Maye Scialesi was a 72-year-old white female found dead in Los Angeles, California, on November 7, 1974. Law enforcement considers her one of the suspected victims of serial killer John Floyd Thomas Jr., aka the 'Westside Rapist' and 'Southland Strangler.' Investigators believe Thomas entered her apartment through a bathroom window—a modus operandi consistent with his pattern of targeting elderly women living alone, committing sexual assault followed by strangulation or suffocation, and often
covering his victims' faces with blankets or pillows.
Despite being firmly identified as a suspected victim, Maye Scialesi's case did not lead to a separate arrest; no individual was ever arrested specifically in connection with her death. Instead, it was through a resurgence in DNA testing decades later that her case, along with many others, was linked to Thomas. However, no direct witness testimony, immediate forensic match, or arrest tied to her was ever reported at the time. Thomas was only connected to her death via his later confession and DNA evidence tying him to crime scenes from that era, but no formal charges were pursued for Scialesi specifically.
John Floyd Thomas Jr. was eventually arrested on March 31, 2009, after DNA from crime scenes was matched to a sample he submitted in 2008. He faced charges for seven murders to which he ultimately pleaded guilty in April 2011. During sentencing, Thomas admitted responsibility for the confirmed victims and a number of additional suspected cases—including Scialesi's—though the prosecution focused on the seven murders with the strongest direct evidence. Thomas received seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
In summary, Maye Scialesi, a 72-year-old white female from Los Angeles, was identified posthumously as a suspected victim of John Floyd Thomas Jr. There were no separate arrests or named suspects linked to her case at the time of her death. Instead, her case became part of a broader cold case investigation, and her connection to Thomas emerged decades later through DNA and his own admissions during the resolution of multiple cold homicide investigations.
