Oregon Police Solve 1980s Serial Murder Case
A perplexing cold case has been solved, but there is to be no justice for the killer.
Detectives in Oregon have announced they have solved a serial murder case dating back to the 1980s using genetic genealogy.
The original investigation began on June 5th 1986 in Eugene, where police and fire medics were responding to a call from an apartment manager who said they were concerned about the welfare of one of the residents.
When they gained entry, they discovered the body of 62-year-old Gladys May Hensley. She had died at some point in the early hours of the night before, police believed, and they concluded her death was a homicide.
The investigation into the murder had barely begun when the body of 33-year-old Janice Marie Dickinson was discovered behind Eugene’s car dealership on June 19th 1986. She was naked and had been sexually assaulted, with the cause of death attributed to brutal homicidal violence.
It wasn’t until February 28th 1988 that the same killer struck again. This time, 73-year-old Geraldine Spencer Toohey was found dead in her home on Franklin Boulevard. Again, she had been sexually assaulted and the cause of death was brutal homicidal violence, with her assailant having forced their way into the…
