Nondace Kae Cervantes, a 26-year-old white female from Tempe, Arizona, was identified as one of the victims in a series of grisly homicides that occurred in Oregon during the summer of 1987. Cervantes, who also used the alias “Noni Austin,” had reportedly been living in the Portland area at the time of her death. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area near the Molalla River, approximately 35 miles southeast of Portland, along with the bodies of six other women.
The victims were found in varying states of decomposition, and authorities used fingerprints and dental records to confirm Cervantes's identity.
The discovery of the bodies prompted the formation of the Molalla Forest Task Force, which investigated the violent deaths. The remains of the 26-year-old white female were located on a remote hillside, and while the exact cause of death was not publicly detailed, the pattern of injuries among the victims suggested stabbing and possible strangulation. Several of the women had been mutilated, with some having their feet severed. The coroner's reports indicated that many of the injuries were inflicted while the victims were still alive, pointing to a particularly brutal method of killing.
The primary suspect in the case was 33-year-old Dayton Leroy Rogers of Canby, Oregon. Rogers was initially arrested on August 7, 1987, for the murder of 25-year-old Jennifer Smith, a Portland-area sex worker who was stabbed to death in a Denny's parking lot. Witnesses at the scene recorded Rogers's license plate, leading to his arrest. During the investigation, authorities linked Rogers to the Molalla Forest crime scene through circumstantial evidence, including blood and DNA found in his truck that matched several of the victims, including Nondace Kae Cervantes.
Rogers, later dubbed the “Molalla Forest Killer,” was convicted of multiple counts of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murders of six women, including the 26-year-old white female, Nondace Kae Cervantes. Over the years, his sentence was appealed and re-evaluated, but he remains incarcerated without the possibility of parole. The case remains one of Oregon's most notorious serial murder investigations, marked by the brutality of the crimes and the vulnerability of the victims. Cervantes's death, along with those of the other women, underscored the dangers faced by marginalized individuals and the importance of persistent investigative work in bringing justice to light.
