Deborah Ann Dubs, a 33-year-old white female, was last seen on July 25, 1984, in San Francisco, California. She lived with her husband, Harvey Dubs, aged 30, and their 16-month-old son, Sean. On the day of their disappearance, Deborah was on a phone call with a friend when she mentioned that two men had arrived at their home in response to an advertisement Harvey had placed to sell video equipment. This was the last known contact with the family.
Witnesses reported seeing an Asian man leaving the Dubs' residence carrying a box later that day. The following day, a neighbor observed an unidentified vehicle departing from the area and attempted to follow it but lost track. Shortly after the family's disappearance, a man identifying himself as "Jim Bright" contacted Harvey's employer, claiming that the family had moved to Washington. This raised suspicions, as there was no prior indication of such plans.
Investigations led authorities to suspect that the Dubs family fell victim to serial killers Charles Chitat Ng and Leonard Lake. The duo had a history of luring victims through classified ads and were known for abducting, torturing, and murdering their victims at a remote cabin in Wilseyville, California. Evidence found at Lake's property included a receipt in Harvey Dubs' name and video equipment belonging to the family. Although the remains of Deborah, Harvey, and Sean Dubs were never conclusively identified, it is believed that they were among the victims whose bodies were dismembered and burned, making identification difficult.
Charles Ng was eventually apprehended in Canada and extradited to the United States. In 1999, he was convicted of 11 counts of first-degree murder, including those of Deborah, Harvey, and Sean Dubs, and was sentenced to death. Leonard Lake, upon being arrested in 1985, committed suicide by ingesting a cyanide capsule. The case of the Dubs family remains one of the most harrowing examples of random victimization by serial offenders in California's history.
