Maureen Louise Sterling, a 12-year-old girl, disappeared on February 4, 1972, alongside her friend Yvonne Lisa Weber, 13. Both were students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa, California. That evening, they had visited the Redwood Empire Ice Arena and were last seen hitchhiking on Guerneville Road, northwest of Santa Rosa.
Their remains were discovered on December 28, 1972, down a steep embankment approximately 66 feet off the east side of Franz Valley Road.
Due to the state of decomposition, the cause of death could not be determined. The Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders, a series of at least seven unsolved homicides involving female hitchhikers in Sonoma County between 1972 and 1973, included Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber among its victims.
Investigators explored multiple leads, including reports that the girls had been approached by a tall, slender man offering them marijuana on the night of their disappearance. A witness later claimed that the man resembled serial killer Ted Bundy, though no definitive connection was established. Other reports suggested the girls may have been looking for a ride to meet someone at a bowling alley, but police were unable to confirm this.
Despite extensive investigations, no arrests have been made in connection with Maureen Sterling's death. The perpetrator remains unidentified, and the case continues to be one of the most perplexing unsolved crimes in California. Authorities have periodically revisited the case, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced to identify the killer.
