After nearly a decade, the 'Lady of the Dunes' is officially identified
In the summer of 1974, the sands of Provincetown, Massachusetts, held a grim secret. On July 26, a young girl discovered the body of a woman, later identified as 37-year-old Caucasian female Ruth Terry. For nearly half a century, she was known only as the "Lady of the Dunes," the oldest unidentified homicide victim in the state. Her death was violent; she had suffered a crushing blow to the head, the cause of death, and was nearly decapitated. To further obscure her identity, her hands and one forearm had been removed. She was found nude on a beach blanket, with her jeans and a bandana folded neatly under her head, suggesting she may have been killed in her sleep by someone she knew.
For decades, the investigation into the Lady of the Dunes' identity and her killer remained cold. Various theories emerged, including the possibility that she was an extra in the movie "Jaws," which was filming nearby. Investigators pursued numerous leads, even considering notorious figures like mobster Whitey Bulger as potential suspects, but none led to a breakthrough. The case saw renewed efforts over the years, with exhumations of her body for further analysis and the creation of facial reconstructions in the hopes of jogging someone's memory. Despite these efforts, her name and the circumstances of her demise remained a mystery.
A significant breakthrough came in 2022 when investigators utilized forensic genealogy. By creating a DNA profile from Terry's remains, they were able to identify her as Ruth Marie Terry, a native of Tennessee with ties to California and Michigan. This identification was the crucial piece that allowed investigators to finally piece together the last months of her life. They learned that in early 1974, she had married an antiques dealer named Guy Muldavin. The couple had embarked on a trip, which included a visit to Terry's family.
With Terry's identity confirmed, the focus of the investigation shifted to her husband, Guy Muldavin. It was discovered that Muldavin had a dark and suspicious past. He had been a suspect in the disappearance of a previous wife and stepdaughter in the 1960s. After their trip in the summer of 1974, Muldavin returned alone, driving Terry's car. He gave conflicting accounts of her whereabouts, telling some that she had passed away and others that they had a fight and he hadn't seen her since. Armed with this information, authorities concluded that Guy Muldavin was responsible for Ruth Terry's death. Muldavin himself died in 2002, never having been brought to justice for the murder. In August 2023, the case of the Lady of the Dunes was officially closed, with Guy Muldavin named as the killer.
