years old.

Detectives do have a motive for this case, however, they are unable to release it to the public. The prime suspect is now deceased, but because there hasn't been enough evidence to prove the suspect did it, the case remains open.

For this reason, if you have any information that can lead to closure on this case, contact

Ventura County Sheriff's Department at (805) 654-9511.

Resources:

Tiny Fillmore Stunned by Rape, Killing of Woman, 90

Three Cold Case Investigators Work to Crack 30 Unsolved Murders

New Sheriff's Unit is Heating Up 'Cold Cases'

Investigators Haunted by Murders Past

Last updated June 26, 2013

Thursday, June 25, 2009

MISSING: Ronald Joe Cole

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact:

Ventura County Sheriff's Office

(805) 654-2311

In 1965, Ronald Cole moved from San Diego to Fillmore to stay with his half brother, David LaFever, to look for a job. He was last seen on May 1, 1965. At the time of his disappearance, he was till looking for a job. He had a crew cut at the time of his disappearance.

Ronald Cole's brother David was married to Margaret LaFever. In the years following Ronald Cole's disappearance, David and his wife were linked to other suspicious activities, including murder and child pornography.

The timeline is as follows:

1965: Ronald Cole moves from San Diego to Fillmore. He was last seen on May 1, 1965.

1977: Margaret's brother, 20 year-old Jon Brian Skaggs, disappears.

1983: David and his wife, Margaret, were arrested for child abuse in Arizona. After their arrest, investigators discovered that David told relatives and friends that he murdered Cole. He was named as a suspect in Cole's disappearance, but was never charged.

1984: Jon Brian Skaggs' skeletal remains were found in a garbage pit in a backyard of David and Margaret's former home in Galt, California. He had been shot to death. David was named as a prime suspect in the murder, but was never charged.

1984: David and Margaret are sentenced after being charged with multiple counts of child abuse and child pornography, related to their 1983 arrest. The victim was an 11-year-old girl who was passed off as their daughter but had no relation to the couple. David and Margaret claimed they had 6 children, but two of the children had no relation to the couple.

Vital Statistics
Caucasian Male
Crew cut
Hazel eyes
Height & Weight: 6'1" & 140 lbs.
19 at age of disappearance, he would be approximately 67 years old in June of 2013.
Scar on left cheek
Fingerprint & dental information are not available.
DNA sample has been submitted and tests completed.

Resources
Charley Project
National Missing Persons Data System Case Report 4548
Missing Persons Poster
State of California, Dept. of Justice, Case 8452993
North American Missing Persons Network
Article: Utah Couple to be Sentenced for Sex Abuse of 12-year-old

Last updated on September 12, 2016.

UNSOLVED: Pedro Pachuca

At 6am of December 3, 1987, 34 year old Pedro Pachuca was getting ready to go to work when he received a phone call telling him his younger brother had been injured in a car accident. As he walked out the door, he was shot in the face and chest. He was killed instantly.

Little else is known about this case at this time. If you have information or photos you would like to share, please contact us using the form on the right.

Resources

Investigators Haunted by Murders Past

Pay Up, Morale Down for Port Hueneme Police

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

UNSOLVED: Jane Doe

A woman stabbed to death and left in the parking lot of Westlake High School in 1980 has never been identified.

Investigators say they have reason to believe the woman might be from a neighboring county, either San Fernando Valley or Kern County.

It is believed that she was killed at another location and then dumped at the high school parking lot because of the remote location at the time.

Vital Statistics
-Female Hispanic or Native American
-Between 15-25 years old.
-Approximately 5'2" tall, weighing 110-115 lbs.
-Brown eyes and black shoulder length hair. The tips of her hair were bleached.
-She had one eyebrow shaved and one penciled in.
-Extensive dental work.
-Was 4 months pregnant, with evidence that this was not her first pregnancy.
-Found wearing a white pullover short-sleeve top, black bra, red corduroy pants and black high heeled open toed shoes.

If you have any information regarding this case, contact the

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

(805) 384-4735

Resources

>Ventura Co. Detectives Seek Public's Help in Identifying 1980 Cold Case Victim

>Police Seek Information on 30 year old case

Last updated July 1, 2013

UNSOLVED: Rachel Rodriguez Zendejas (UPDATE: Murder Suspect Arrested 2/8/2023)

Rachel Zendejas was murdered in the early hours of January 18, 1981.

The night before her murder, she went out with friends and family to watch her brother play in a band. Afterwards, she went to Huntington's night club in Oxnard while her sister went to their shared apartment in Camarillo. Also at the apartment that night was Rachel's babysitter, who was watching her two young daughters.

After returning home from the nightclub, they discussed the possibility of the babysitter spending the night, but ultimately decided against. At this point, Rachel lets her sister know that she is going to take the babysitter home.

After dropping off the babysitter, she arrives back and parks her car in the carport across the street from her apartment, on Mobil Avenue in Camarillo.

She never made it home. Instead, she was attacked, raped and strangled, leaving her naked body to be discovered hours later by a newspaper deliveryman.

On December 12, 1981, 11 months after Rachel's murder, another young woman, Lisa Gondek, was also strangled. Her body was left in the bathtub of her apartment, posed in an erotic manner. The apartment was then set on fire.

It would be almost 30 years later before these two cases were linked together by DNA, revealing that both Lisa and Rachel were killed by the same person. Both cases remain unsolved, however, because the DNA does not match any known offender in the system. Back in 1981, DNA samples were not required. DNA has since eliminated suspects from the initial investigation.

Aside from DNA, both women had attended Huntington's night club in Oxnard hours before they were killed.

Rachel is survived by her siblings and her two daughters who now have children of their own. Her parents have since passed away.

There is currently a $10,000 reward for any information leading to her murderer.

UPDATE:

The suspect was caught and arrested on February 8, 2023.
Tony Garcia, 68, of Oxnard, was arrested for the murder of Lisa Gondek and Rachel Zendejas.
He was arrested after a joint investigation by Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff's office and the DA's investigations bureau. They will hold a Press Conference on Thursday, February 9, 2023.

>Murder Arrest in Pair of 1981 Killings

>Man from Oxnard Suspected in two 1981 Killings

Tony Garcia

Resources

>Families Offer $10,000 for Clues in Slaying
>Rachel Zendejas at Find A Grave
>Investigators Haunted by Murders Past

>Unsolved but not Forgotten: OPD's Jeff Kay Stays on the trail of Cold Cases

>Murder Arrest in Pair of 1981 Killings

MISSING: Patricia Van Buskirk

Patricia Van Buskirk was last seen on April 27, 1987. According to her husband, she left in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep. She also left behind her child, which was out of character for her.

She has never contacted her family or friends. Little is known about the events that lead to her disappearance.

Vital Statistics
-Caucasian female.
-Height & Weight: 5'7" and 160 lbs.
-Strawberry blonde hair & blue eyes.
-Date of birth: July 20, 1955
-Age at the time of disappearance: 31

Resources
CharleyProject.org

MISSING: Robert F. Rivera

Missing Since 1963

Robert Franco Rivera's family last had contact with him in 1963, when he sent them a letter from an address on the 1600 block of E. Fifth Street in Oxnard.

The circumstances of his disappearance are unknown.

Vital Statistics
-Male Hispanic/Latino
-Height & Weight: 5'6" & 140 lbs.
-Black hair & brown or hazel eyes.
-Date of birth: June 15, 1932.
-He was 31 when he went missing. He would be 83 years old as of 2013.
-Dentals: Not available.
-DNA: Sample submitted and tests completed.
-Fingerprint information is available and entered.

Resources
MissingIn.org
CharleyProject.org
National Missing Persons Data System Case Report 9589

Charlene & Lyman Smith: Article: Double Slaying Motive Sought

>Back to Charlene & Lyman Smith Entry

Originally published in The Press-Courier on Thursday, March 20, 1980.

Charlene & Lyman Smith: Article: Attorney, Wife Beaten to Death in Ventura Home

>Back to Charlene & Lyman Smith Entry

Originally published in The Press-Courier, Monday, March 17, 1980.

MISSING: Cindy Lee Mellin

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the

Ventura Police Department

(805) 339-4400

Case # CR50785

Cindy Lee Mellin, a sales clerk at Broadway Department Store in the Buenaventura Shopping Center, had just finished her closing shift on the night of January 20, 1970.

She was last seen standing next to her car in the shopping center parking lot with an unidentified white male changing her tire. The man drove a light colored vehicle.

At approximately 10:30pm, two of Mellin's co-workers, who had been picked up by their husbands, drove by Mellin's car and noticed the unidentified man jacking up her vehicle.

After having coffee at a nearby restaurant, they drove by her car again, but no one was there. Having assumed the man was Cindy's father, the co-workers thought nothing of it and left. They would later describe the unidentified man as tall and slim, between 30-40 years old.

At 4:45am, Mellin's father, Leonard Mellin, woke up and saw that his daughter's car was not in the driveway. He then rushed to her room and noticed she never came home the night before.

The Broadway Department store where Cindy Lee Mellin
worked as a sales clerk. Ventura, CA.

Her father then went to the shopping center to look for her and found her car still up on the bumper jack with the flat tire still attached. The spare tire was lying on the ground nearby. The doors, trunk and glove compartment were open.

Leonard Mellin, Cindy's father, observed that the flat tire appeared to have been deliberately punctured with a knife, which left a large slit on one side.

There was no sign of Mellin at the scene and she has never been heard from again.

She was last seen wearing a navy blue dress with red buttons, a brown corduroy three-quarter length coat, blue shoes with gold buckles, a gold ring set with a single pearl and a red hair ribbon.

She is missing under suspicious circumstances and her case remains unsolved. Both her parents have since passed away.

Vital Statistics

-Caucasian female.

-Brown hair, blue eyes.

-Wears contact lenses.

-Missing since: January 20, 1970 from Ventura, California

-Date of birth: December 3, 1950

-Age at time of disappearance: 19

-Height & Weight: 5'6", 105 lbs

-Dentals: Charting is available and entered.

-DNA: Available.

-Last seen wearing a navy blue dress with red buttons, a brown corduroy three-quarter length coat, blue shoes with gold buckles, a gold ring set with a single pearl and a red hair ribbon.

-As of June 2013, Mellin would be 63 years old.

Unidentified Male
-Caucasian.
-Tall and slim.
-Approximately 30-40 years old. Would be about 70-80 years old today.
-Approximately 6 feet tall.

Resources:

CharleyProject.org
National Missing Persons Data System Case Report 6849
MissinginCalifornia.com
Cindy Lee Mellin Missing Persons Poster, by Ventura PD
The Press Courier Archives.

Last updated June 25, 2013

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Although we accept donations, we are not currently set up as a non-profit and are unable to offer tax deductions for your donation. However, all donations are received with the outmost appreciation.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

UNSOLVED: Charlene & Lyman Smith

If you have information on this case, please contact the Ventura Police Department at (805) 339-4343, or the Orange County Sheriff's Department at (714) 647-7000, or if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Ventura County Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Full size version of this article is below
under the "News Coverage" section.

Summary

On March 13, 1980, Charlene Smith, 33, and Lyman Smith, 43, were found murdered in their home in Ventura by their 12 year old son, Gary Smith.

They were bludgeoned to death by a log from the fireplace. Their wrists and ankles were bound with drapery cord and an unusual Chinese knot was used on their wrists.

In 2001, California law enforcement linked DNA evidence from the Original Night Stalker's crimes to DNA found from victims of an unidentified serial rapist dubbed the East Area Rapist in Northern California.

After 50 women were raped in the Sacramento area during the 1970's, citizens held a town meeting to discuss the East Area Rapist. One particular incident that was discussed was the rape of a woman, whose boyfriend had dishes on his stomach put on by the rapist. He was told that if he moved, the rattling of the dishes would alert him.

A man at the meeting stood up and insulted the male victims who allowed their women to be raped while trying to balance dishes on their stomach.

A few weeks later, this man's wife was raped while dishes were placed on his stomach.

Police now believe that the rapist was in attendance, although he has never been identified or apprehended.

Other Victims Linked by DNA

Keith & Patrice Harrington

Keith Harrington, 24, and Patrice Harrington, 27, were found bludgeoned to death in their home in the Niguel Shores gated community in Dana Point. Murdered August 19, 1980.

Manuela Witthuhn, 28, was murdered in her home in Irvine. Murdered February 5, 1981.

Janelle Lisa Cruz, 18, was found bludgeoned to death in her Irvine home. Murdered May 4, 1986.

Manuela Witthuhn

Janelle Lisa Cruz

Suspect Profile
Based on victims' descriptions of the East Area Rapist, the suspect who killed Lyman and Charlene Smith might have shown these characteristics in 1980:

A white male in his 20s or early 30s.
Medium height, husky build with a muscular upper body.
A tattoo of a bull on either forearm.
Blond or light brown hair.
A high-pitched voice.
Seemed middle class in his manners.
Jogged with a white German shepherd.
Drove a white '70s Pontiac.
Mentioned he once lived in Sacramento, Davis, Contra Costa County or Goleta.
Preferred bondage or sadomasochistic sexual practices.
Showed proficiency in tying ornate knots.
Gave gifts of jewelry.
Showed unusual interest in the Smith murder investigation.
Inexplicably was absent in the late hours of the night.
Showed contempt for authority, tendency to blame others.

Episode
>Watch: The Original Night Stalker on A&E: Cold Case Files

Suspect Information & Modus Operandi

>Criminal Investigative Analysis (PDF) 15 pages

Prepared by: Special Agent Leslie D'Ambrosia, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Miami Sergeant John Yarbrough, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Homicide Bureau.

>Overview of East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker investigation

(includes photos & newspaper clippings)
>Suspect Profile and MO

Includes a voice recording of the suspect

>Suspect sketches
>Case of the Bedroom Killer: Analysis of the crimes committed by the Original Night Stalker
>Master list of documents, photos, sketches, timelines, maps

>Master list of newspaper archives of all related crimes 1976-1982

>Master list of newspaper archives of all related crimes 1983-2007

News Coverage

>Attorney , Wife Beaten to Death in Ventura Home (3/17/1980) The Press-Courier Archives

>Double Slaying Motive Sought (3/20/1980) The Press-Courier Archives
>DNA Test Link Slayings in 3 Counties (10/3/00)