South Florida Serial Murders

Serial Killer

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.

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Confirmed Victims: (12)

Judith Ann Oesterling Age: (19), Date of Death: 1975-02-01

South Florida serial murders - Wikipedia