Death by Force

Bassam I. Saah

Male, age 34 · Houston, Texas

Killed Dec 24, 1989 · 37 years ago

Bassam I. Saah, a 34-year-old male of Middle Eastern descent, was tragically killed on December 24, 1989, in Houston, Texas. He worked as a store clerk at the Budget Store food mart, which he and his brother owned. On that fateful Christmas Eve, Saah was last…

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Death by Force

Daniel Eli Danny Stutzman

Male, age 9 · Chester, Nebraska

Killed Dec 24, 1985 · 41 years ago

On the cold Christmas Eve of 1985, a splash of blue against the winter landscape of Chester, Nebraska, caught the eye of a passing motorist. This patch of color led to a heartbreaking discovery: the body of a young, White male child, Daniel Stutzman, age 9…

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Death by Force

David Johnson

Null · Columbus, Ohio

Killed Dec 24, 1984 · 42 years ago

On December 24, 1984, David Johnson was found dead in Columbus, Ohio. Specific details regarding the circumstances of his death are sparse, but he was discovered in Franklin County, and his death was classified as a homicide. Law enforcement, including the…

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Death by Force

Marcella Cheri Marci Bachmann

Female, age 16 · Missoula, Montana

Killed Dec 24, 1984 · 42 years ago

In the winter of 1984, sixteen-year-old Marcella Cheri "Marci" Bachman, a Caucasian female, vanished after running away from her home in Vancouver, Washington. Her departure stemmed from a troubled family life, a reality that her fifteen-year-old brother…

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Death by Force

Robert Zore

Male, age 25 · South-miami, Florida

Killed Dec 24, 1983 · 43 years ago

Robert L. Zore, a 25-year-old detective with the Metro-Dade Police Department, tragically lost his life on December 24, 1983, in South Miami, Florida. On that fateful Christmas Eve, Detective Zore was working in plainclothes as part of a unit tasked with…

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Death by Force

Gilbert Ramirez

Male, age 34 · San-antonio, Texas

Killed Dec 24, 1983 · 43 years ago

Patrolman Gilbert E. Ramirez, a 34-year-old Hispanic male, tragically lost his life on December 24, 1983, in San Antonio, Texas. He was a dedicated officer with the San Antonio Police Department, having served for five years. On the night of his death…

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Death by Force

Emma Cook

Female, age 54 · Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Killed Dec 24, 1983 · 43 years ago

Emma Cook, a 54-year-old Black woman, was killed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Christmas Eve in 1983. Her death came during a period when women in the city’s predominantly African American northwest neighborhoods had been living under the shadow of repeated…

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Death by Force

Cynthia Jo Dane

Female, age 24 · Las Vegas, Nevada

Killed Dec 24, 1982 · 44 years ago

Cynthia Jo Dane, a 24-year-old tourist from Dallas, Texas, was murdered on December 24, 1982, at the Castaways Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. She had arrived in Las Vegas just a few days earlier with her father for a holiday trip. On the evening of December…

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Death by Force

Colleen Brockman

Female, age 15 · Seattle, Washington

Killed Dec 24, 1982 · 44 years ago

In the winter of 1982, a 15-year-old White female named Colleen Renee Brockman vanished from Seattle, Washington. The last time her family saw her was on December 23, 1982. She was officially reported as missing around Christmas Eve of that year. Described as…

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Death by Force

Sandra Major

Female, age 20 · Seattle, Washington

Killed Dec 24, 1982 · 44 years ago

In the winter of 1982, a young Black woman named Sandra Denise Major vanished from a Seattle street corner, sparking a mystery that would remain unsolved for decades. At 20 years old, Sandra was last seen on December 24, 1982, by a friend who witnessed her…

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Death by Force

Dennis Frank Webb

Male, age 30 · San-fernando, California

Killed Dec 24, 1980 · 46 years ago

Dennis Frank Webb, a 30-year-old officer with the San Fernando Police Department, tragically lost his life on December 24, 1980. Webb, who had served with the department for five years, was on duty when he encountered a man matching the description of an…

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Death by Force

Gwendolyn Harris

Female, age 27 · Denver, Colorado

Killed Dec 24, 1980 · 46 years ago

In the winter of 1980, the life of a 27-year-old Black woman named Gwendolyn Harris was tragically cut short in Denver, Colorado. A mother, sister, daughter, and friend, she was described by her family as a bright, soft-spoken, and athletic young woman who…

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Death by Force

Joe Ball

Male · Dayton, Ohio

Killed Dec 24, 1979 · 47 years ago

Joe Ball's homicide remains an unsolved case from Dayton, Ohio, dating back to December 24, 1979. On that day, Joe Ball was found dead under circumstances classified as homicide, and the case has since become part of a list of unsolved homicides documented by…

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Death by Force

Brenda Joi Bancroft

Female, age 20 · Virginia Beach, Virginia

Killed Dec 24, 1979 · 47 years ago

On Christmas Eve of 1979, 20-year-old Brenda Joi Bancroft, a white female, left her parents' home on Thalia Drive in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to attend a holiday party. Her father's last words to her were a caution to 'be careful.' She was driving her bright…

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Death by Force

John Braun

Male, age 29 · Schofield, Wisconsin

Killed Dec 24, 1979 · 47 years ago

John E. Braun, a 29-year-old male patrolman with the Schofield Police Department in Wisconsin, died on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1979, after a tragic accident involving his service weapon. Braun was attempting to repair the firearm when it unexpectedly…

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Death by Force

Susan Boynton

Female, age 21 · Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Killed Dec 24, 1979 · 47 years ago

On Christmas Eve of 1979, the life of 21-year-old Susan Boynton, a young woman residing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was tragically cut short. Her death, a brutal combination of strangulation and a fatal stab wound to the neck, marked the beginning of a long…

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Death by Force

Kaye Turner

Female, age 35 · Camp Sherman, Oregon

Killed Dec 24, 1978 · 48 years ago

On Christmas Eve of 1978, Kaye Turner, a 35-year-old White female, was spending the holiday with her husband and friends in the scenic community of Camp Sherman, Oregon. An avid and accomplished runner, Turner set out for a morning jog along a familiar…

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Death by Force

Terri Foster

Female, age 21 · Vancouver, Washington

Killed Dec 24, 1977 · 49 years ago

On the day before Christmas in 1977, the life of 21-year-old Terri Foster was tragically cut short in Vancouver, Washington. A Caucasian female, her partially clothed body was discovered around 12:30 p.m. on December 24th in a corner of David Douglas Park…

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Death by Force

Ingrid “Lori” Ostrenga

Female, age 27 · Honolulu, Hawaii

Killed Dec 24, 1975 · 51 years ago

Ingrid Ostrenga, 27, a White woman, spent Christmas Eve in Kailua on Oʻahu and never made it to Christmas morning. On December 24, 1975, she was found dead inside her own residence, the kind of quiet, familiar place that should have felt safest—until it…

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Death by Force

Ruth Abigail Hamilton

Female, age 23 · Cambridge, Massachusetts

Killed Dec 24, 1972 · 54 years ago

In the winter of 1972, a palpable sense of fear had settled over the Boston and Cambridge area as a string of violent crimes against young women cast a dark shadow over the community. This series of brutal attacks would ultimately claim the life of Ruth…

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Death by Force

Edward Moore

Male, age 20 · Camp Pendleton, California

Killed Dec 24, 1972 · 54 years ago

Edward Daniel Moore, a 20-year-old White male Marine from Louisville, Kentucky, was tragically murdered on December 24, 1972. At the time, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. Moore was last seen leaving his barracks on Christmas Eve. His body…

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Death by Force

James Mcguiness

Male, age 37 · Bayonne, New Jersey

Killed Dec 24, 1920 · 106 years ago

In the winter of 1920, the lifeless body of a 37-year-old male, Federal Prohibition Agent James Francis McGuiness, was discovered floating near the shore of Newark Bay in Bayonne, New Jersey. His death was not of natural causes; a single gunshot wound to the…

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Death by Force

Elizabeth Griffith

Female, age 17 · Louisville, Kentucky

Killed Dec 24, 1919 · 107 years ago

In the waning days of December 1919, a palpable sense of excitement filled the air for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth F. Griffith of Louisville, Kentucky. A young woman described as adventurous and spirited, she was eagerly anticipating her wedding, just days…

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Death by Force

David Olius Battle

Male, age 33 · Birmingham, Alabama

Killed Dec 24, 1910 · 116 years ago

David Olius “Ollie” Battle, a 33-year-old White male deputy sheriff from the Birmingham area, was spending Christmas Eve 1910 with his family in Oak Grove when the quiet of the holiday was broken by reports of gunfire at the nearby Laird home. A neighbor…

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Death by Force

A.H. Hamby

Male, age 36 · Saint-charles, Kentucky

Killed Dec 24, 1910 · 116 years ago

In the small town of Saint Charles, Kentucky, a dedicated public servant named A. H. Hamby, a 36-year-old male, met a tragic and untimely end on Christmas Eve of 1910. As the Town Marshal, he was sworn to protect the peace, a duty he upheld with unwavering…

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Death by Force

Jay Close

Male, age 21 · Dundee, New York

Killed Dec 24, 1910 · 116 years ago

In the small town of Dundee, New York, a young man named Jay Close, aged 21, met a tragic and untimely end on Saturday, December 24, 1910. On what should have been a festive Christmas Eve, Close, serving as a Constable, was thrust into a volatile and…

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Death by Force

Charles Nicholas Mitchell

Male, age 31 · Pryor, Oklahoma

Killed Dec 24, 1908 · 118 years ago

Charles Nicholas Mitchell, a 31-year-old male, was found dead from a gunshot wound inside a residence in Pryor, Oklahoma. The Pryor Creek Police Department, responding to a call, discovered Mitchell's body and immediately began an investigation into the…

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Death by Force

Harry Campbell

Male, age 34 · Columbus, Ohio

Killed Dec 24, 1908 · 118 years ago

On December 24, 1908, Patrolman Harry E. Campbell, aged 34, of the Columbus Division of Police in Ohio, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. The incident occurred at a residence on West Rich Street, near the old city prison. As…

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Death by Force

Preston Van Buren Swanguen

Male, age 44 · Riverside, California

Killed Dec 24, 1907 · 119 years ago

Preston Van Buren Swanguen, a constable in Temecula, Riverside County, California, met a tragic end on December 24, 1907. Swanguen was well-known and respected in the small town, often seen as a calming presence. On Christmas Eve, while hosting a holiday…

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Death by Force

Salavia C. Lafe Bowen

Male, age 39 · Wheeling, West Virginia

Killed Dec 24, 1902 · 124 years ago

Salavia C. “Lafe” Bowen was a 39-year-old White male serving as a patrolman with the Wheeling Police Department in Wheeling, West Virginia. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1902, Bowen encountered a man near 1033 Market Street whom he was attempting to arrest…

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Death by Force

John Usher

Male, age 33 · Mayfield, Kentucky

Killed Dec 24, 1900 · 126 years ago

On a cold Christmas Eve in 1900, a dedicated lawman, John B. Usher, a 33-year-old White male, met a violent end in the line of duty in Mayfield, Kentucky. As a Graves County Deputy Sheriff, Usher was known for his commitment to upholding the law, a resolve…

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Death by Force

Delia Green

Female, age 14 · Savannah, Georgia

Killed Dec 24, 1900 · 126 years ago

In the Yamacraw neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia, a 14-year-old African-American girl named Delia Green attended a Christmas Eve party in 1900 at the home of her employers, Willie and Emma West. Also present was 15-year-old Moses “Cooney” Houston, who had…

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Death by Force