Roger Edward Dickerson, an 18-year-old white male, was a Private First Class in the United States Marine Corps at the time of his death. Born on August 4, 1955, in Corvallis, Oregon, he had spent most of his life in Albany before enlisting in the Marines in 1972. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, serving in a reconnaissance battalion of the First Marine Division. On June 21, 1974, while on liberty from his base, Roger Edward Dickerson went missing.
His body was discovered two days later, on June 23, near the ocean in Laguna Beach, California.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Roger Edward Dickerson were grim and mysterious. His nude body was found approximately 15 feet down a cliff at the end of a dead-end road in South Laguna, an unincorporated area near the beach. Authorities determined that the young white male Marine had been strangled to death by an unknown assailant. The location and condition of the body suggested foul play, but no motive was immediately apparent. His identity was not confirmed until July 5, 1974, nearly two weeks after the body was found.
Despite investigations by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, no arrests were made in connection with the murder of Roger Edward Dickerson. Law enforcement officials reported that there were no suspects at the time and that the motive for the killing remained unclear. The case left many questions unanswered, and the death of the 18-year-old white male Marine remains unsolved. His funeral was held in Albany, Oregon, and he was buried at Willamette Memorial Park. His family, including his parents, siblings, and grandparents, mourned the loss of a young man whose life was cut tragically short under violent and unexplained circumstances.
