Ethyl Grimes, an 81-year-old Hispanic female from Los Angeles, California, was found murdered in her apartment on May 13, 1974. According to authorities, she had been robbed and strangled within her residence. Her death prompted immediate concern due to the violent nature of the crime and her vulnerability as an elderly female victim.
Detectives investigating the case singled out John Floyd Thomas Jr., a Caucasian male later notorious as the “Westside Rapist.”
While Thomas was never formally charged for the murder of Ethyl Grimes, law enforcement sources list her as victim #2 in a sequence of crimes attributed to him. Investigators noted a disturbing pattern: elderly female victims found in their homes, sexually assaulted or strangled, and often robbed. Grimes' murder aligned with this modus operandi, reinforcing suspicions about Thomas's involvement.
Despite these connections, no arrests were ever made in relation to Ethyl Grimes's murder. John Floyd Thomas Jr. was eventually convicted for other murders—mostly of older women—committed between the late 1960s and 1980s. He pleaded guilty in the 2010s to multiple counts of murder, receiving sentencing that reflected the gravity and scale of his crimes. However, authorities did not bring charges specifically for the 1974 murder of Ethyl Grimes.
In summary, the death of Ethyl Grimes, an 81-year-old Hispanic woman in Los Angeles, remains officially unsolved. The main suspect, John Floyd Thomas Jr., was never arrested or charged for her murder, although investigators and later case reviews strongly associate him with the crime. No other suspects have been publicly identified or arrested in connection with her death.
