Charles Gunnar, a 34-year-old man from Morgan Hill, California, disappeared in 1982 and was later found deceased near Wilseyville in California's Mother Lode country. His remains were unearthed near a secluded cabin owned by survivalist Leonard Lake, who was later implicated in a series of gruesome crimes. Gunnar was known to be the best friend of Lake's alleged accomplice, Charles Ng, a former Marine and martial arts expert.
Investigators discovered more than 40 pounds of charred human
bones in graves near the cabin, indicating a pattern of horrific violence. Ng and Lake were accused of luring victims to the cabin, holding them as sex slaves, and ultimately killing them. The crimes came to light in 1985 when Lake was arrested for shoplifting. During police questioning, Lake swallowed a cyanide capsule, but before dying, he named Ng as his accomplice. Subsequent investigations revealed videotapes of tortured women begging for mercy, leading detectives to the Wilseyville cabin.
Ng fled to Canada, where he was arrested for another crime and imprisoned until September 1991, when he was extradited to California after a lengthy legal battle. He was charged with multiple counts of murder, including Gunnar's death. A Calaveras County Justice Court judge rejected a defense bid to exclude the news media and public from Ng's preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for October 6. Ng was later convicted of eleven murders and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He remains on death row at California Medical Facility.
The case of Charles Gunnar's death was part of a broader investigation into the horrific crimes committed by Ng and Lake, who were suspected of murdering between eleven and twenty-five victims between 1983 and 1985. The discovery of Gunnar's remains contributed to the evidence against Ng, solidifying his role in the brutal killings. The case remains one of the most disturbing serial murder investigations in California's history.
