In the late summer of 1979, 18-year-old Charla Toma was working on a fishing boat, saving money with dreams of moving to Hawaii. On September 9th, she and her boyfriend, 19-year-old U.S. Coastguardsman Ricky Dale Hemphill, set out for a picnic near the Chetco River in the scenic area east of Brookings, Oregon. The young couple was last seen in Hemphill's pickup truck, embarking on what should have been an idyllic day.
The following day, a grim discovery was made. Hemphill's body was found at a gravel bar approximately 16 miles from Brookings; he had been shot twice in the back. The search for Charla, who was now considered missing, intensified. Tragically, her body was later found about 24 miles upstream from where her boyfriend's body was located. She had been shot three times in the back.
The investigation into the double homicide led police to a former convict named Edward Delon Warren. A tip from a local hunter proved crucial in directing law enforcement's attention to the 26-year-old. When officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with three men, Warren and another man, George Rose, fled into the woods. After an hour-long chase involving police bloodhounds, both men were apprehended.
During his trial in February 1980, Warren confessed to the murders. He claimed that a profane remark from Hemphill had provoked him to shoot. Afterward, he forced Charla to drive him further up the river in Hemphill's truck. After a short walk into the woods, he shot her and left her there. Warren pleaded guilty and was initially sentenced to death. This sentence was later commuted to two life terms. Edward Delon Warren remained in prison until his death in 2003. Years later, DNA evidence would link him to another unsolved murder from 1976.
