True Crime On This Day January 26th

Last Updated on September 20, 2022 by Ben Oakley

January 26th

On January 26th in true crime, missing persons, murder, cold case disappearance, Dennis Nilsen serial killer, and murder in Northern Ireland.

1978

United States 1974 joint Junior Chess Champion Peter Jonathan Winston disappeared in mysterious circumstances. He left his home in New York without money, identification or luggage during a severe winter storm.

His body has never been found. As of 2022, he remains a missing persons case which is active in the State of New York.

1979

In New Orleans, robber and murderer Antonio G. James was arrested after two attempted robberies and the murder of Henry Silver on the first day of 1979.

An attempted robbery on January 23^rd left James injured, having been shot with his own gun. He was later sentenced to death. James was executed by lethal injection in Louisiana on March 1^st 1996.

1980

In Derry, Northern Ireland, prison officer Graham Cox was shot dead while driving home from work at Magilligan Prison.

He had been killed in an ambush carried out by the IRA, during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s. Many prison officers and ex-prison officers were killed during this period.

The IRA were a paramilitary organisation who sought the establishment of a republic, the reunification of Ireland, and more importantly the end of British rule in Northern Ireland.

They gave up arms in 2005 with the intention of pursuing peaceful campaigns to meet their objectives.

1981

In Manitoba, Canada, 44-year-old Carlos Manuel Yuste vanished without a trace. He had been staying with friends when he left the residence and never returned.

He left behind all of his belongings and clothing and was ill-prepared for the cold weather. Yuste was known to have suffered from depression due to his employment and other factors, and this may have contributed to his disappearance.

However, the investigation is still open as a missing persons case and foul play has never been ruled out.

1982

In Tampa, Florida, 65-year-old Patricia Ford vanished without a trace. The day of her disappearance she had withdrawn $5,000 (USD) from her bank account in order to pay for some antiques that were being added to her collection.

The seller of the antiques claimed she never showed up to make her purchases. Ford’s vehicle was later found abandoned two blocks from her home. There were no signs of foul play but the driver’s seat was in a position that would have been too far back for someone of Ford’s height.

Investigators suspect she was robbed and murdered to cover up the robbery, but no evidence has ever been found. Her disappearance remains unsolved and is an active cold case in the State of Florida.

1983

In England, serial killer Dennis Nilsen, AKA: The Muswell Hill Murderer, claimed his final victim. 20-year-old Stephen Sinclair was lured to Nilsen’s home at Cranley Gardens on the pretence of alcohol and drugs.

After injecting heroin, Sinclair was strangled to death with a ligature. Nilsen kept his body in one piece for several days before dismembering it. Sinclair’s head, upper torso, and arms were stored in the tea chest in

Nilsen’s living room, while his lower torso and legs were kept beneath his bathtub. Nilsen was one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers and was arrested less than two weeks after Sinclair’s murder.

He was subsequently convicted of six murders and two attempted murders but confirmed to have killed 15. He died of natural causes in 2018.

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