Gordon Stewart Northcott

Serial Killer

Gordon Stewart Northcott and the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders

Overview

Gordon Stewart Northcott was a Canadian-born serial killer, child abductor and sexual predator responsible for the notorious Wineville Chicken Coop Murders in Southern California. Between 1926 and 1928, Northcott used an isolated chicken ranch in Wineville, an agricultural community now known as Mira Loma, as a place to imprison, assault and murder boys. Although he was convicted of three murders, investigators suspected that he may have killed additional victims whose identities and remains were never conclusively established. The case became one of the most disturbing criminal investigations of the 1920s. It involved missing children, human remains discovered around a rural ranch, contradictory confessions and the exploitation of Northcott's young nephew, Sanford Clark. Northcott was ultimately convicted of murdering Lewis Winslow, Nelson Winslow and a young man identified during the trial as an unnamed Mexican victim. Later accounts have identified that victim as Jose Gonzalez, although some historical sources have used the name Alvin Gothea. Northcott was also strongly implicated in the disappearance and presumed murder of nine-year-old Walter Collins, but he was not convicted in that case.

Early Life and the Wineville Ranch

Gordon Stewart Northcott was born on November 9, 1906, in Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was raised primarily in British Columbia before moving with his family to the Los Angeles area in 1924. In 1926, Northcott's father purchased property for him near Wineville in Riverside County, California. Northcott planned to operate a poultry farm there and began constructing a house, chicken coops and other buildings on the isolated property. Northcott brought his nephew, Sanford Clark, from Canada to help build and maintain the ranch. Clark was still a young teenager and was largely under his uncle's control. Instead of providing him with a safe home, Northcott subjected Clark to prolonged physical and sexual abuse. Northcott also threatened the boy and forced him to participate in activities connected to the crimes. Clark's later testimony became essential to the investigation and prosecution. The ranch's remote location gave Northcott privacy. Boys could be brought onto the property without attracting immediate attention, and the numerous outbuildings provided places where victims could be confined. According to testimony presented during the case, Northcott abducted and sexually abused several boys. Some were released, while others were killed and buried or otherwise disposed of. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Walter Collins Age: (9), Date of Death: 1928-03-10

Suspected Victims:

Alvin Gothea

Gordon Stewart Northcott - Wikipedia