True Crime On This Day October 31st

October 31st

On October 31st in true crime, Orange Sock’s murder victim, missing person mystery, Halloween murder, and cold cases.

1978

In Marin County, California, 36-year-old Fritz Quenzler went out on his small yacht and never returned. He was last seen at Pelican Yacht Harbor taking his boat out.

The Sea Scamp, as it was called, was 39 feet in length with a white and blue deck. Quenzler was suffering from depression but had no reason to go missing himself. No sign of Quenzler or his boat have ever been discovered.

1979

In Georgetown, Texas, the nude body of 23-year-old Debra Jackson was discovered. She had been strangled to death and only had orange socks on.

At the time, the identity of the body remained a mystery and she was referred to as ‘orange socks’. She remained unidentified for 40 years until 2019 when a DNA match with her sister showed up in the investigation.

Henry lee Lucas had previously confessed to her murder and was sentenced to death for that and many other crimes.

Some investigators still raise doubts about Lucas’s involvement in the murder, However, because he died of a heart attack in 2001, Jackson’s murder has never truly been solved.

1980

In Denver, Colorado, on Halloween morning, an intruder broke into the home of 92-year-old Jessie Yale and stabbed her to death. A family member who lived with Yale, fought the suspect, only to be seriously injured themselves.

The lone attacker fled the scene and was never caught. It was suspected that Yale had been killed during an attempted robbery but there was no evidence to back it up. Despite an eyewitness and multiple leads, the murder has never been solved.

1981

In Potter County, Texas, 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz was raped, strangled, beaten and stabbed to death in her second-floor room at the St. Francis Convent.

She had been murdered by 17-year-old Johnny Frank Garrett who was arrested just a few days later. Despite never signing a confession and the questionable handling of DNA evidence, Garrett was convicted and sentenced to death.

At the desire of Pope John Paul II, Garrett was granted a 30-day reprieve shortly before his execution. However, Garrett was executed by lethal injection on February 11^th 1992. Since Garrett’s execution, his guilt has been questioned in documentaries and books.

Various investigators have pointed to similar attacks on females in the region at the time. They claim that if the evidence was tried today with new DNA technology, then Garrett may have been found not guilty. Garrett maintained his innocence right up until his execution.

1982

In Leicester, England, 20-year-old Andrew Stevens was attacked outside of Isabella’s nightclub in the city. He was rushed to hospital but discharged the same night. He returned to hospital the next day where he fell into a coma and died of his injuries on November 8^th.

Investigators suspected a group of football fans who were in the area at the time of the attack and may have been involved. Despite witnesses, no suspect has ever been caught. Stevens’ murder remains unsolved.

1983

In Paradise, Butte County, California, on October 31st, 29-year-old Nancy Ann Penner vanished without a trace. She was living with her boyfriend, Jeff Jeffries, and two young children when she was invited to go to a Halloween party by a friend, but she never arrived.

Her brother reported her missing two weeks later when he couldn’t contact her. Jeff was interviewed about Penner’s disappearance, and he claims that he returned home to discover blood in the house but no sign of Penner. Despite this, he never raised the alarm.

Shortly after Penner was reported missing, Jeff eloped to Hawaii with the two children. He later returned to drop off the children with family members. He went to Missouri in 1986, where he took his own life. After his death, the investigation stalled.

In the years that followed, one of their children claimed he remembered seeing Penner run from the bathroom covering her arm, but the memory was vague.

He believes that Jeff killed Penner and hid her body in a remote area of the county or down a mine shaft. The case has never been solved and remains open to this day.

READ NEXT: The Human Body Brokers.