Miami Strangler

Serial Killer

The Miami Strangler: Miami's Unidentified Serial Killer

Overview of the Case

The Miami Strangler is the name given to an unidentified serial killer believed to have murdered at least nine women in Miami, Florida, between August 1964 and October 1970. Two additional killings committed in 1971 have sometimes been discussed as possible extensions of the series. The killer was never identified, arrested, or prosecuted, leaving one of South Florida's most disturbing serial-murder investigations unresolved. Despite the nickname, the victims were not all strangled. Some were smothered, others were beaten to death, and one was shot after a scarf was placed around her neck. Investigators connected the cases because of recurring details involving the victims' clothing, missing personal garments, the positioning of their bodies, and the apparent absence of conventional robbery motives. Jewelry and other valuables were sometimes left behind even when purses, shoes, keys, or clothing were taken. Many of the women were attacked while alone inside their homes or apartments. Others were intercepted after leaving work or during routine activities. Several scenes showed no obvious signs of forced entry, raising the possibility that the killer gained access through deception, was admitted by the victims, or knew enough about their routines to approach them without immediately causing alarm.

Confirmed Victims Attributed to the Miami Strangler

• Mary E. McGreevy, 64 August 17, 1964 Miami, Florida: McGreevy was killed inside her home. She was smothered with a pillow, establishing suffocation as one of the methods later associated with the unidentified offender. The indoor setting and apparent targeting of a woman living or spending time alone became recurring characteristics of the series.
• Sylvia Valdez, 38 March 8-9, 1965 Miami, Florida: Valdez left work at approximately 9:00 p.m. on March 8 and discovered that her automobile had a flat tire. A parking attendant changed the tire and later reported seeing her talking with two men. Valdez was found dead inside her car the following morning. A black silk scarf had been wrapped around her neck, her skirt had been pulled over her head, and she had been shot twice behind the right ear with a .22-caliber firearm. Her purse, shoes, car keys, and certain personal items were missing, but her diamond ring was left behind. Investigators determined that she had not been sexually assaulted.
• Bernadita Gonzalez, 44 February 1966 Miami and the Levitz Lake area, Florida: Gonzalez was last seen alive at a Miami beauty salon in February 1966. Her precise date of death was not established. Approximately eight weeks after her disappearance, a highway patrol officer discovered her decomposed body floating face down in Levitz Lake. An examination indicated that she had suffered severe blunt-force injuries to the skull, possibly inflicted with a hatchet or similar instrument. Her underwear had been removed, but her jewelry remained with her body.
• Sherivon Dolores Wooten, 21 August 16, 1969 Miami, Florida: Wooten was last seen leaving her home on the night before her body was discovered. On August 16, she was found on a dirt road between two houses. She had been strangled, and fingernail marks were visible on her neck. Her clothing had been raised over her breasts, creating a scene that investigators considered similar to the deliberate exposure or positioning found in other cases attributed to the killer.
• Mary Louise Clark Danford, 64 May 5, 1970 Miami, Florida: Danford was last seen purchasing groceries only hours before concerned friends entered her home after she stopped answering telephone calls. They found her strangled on her bed. Her sweater had been pushed upward, and her underwear was missing. Investigators believed the killer entered through a small window, suggesting that he may have watched the residence and chosen an entry point that allowed him to surprise her.
• Ruth Boehner, 64 June 2, 1970 Miami, Florida: Boehner was found murdered inside her apartment. She had suffered extensive blunt-force injuries to her head, neck, and jaw and had also been strangled with enough force to fracture the hyoid bone in her neck. Her nightgown had been pulled upward, and her clothing was disarranged. Police found no clear evidence of forced entry, leaving unanswered questions about how the assailant entered her apartment.
• Mattie Ophelia Harris, 84 August 5, 1970 Miami, Florida: Harris was attacked in her home and strangled with a necktie in her kitchen. Her nightgown had been pulled upward, and the residence had been ransacked. The disturbance could have represented a search for valuables, an attempt to disguise the motive, or another expression of the offender's need to control and disrupt the victim's surroundings.
• Regina Bonanno, 48 October 10, 1970 Miami, Florida: Bonanno, who was deaf and unable to speak, was found bound to her bed inside her apartment. Her bra and a scarf had been tied around her neck, underwear had been placed in her mouth, and her head had been pushed into a pillowcase. The binding, gagging, and use of the victim's own clothing demonstrated a high degree of control and closely reflected the sexually suggestive staging associated with the series.
• Patrice Finer Newkirk, 36 October 26, 1970 Miami, Florida: Newkirk had been reported missing after failing to return home. Her body was discovered in the trunk of her green 1970 Pontiac LeMans, which had been left at Manor Park near her residence. She had been beaten so severely that the damage to her skull was compared to injuries caused by a fall from a substantial height. A strip torn from her dress had been tied around her neck. Her purse, keys, shoes, and underwear were missing. Her murder became the final killing officially included in the principal 1964-1970 series.

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Confirmed Victims: (9)

Mary E. McGreevy Age: (64), Date of Death: 1964-08-17

Suspected Victims:

Mary Francis Sims Age: (31), Date of Death: 1971-03

Clara Jane Armaly Age: (25), Date of Death: 1971-09-12

Miami Strangler - Wikipedia