The South Florida Flat-Tire and Canal Murders
Overview of the Murders
The South Florida serial murders commonly known as the Flat-Tire Murders or Canal Murders involved twelve girls and women whose disappearances and deaths occurred between early 1975 and January 1976. Most of the cases were concentrated in Broward and Dade counties, now known as Miami-Dade County. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 27, and many of their bodies were recovered from canals, isolated wooded areas or illegal dumping sites along the western edges of South Florida.
The series received the Flat-Tire Murders name after investigators discovered that the automobiles used by Ronnie Sue Gorlin and Elyse Rapp had damaged or deliberately deflated tires. Police theorized that a killer might have disabled the women's vehicles and then approached while pretending to offer assistance. This theory was important, but it could not explain every death attributed to the broader series. Some victims had no known connection to a disabled automobile, and the methods of killing varied considerably.
The dates commonly associated with the victims are frequently the dates on which they disappeared or were last seen, rather than medically established dates of death. Because several bodies were recovered days after the victims vanished, the precise time of death could not always be determined. The chronology below distinguishes between disappearance dates and body-recovery dates whenever that information is available.
Victims and Verified Chronology
- Judith Ann Oesterling, 19: Reported missing from Dade County on February 1, 1975. Her body was recovered from the Snake Creek Canal near the Broward-Dade county line. Published accounts conflict about the exact recovery date, although February 3, 1975, is commonly reported. Her exact date of death was not conclusively established.
- Barbara Davis Stephens, 23: Disappeared in Miami on February 12, 1975. Her body was discovered in a wooded area on February 20, 1975. The exact date on which she was killed remains uncertain.
- Arietta Marie “Renie” Tinker, 17: Last seen at the Hippopotamus Lounge on Hollywood Beach on April 9, 1975. Her body was recovered from the Snake Creek Canal in Miramar on April 12, 1975. Her precise date of death was not established.
- Nancy Lee Fox, 19: Last seen in West Palm Beach on June 13, 1975. Her body was discovered on June 15, 1975, in a canal running near U.S. Highway 27 in Broward County.
- Barbara Susan “Barbie” Schreiber, 14: Last seen leaving her Hollywood home on June 18, 1975. She was found shot to death beside a canal near Highway 27 on June 19, 1975.
- Belinda Darlene Zetterower, 14: Last seen with Barbara Schreiber on June 18, 1975. Her body was found beside Schreiber's body near the Highway 27 canal on June 19, 1975.
- Robin Leslie Losch, 14: Reported missing after failing to return from summer classes on July 8, 1975. Her body was discovered in a canal near Highway 27 on July 10, 1975. Her death is generally recorded as occurring on or shortly before July 10.
- Ronnie Sue Gorlin, 27: Disappeared after leaving her Miami Beach apartment on July 22, 1975. Her body was recovered from the Graham Canal in Hialeah Gardens on July 23, 1975.
- Elyse Rapp, 21: Disappeared while shopping on July 30, 1975. Her body was found in the Graham Canal on July 31, 1975. Some early reports incorrectly rendered her surname as Napp.
- Mary Coppolla, 15: Arrived in Fort Lauderdale with Marlene Annabelli on October 17, 1975. The two were later reported missing, and their bodies were found at an illegal dumping site on October 26, 1975. Their exact dates of death were not established.
- Marlene Annabelli, 27: Arrived in Fort Lauderdale with Mary Coppolla on October 17, 1975. Her body was recovered with Coppolla's body on October 26, 1975, outside Fort Lauderdale.
- Michelle Andrea Winters, 17: Disappeared from the Fort Lauderdale area on December 30, 1975. Her body was discovered in the Snake Creek Canal near Pembroke Pines on January 11, 1976. Investigators believed she had been killed several days before the discovery.
The Disappearance of Judith Ann Oesterling
Judith Ann Oesterling was a 19-year-old Indiana native who had been living in South Florida. She disappeared from Dade County after returning from work during the beginning of February 1975. Her body was subsequently found in the Snake Creek Canal near the boundary between Dade and Broward counties.
Investigators determined that Oesterling had been attacked on land before she was dragged toward the canal and placed in the water. Her death became one of the earliest cases associated with the suspected series. However, historical accounts contain conflicting dates for both her disappearance and the discovery of her body. February 1, 1975, is the date most frequently used for her disappearance, while February 3 is commonly given as the recovery date.
The Murder of Barbara Davis Stephens
Barbara Davis Stephens was a 23-year-old bank employee who was separated from her husband and living with her parents. On February 12, 1975, she said she was traveling to Coral Gables to visit a friend. She never reached her destination. Her cream, olive and silver Chevrolet Camaro was later found abandoned in a Miami parking area.
Stephens' body was discovered in a wooded lot on February 20. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. The location of her automobile and the circumstances of her disappearance caused investigators to examine whether someone had approached her near the vehicle. Because of the condition in which she was found, police also considered a sexually motivated attack.
Stephens was initially treated as one of the central victims in the developing pattern. Her killing was never conclusively linked through physical evidence to the canal deaths that followed, and no person has been convicted of murdering her.
The Death of Arietta Marie Tinker
Arietta Marie “Renie” Tinker was 17 years old and married at the time of her disappearance. On April 9, 1975, her husband dropped her off at the Hippopotamus Lounge on Hollywood Beach. She was expected to return but was never seen alive by her family again.
Three days later, on April 12, an off-duty police officer discovered Tinker's body floating in the Snake Creek Canal in Miramar, about half a mile east of U.S. Highway 27. Her recorded cause of death was drowning. Investigators found no obvious injury that conclusively proved she had been murdered, but the circumstances of her disappearance and the location of her body caused detectives to treat her death as suspicious.
The Murder of Nancy Lee Fox
Nancy Lee Fox was a 19-year-old woman from West Palm Beach. She was last seen on the night of June 13, 1975, while walking toward a laundromat. When she failed to return, concern developed quickly. Two days later, her body was found floating in a canal running parallel to Highway 27 in Broward County.
Fox had been struck on the back of the head with a blunt object and choked before she entered the water. Investigators concluded that she had been assaulted elsewhere or near the canal bank and then placed in the water. The similarity between her disposal site and the location where other victims were found strengthened fears that a serial predator was operating along the remote canal roads.
The Murders of Barbara Schreiber and Darlene Zetterower
Barbara Susan Schreiber and Belinda Darlene Zetterower were both 14 years old and had recently completed the eighth grade. On June 18, 1975, they left Schreiber's Hollywood home after saying they intended to spend the night with a friend. They never arrived at the friend's home.
The following morning, a family fishing near a canal along Highway 27 discovered the girls lying side by side. Both had been shot. They were fully clothed, and investigators did not find conclusive evidence of sexual assault. The double murder became one of the most haunting crimes associated with the South Florida series.
For decades, the girls' murders remained unsolved. DNA recovered from their clothing eventually identified Robert Clark Keebler as one of the men involved. Additional testing, witness information and investigative work identified Lawrence Stein as the second participant. The Broward Sheriff's Office announced in May 2025 that Keebler and Stein had murdered the girls. Both suspects were already dead and therefore could not be prosecuted.
Investigators have cautioned that the double murder may not have been committed by the same person responsible for the other suspected Flat-Tire killings. The method used against the girls differed from the drownings, stabbings and sexual assaults seen in several of the other cases. Detectives continue to examine whether Keebler or Stein may have been involved in additional crimes, but neither man has been conclusively linked to the remaining victims.
The Death of Robin Leslie Losch
Robin Leslie Losch was a 14-year-old Fort Lauderdale student who disappeared on July 8, 1975. She had attended summer classes at Stranahan High School but failed to return home. She was reportedly seen at a neighborhood grocery store before she vanished.
On July 10, a family visiting the area noticed part of a body in a canal near U.S. Highway 27. The location was approximately half a mile from the area where Schreiber and Zetterower had been found. Losch was fully clothed, and investigators concluded that she had drowned.
Although her death lacked some of the injuries found in the other cases, her age, disappearance and recovery from the same remote canal corridor caused detectives to include her among the suspected victims. No one has been charged with causing her death.
The Murder of Ronnie Sue Gorlin
Ronnie Sue Gorlin was a 27-year-old respiratory therapist living in Miami Beach. On July 22, 1975, she left her apartment to visit her mother at Parkway Hospital. She did not arrive as expected and was reported missing.
Gorlin's body was found the following day in the Graham Canal in Hialeah Gardens. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed. Her rented burgundy-and-white Oldsmobile Cutlass was discovered in a shopping-center parking lot. One of its tires had been slashed or deliberately deflated.
The disabled tire became a central clue. Investigators theorized that the killer had damaged the tire before Gorlin returned to her vehicle. He could then have offered assistance, gained her confidence and persuaded her to accompany him. This suspected technique later gave the series its most recognizable name.
The Murder of Elyse Rapp
Elyse Rapp was 21 years old and had recently moved to South Florida from New York City. She worked as a secretary and was described as quiet and responsible. On July 30, 1975, she left her apartment to go shopping and was last seen at a Hollywood-area shopping center.
Rapp's rented yellow Chevrolet Vega was found in the shopping-center parking lot with a deflated tire. On July 31, her body was discovered in the same canal where Ronnie Sue Gorlin had been recovered only eight days earlier.
An autopsy determined that Rapp had been sexually assaulted and had died by drowning. The similarities between her case and Gorlin's were striking: both women disappeared while using rented vehicles, both automobiles were found with damaged tires, and both bodies were left in the Graham Canal. These two cases provided the strongest foundation for the theory that a killer deliberately disabled women's cars and then approached them under the pretense of helping.
The Deaths of Mary Coppolla and Marlene Annabelli
Mary Coppolla, 15, and Marlene Annabelli, 27, traveled from Pennsylvania to Fort Lauderdale on October 17, 1975. They rented a room at the Lauderdale Beach Club for what was intended to be a one-week stay. When the women failed to return or contact those who knew them, they were reported missing.
On October 26, a motorcyclist discovered their bodies at an illegal dumping site outside Fort Lauderdale. Both had been strangled with rope. Unlike many of the other victims, Coppolla and Annabelli were found together and were not recovered from a canal.
Their deaths were investigated as possible additions to the larger series because of their ages, their disappearance from the Fort Lauderdale area and the timing of the murders. However, no physical evidence has publicly established that they encountered the same offender responsible for Gorlin, Rapp or any other victim.
The Murder of Michelle Winters
Michelle Andrea Winters was a 17-year-old Fort Lauderdale resident who disappeared on December 30, 1975. Friends said she had discussed joining the United States Navy. She was also known to hitchhike, leading her mother to believe that she may have voluntarily entered the killer's vehicle without initially realizing she was in danger.
On January 11, 1976, two men gathering firewood discovered Winters' body in the Snake Creek Canal near Pembroke Pines and the western Broward County corridor. She was clothed, although her shoes were missing. Investigators determined that she had been strangled with the strap of her handbag, and a scarf had also been tied around her neck.
Medical findings indicated that Winters had probably been in the water for two or three days. This meant she may have remained alive for more than a week after her December 30 disappearance. No evidence of sexual assault was reported. Her murder is generally considered the final confirmed or suspected case in the principal Flat-Tire Murders chronology.
The Suspected Method of Approach
Investigators believed the strongest common pattern was visible in the Gorlin and Rapp cases. Both victims used rental automobiles, both cars were abandoned at shopping centers, and both had damaged tires. Police theorized that the offender watched women in parking lots, punctured or deflated a tire and waited nearby until the driver discovered the problem.
The offender could then approach as a seemingly helpful stranger. Contemporary investigators described the possible killer as a well-dressed, attractive and physically fit white man, possibly between 20 and 25 years old. He may have been intelligent, confident and socially skilled enough to make women feel comfortable accepting assistance.
This profile was speculative and was based on the belief that victims entered the offender's vehicle willingly. No eyewitness account conclusively established the identity or appearance of the killer. It also remains possible that different offenders used unrelated methods and that the apparent similarities resulted from the geography and circumstances of the crimes.
Canals and the South Florida Landscape
The canal system of South Florida played a major role in the series. Long waterways bordered isolated roads, undeveloped land and the eastern edges of the Everglades. During the 1970s, some of these areas were sparsely traveled, especially at night. A killer could transport a victim away from the densely populated coastal cities and dispose of a body with a reduced chance of being observed.
Water also damaged physical evidence and complicated the determination of an exact time of death. Several victims were not discovered until fishermen, motorists, police officers or families traveling through the area noticed their remains. The repeated use of canals led investigators and journalists to refer to the cases collectively as the Canal Murders.
Were All Twelve Murders Connected?
Although the twelve victims are commonly grouped together, investigators never proved that all were killed by one person. The causes of death included shooting, stabbing, strangulation, blunt-force injury and drowning. Some victims were sexually assaulted, while no such evidence was found in other cases. Some were found nude or partially clothed, while others remained fully dressed.
The murders of Schreiber and Zetterower are now attributed to Robert Clark Keebler and Lawrence Stein. A Broward Sheriff's Office cold-case detective has stated that the double murder's method did not appear to match the other suspected Flat-Tire cases. This finding strongly suggests that at least part of the original grouping involved separate offenders.
The similarities between Gorlin and Rapp remain much more direct. Their disappearances occurred eight days apart, both vehicles had damaged tires, and their bodies were recovered from the same canal. Even so, the person responsible for their deaths has never been publicly identified.
Investigation and Continuing Questions
Law-enforcement agencies in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties compared reports, physical evidence and victim histories throughout 1975. Investigators considered whether the killer had committed similar crimes outside Florida and examined dozens of deaths involving young women found near waterways. A reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, but no suspect was charged in the central series.
The identification of Keebler and Stein in the Schreiber-Zetterower case demonstrated the potential value of preserving evidence. Modern DNA testing allowed investigators to develop information that had been unavailable for nearly fifty years. However, solving that double murder did not identify the person who killed Gorlin, Rapp or the other women.
The remaining cases continue to raise difficult questions. Investigators do not know whether one unidentified serial offender committed several of the murders, whether multiple predators were active at the same time or whether unrelated deaths were mistakenly joined into one series. The Flat-Tire Murders remain one of South Florida's most disturbing collections of cold cases, marked by lost young lives, delayed answers and families who waited decades for justice that, in most of the cases, has still not arrived.
