Linda Sohus, age 28, and her husband, John Sohus, vanished from their San Marino, California home on February 8, 1985. The couple, who lived with John's mother, told friends and family they were traveling to Connecticut for a job opportunity. Linda, an artist and employee at a science fiction bookstore, and John, a computer programmer, left behind their pets, which friends and family found uncharacteristic. Weeks after their departure, Linda's sister was contacted by a kennel where Linda had boarded her cats for a two-week period; eight weeks later, the animals had still not been retrieved. The couple was officially reported missing on April 8, 1985, two months after they were last seen.
In the months following their disappearance, Linda's friends and family received postcards seemingly from her, postmarked from France. However, the authenticity of the handwriting on these cards has been a point of contention among experts. Adding to the mystery, their tenant, a man named Christopher Chichester, offered conflicting stories, telling some that the couple was on an extended honeymoon in Paris and others that they were engaged in secret government work on the East Coast. Before police could formally interview Chichester, he disappeared. Neighbors later reported a foul odor emanating from the chimney of the guesthouse where Chichester had been staying, and a significant amount of blood was discovered inside the dwelling.
The case remained cold for years until May 1994, when workers digging a foundation for a swimming pool in the backyard of the Sohus' former residence unearthed a dismembered human skeleton. The remains were eventually identified as those of John Sohus. No trace of Linda Sohus was found at the property, and her whereabouts remain unknown.
The investigation gained significant momentum in 2008 when a man named Clark Rockefeller, who had kidnapped his daughter in Boston, was identified as Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German national with multiple aliases, including Christopher Chichester. Gerhartsreiter had been living in the Sohus' guesthouse at the time of their disappearance. In 2011, he was charged with the murder of John Sohus. During his 2013 trial, the prosecution presented a largely circumstantial case, while the defense suggested that Linda Sohus could have been responsible for her husband's death. Ultimately, Gerhartsreiter was convicted of John Sohus's murder and sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. Despite the conviction, Linda Sohus's case remains an unsolved missing person investigation, and authorities suspect she also met with foul play.
Last Seen: Feb 8, 1985
