True Crime On This Day September 12th

Last Updated on September 16, 2022 by Ben Oakley

September 12th

On September 12th, in true crime, there were serial killers, triple murder, people vanishing without a trace, and cold cases.

1978

In Richland County, South Carolina, the nude body of 19-year-old Evelyn Weston was discovered on a dirt track near Spears Creek Church Road. She had died from a gunshot to the head at close range.

The case was a mystery until 2018, 40 years later, when it was linked to serial killer Samuel Little who apparently gave details of the case that were hidden to the public.

1979

In Los Angeles, the nude body of 17-year-old David Murillo was discovered near a highway. He had disappeared three days earlier while cycling to the movies. His head had been crushed with a tire iron and he had been raped and strangled.

Murillo was a victim of serial killer William George Bonin, AKA: The Freeway Killer and his accomplice Vernon Butts. Bonin was known to dump his victim’s bodies on the side of freeways and killed at least 21 people from 1979 to 1980.

Vernon Butts, who helped Bonin kill some of his victims, took his own life in 1981 while awaiting trial. Bonin was sentenced to death and executed in California in February 1996.

1980

In Fremont County, Wyoming, 32-year-old Virginia Lynne Uden and her two sons, 11-year-old Richard Loren Uden and 10-year-old Reagan Cordell Uden, disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

They were last seen leaving Virginia’s mother’s home in the early afternoon, en-route to meet the boy’s adoptive father but never made it there.

On October 4^th 1980, their car was found abandoned in the Wind River Canyon area of the County. Investigators found traces of blood in the vehicle and signs of a struggle. The case went cold for 33 years until 2013.

In 2013, Virginia’s ex-husband, Gerald Uden, was arrested and pleaded guilty to the murders of all three of the victims. He testified that he shot them and hid their bodies in an abandoned goldmine.

He had returned to the bodies on November 5^th 1980 and placed them in large oil drums before disposing of them in Fremont Lake. Gerald was sentenced to life in prison.

In another bizarre twist, Gerald’s new wife, Alice Uden, who was arrested with Gerald, was convicted of the murder of a different man in 1974. In 2019, aged 80-years-old, Alice died in prison.

On the very same day, Gerald changed his confession and claimed that Alice had murdered his family and that he took the blame for her. Despite numerous searches, no trace of Virginia and her son’s have ever been found.

1981

In Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, on September 12th, five-year-old Jackie Dene Hay disappeared and was never seen again. As the family were preparing to go for an outing, Jackie walked away from the Colfax and Golf park then vanished.

A witness who worked at a local gas station later claimed she was being followed by an unidentified man at the time. She wasn’t reported missing until four hours later.

A suspect was arrested the same evening but there was no evidence to hold him and he was released without charge. Jackie’s disappearance remains unsolved to this day.

1982

In Schaumburg, Illinois, 28-year-old Peggy Dianovsky vanished without a trace. She had last been seen at the home she shared with her husband, Robert, and their three sons.

Peggy’s relationship with her husband was said to have been violent and abusive and they were going through a divorce and custody battle at the time. Robert maintained that his wife packed her bags and left voluntarily but her car and cash were left behind.

Investigators found blood splatters in their home but Robert claimed he hit her hard enough to injure her but didn’t kill her. In 2003, Robert was arrested for Peggy’s murder and went to trial before a judge, who acquitted him as there was insufficient evidence.

No trace of Peggy has ever been found and her case remains unsolved.

1983

In King County, Washington, 19-year-old Tracy Ann Winston disappeared after last being seen at the Northgate Mall in the early evening. Winston was known to have been involved in prostitution.

She had been picked up and murdered by Gary Ridgway, AKA: The Green River Killer. Winston’s remains were found on March 27^th 1986 in Cottonwood Park, close to the Peck Bridge.

Ridgway was arrested in 2001, convicted of 48 murders, and sentenced to life in 2003. His true victim count is believed to be much higher.