Marquita Mull, a 50-year-old mother of three from Buffalo, New York, was a woman her sister described as a good person who would help anyone. Though she faced personal challenges, including struggles with mental health that were exacerbated by a hit-and-run accident, her family remembered her as a sweet and loved individual. Her life was tragically cut short in June 2021, the victim of a man later identified as a serial killer.
Marquita was last seen in Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore area
on June 25, 2021. When she failed to pick up her disability check, her family grew deeply concerned and reported her missing on July 18. Her sister, Wendy Mull, spearheaded a tireless search for answers, determined to keep her sister's case from going cold. The family's agonizing wait for information ended in the fall. On September 26, 2021, a hiker discovered a human skull along the Chautauqua Rails to Trails in the town of Portland. The following day, as investigators conducted a wider search of the area, they found Marquita's body in thick brush, about 10 yards from the initial discovery. Investigators believe she was murdered in Buffalo and her body transported to the remote location.
The investigation into Marquita's death was complex. The initial remains found belonged to another woman, who had been there for more than a decade. This discovery ultimately led police to a single, monstrous conclusion. A joint investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies eventually pointed to Richard J. Fox, a 61-year-old registered Level 3 sex offender with a long and violent criminal history. Fox had previous convictions for rape and attempted rape dating back to 1993. He was arrested in January 2025 and charged with Marquita's murder.
The investigation revealed that Fox was a serial killer. The older skeletal remains found near Marquita were identified as Cassandra Watson, a woman Fox had been in a relationship with and killed nearly two decades earlier, between 2003 and 2004. In September 2025, Richard J. Fox pleaded guilty to two counts of Murder in the Second Degree for the deaths of both Marquita Mull and Cassandra Watson. He was sentenced to two consecutive 20-years-to-life prison terms, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life behind bars for their murders. Following this conviction, he was charged with and later admitted to killing a third woman, 32-year-old Crystal Curthoys, in January 2023. For this crime, he received an additional 25 years to life, bringing his total sentence to 65 years to life.
At Fox's sentencing, Marquita's sisters delivered powerful and emotional victim impact statements. Wendy Mull spoke of her grief and how she turned to artwork to process her pain and honor her sister's spirit. She also spoke of turning her pain into purpose by donating her time to help search for other missing people, refusing to let other families suffer alone. "I know firsthand what it feels like not to have answers," she said. Addressing Fox directly, she pleaded with him to give other families closure if he had harmed anyone else.
Diane Mull also spoke of the family's pain and anger, stating, "who gave him the right to do that to her." She expressed gratitude that Fox could no longer hurt another family. The resolution of the case brought a measure of peace, but the void left by Marquita's loss remains. Her family continues to carry her memory, forever changed by the violent act that stole her from them.
