Brenda Jo Howell, 12 years old, was last seen on August 6, 1956, in San Gabriel Canyon, California, near Glendora Mountain Road. She and her friend, 13-year-old Donald Lee Baker, set off on bicycles for a ride in the area. A few days later, Brenda's bicycle and Donald's jacket were found near Morris Dam, but neither child has been seen since. Despite extensive searches, no further traces were discovered.
Initially, authorities believed the children might have run away. However, the case took a darker turn in 1970 when Mack Ray Edwards, a convicted child murderer, confessed to killing Brenda and Donald, along with other children. Edwards, who worked as a heavy equipment operator and helped construct many highways in California, led investigators to a location where he claimed he had buried their bodies, but no remains were found. Although Edwards was never charged with Brenda's murder due to a lack of physical evidence, he is widely believed to be responsible.
Brenda was visiting her sister in Azusa at the time of her disappearance. Her case was reopened in 2007 when investigators resumed their search for Edwards' victims. Edwards, who took his own life while on death row, is suspected in several other child disappearances during the 1950s and 1960s.
Last Seen: Aug 06, 1956
