An 18 year old girl's nude remains are discovered 3 days after her car is found
Barbara Stroud, an 18-year-old from Mendocino County, California, was murdered on January 10, 1973, in a case that has remained unsolved for decades. On the night of January 7, 1973, Barbara went to a movie with her boyfriend Bob Burke in Willits, California. After the date, she dropped him off at his home and continued driving her 1965 Mustang. Her car was later found abandoned along Highway 101, north of Willits. The car was parked on the shoulder, its canvas top slashed, and personal items like her purse and coat left inside. The scene indicated signs of an abduction; the driver’s side of the car was dented, and green paint was found on the damaged section, suggesting her vehicle had been forced off the road.
Three days later, on January 10, Barbara’s nude body was found by a road crew in a remote area near where her car had been abandoned. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Witnesses had seen a green vehicle near her Mustang, and police initially suspected a dark green truck or Corvette might have been involved. Based on new information in 1975, six local men were arrested in connection to Barbara's death: Dennis Lee Weeks, Harold “Puff” Harrington, Randy Rowan, Larry and Milton Phillips, and Phillip Wood. Barbara had worked at Little Lake Industries, a plant in Willits, and knew at least two of the men. Phillip Wood was offered immunity for testifying against the others and described how Barbara was taken from her car, screaming and struggling. He claimed not to have witnessed her rape or murder, but stated that the other men were responsible.
However, the prosecution against the six men fell apart. The use of sodium amytal, known as "truth serum," on key witnesses rendered their testimonies inadmissible, and a judge later ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict the suspects. As a result, all charges were dropped before the trial could proceed. The release of the men sparked frustration in the community, with the prosecutor decrying what he called a “gross miscarriage of justice.”
In 2008, Detective Andy Whiteaker from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office revisited the case using modern forensic techniques. Stroud’s clothing, a rope believed to have been used to strangle her, and fingerprints from her car were submitted for DNA analysis. Unfortunately, these renewed efforts did not yield any significant breakthroughs, and the case remains open. While some of the suspects have since passed away, two are believed to be still alive, and authorities have yet to find conclusive evidence that would lead to prosecution.
Barbara Stroud’s death also drew comparisons to other unsolved cases of young women found murdered along rural roads in Northern California, a series of killings later known as the "Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders." Despite initial suspicions, no definitive link between Barbara's death and the other murders was ever established. Barbara Stroud’s parents, devastated by the loss of their only child, lived out their lives in Willits without seeing justice for their daughter. Today, her case stands as a grim reminder of the difficulties in solving violent crimes from decades past, and of the need for continued efforts to solve cold cases.
