Do you know who murdered Linda Russ? In the winter of 1972, a grim discovery was made in a ditch at the corner of Inland Road and Deepwater Drive in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake, Virginia. On December 27th, the skeletal remains of 26-year-old Linda Dianne Russ were found, bringing a somber end to a search that began months earlier. A resident of Norfolk, Linda had been reported missing on September 1, 1972.
The last time she was seen alive was on August 23, 1972, at a bar called Daniel's Den in the Ocean View section of Norfolk.
The investigation into Linda's disappearance and death uncovered a web of criminal activity that suggested her murder was not a random act of violence. At the time of her disappearance, Linda was slated to be a witness in an upcoming burglary trial. The man she was set to testify against was Cecil Frenchy Phelps. Friends who were with Linda at Daniel's Den on the night she was last seen reported that Phelps was also at the bar and that they overheard the two of them discussing the trial.
The circumstances surrounding the case grew more suspicious as the investigation continued. Another individual who was also scheduled to testify against Phelps in the same burglary case, a man by the name of Frank Wiles, also turned up dead. His remains were discovered just two days after Linda's. While Cecil Frenchy Phelps was eventually charged with the murder of Frank Wiles and served 40 years in prison, he was never formally charged in connection with Linda's death. Phelps died shortly after his release from prison.
Due to the condition of Linda's remains when they were discovered, the medical examiner was unable to determine a specific cause of death. Without a definitive cause of death and with the primary suspect now deceased, the case has grown cold over the decades. The death of Linda Dianne Russ remains an unsolved homicide. Authorities continue to ask for the public's help with any information that might finally bring closure to her case. A reward of up to $1,500 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
