True Crime On This Day January 27th

January 27th

On January 27th in true crime, necrophilia, serial killers, gruesome discovery, coin shop killer, Ventura County Jane Doe and cold cases.

1978

Richard Trenton Chase entered the home of the Miroth family and shot dead a family friend named Danny Meredith. He stole his wallet and car keys before rampaging through the house.

He then shot 38-year-old Evelyn Miroth and her six-year-old son, Jason Miroth. He also shot and killed Evelyn’s 22-month-old nephew. Evelyn was found half-naked on her bed with some of her organs removed.

Chase had drunk some of her blood and engaged in sexual intercourse with the corpse as he had done on the previous occasion.

His desire for cannibalism and necrophilia had left nothing to the imagination. Fortunately, it was to be his final kill.

1979

In Breathitt County, Kentucky, the skeletal remains of a 35 to 45-year-old man were found on a hillside during a snowstorm just away from a local highway. The man had been dead for at least six months but no one had reported anyone missing in the local area.

The identity of the man and the circumstances surrounding his death have long remained a mystery. As of 2022, investigators are still seeking information about the man.

1980

In Everett, Washington, 36-year-old antique shop owner David Sutton was found dead. An estimated $80,000 (USD) in silver coins had been robbed from the shop. Sutton was the first victim of serial killer Charles T. Sinclair, AKA: The Coin Shop Killer.

Sinclair was arrested in Alaska in 1990 for the suspected connection of eight murders. When the investigation searched a storage shed owned by him, they found the evidence they needed.

Maps, false ID machines, C-4 explosives, land-mines and an entire stash of rare coins were the tip of the iceberg. He was subsequently linked to at least 11 murders and two rapes.

He would specifically target coin shops to rob, before killing the owners to hide any witnesses. In October 1990, while in custody, he died of a heart attack, leaving the investigation at a standstill.

1981

In Piru, Ventura County, California, the body of an unidentified 18 to 30-year-old Hispanic female was found on a private citrus orchard, by the owners of the ranch.

She had died no more than two days beforehand. It was later confirmed by an autopsy that she had been murdered, but the details of her death remain private.

Notable clothing and accessories were blue strappy sandals, yellow metal band ring, and yellow metal chain necklace with a cross.

Despite having a recognisable face, she remains unidentified. She became known as the Ventura County Jane Doe.

1982

In East Lothian, Scotland, the body of 72-year-old widower J Ralph McIntosh was found in his home, he had beaten and stabbed to death.

There were no signs of forced entry and only a drawer in his bedroom had been broken.

McIntosh was well-known in the community but despite a large investigation, his murder has never been solved. His case was reopened in 2012 and remains active to this day.

1983

In Orange County, Sacramento, 21-year-old hitchhiker Eric Church was picked up by serial killer Randy Steven Kraft, AKA: The Southern California Strangler or The Scorecard Killer.

Eric’s body was found the next day. He had been drugged, raped, tied up, strangled and beaten to death. The Southern California Strangler was the name that the investigation attributed to Kraft’s murders.

The Scorecard Killer attribute is given to Kraft because he kept coded references to his victims.

He was convicted of 16 murders but it is suggested he may have been responsible for 67 killings during his campaign of terror from 1971 to 1983.

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