Ramona Gartner, a 74‑year‑old woman from Los Angeles, California, was found murdered in her apartment on December 4 , 1974. At the time of her death, she was a 74‑year‑old female; her ethnicity was not specified in public sources, though victims in the same case were commonly described as elderly white women.
Her death emerged amid a series of violent crimes between 1972 and 1976, marked by targeted attacks on older women in their homes across the city. Investigators later linked her murder to the notorious “Westside Rapist,” a serial offender who raped and murdered numerous elderly women. In her case, it is believed that the perpetrator entered her residence, staged a sexual assault, and strangled her—exhibiting the same brutal pattern seen in other victims.
For many years, her murder—and a dozen others—remained unsolved. It wasn't until decades later that law enforcement identified a key suspect: John Floyd Thomas Jr. He was formally charged in 2009 with multiple murders from the mid‑1970s, initially confessing to killing at least seven women. Significantly, Thomas is suspected of involvement in the deaths of several other elderly women, including 74‑year‑old Ramona Gartner.
While Thomas has admitted guilt in various cases, it appears that Ramona Gartner's murder was never specifically confessed to. However, prosecutors consider the similarities in bias, methodology, and location compelling evidence. He was never arrested or tried for her murder in particular but remains the prime suspect due to his established pattern of targeting elderly women in their homes during that era.
No other arrests or suspects have ever been publicly linked to this crime. In summary, while Ramona Gartner, a 74‑year‑old female victim, tragically lost her life in a violent home invasion and homicide, the only known person associated is the Westside Rapist suspect, John Floyd Thomas Jr., who fits the profile and timeline—even though no formal charges were ever brought against him in her specific case.
