In the quiet community of North Lima, Ohio, a young family's life was irrevocably shattered in the fall of 1977. Linda June Hamilton, a 28-year-old mother, was last seen on September 20, 1977. The following morning, a horrifying discovery was made by her two young children. They found their father, David A. Hamilton, deceased on the kitchen floor of their home on Route 164 in Beaver Township, having been shot three times.
Amidst the tragedy, there was no sign of Linda, and the family's car was also missing. The children, who had tragically slept through the violent events of the previous night, were physically unharmed but left in a world of uncertainty. An unsettling detail at the scene was a bicycle found in the yard, which was later discovered to have been stolen from a nearby neighbor. This small town was left to grapple with a brutal murder and the mysterious disappearance of a young mother.
The investigation into David's murder and Linda's disappearance quickly uncovered disturbing clues. The Hamiltons' car was located near the entrance of a closed strip mine, not far from the truck stop where Linda was employed. Leading away from the driver's side of the vehicle were two sets of footprints: a man's boot prints and a woman's bare footprints. The nature of the woman's prints suggested a struggle, at times appearing as if she was walking and at other times as if she was being dragged. Initially, authorities considered the possibility that Linda was involved in her husband's death, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. However, as the investigation progressed, the focus shifted, and law enforcement began to believe that Linda had been abducted by the person or people responsible for her husband's murder. Neighbors reported hearing sounds resembling strong, rapid hammer strokes around 12:45 a.m. on the night of the incident, and some recalled seeing a man walking on the road from the direction of the truck stop.
Years turned into decades, and the case of Linda Hamilton remained unsolved, leaving her family and community without answers. A significant development came in 2007 when serial killer Edward Arthur Surratt, already incarcerated for other crimes, confessed to the murders of both David and Linda Hamilton. Surratt, a suspect in numerous other murders, offered a vague admission of guilt, stating that Linda's body was 'unrecoverable.' In exchange for more detailed information, he requested a prison transfer, a condition that was not met. Despite his confession, Surratt has never been charged in connection with David's murder or Linda's disappearance, and the information he provided did not lead to the recovery of her remains. The case officially remains unsolved, a painful open wound for those who knew and loved Linda. The narrative of this case is one of sudden violence, a mother vanished, and the agonizingly long wait for justice and closure that has yet to arrive. Linda is remembered as a 28-year-old woman with brown hair and brown eyes, who wore eyeglasses. She had a small scar on the bridge of her nose, pierced ears, and protruding upper front teeth.Last Seen: Sep 19, 1977
