Who killed 61 year old Howard Worden in 1976? On the morning of March 3, 1976, 61-year-old Howard Worden was found by TriMet Transit Police at a maintenance facility near SE 17th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Worden, a World War II veteran, was in a dazed state and had sustained severe head injuries. He was rushed to Oregon Health & Science University for treatment but succumbed to his injuries on March 15, 1976.
Worden was known to frequent bars in Southeast Portland, and on the night of his attack, he had been ejected from an
apartment on SE 13th Avenue around 2:45 a.m. After his eviction from the premises, he was seen being transported away by two men. The men, described as either Hispanic or Native American, have never been identified. Witnesses reported that one was around 5'8' or 5'9', with straight black hair, while the other was shorter and had curly black hair. Both were wearing dark clothing.
Despite efforts by the Portland Police and Cold Case Homicide Unit, the case remains unsolved. Investigators continue to seek information about the two men or any other details that could lead to resolving the mystery of Worden's death. Crime Stoppers has offered a reward for tips leading to an arrest, but no significant leads have emerged in the decades since the crime occurred.
