206 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.
Description
See any errors? Let us know!James Carlin Toliver: A Detailed Account of His Crimes
Background
James Carlin Toliver, a forklift operator and cannery worker from Ceres, California, is a suspected serial killer. His wife, Patricia Gay Toliver, disappeared from her Modesto home on August 12, 1978, and has never been heard from again. Following her disappearance, James joined the singles group Parents Without Partners and dated several women using the alias "Jim Joy".Crimes
James Carlin Toliver's criminal activities came to light after his death on October 8, 1980. His body was found at the door of his pickup truck on a remote dirt road in Hope Valley, near Lake Tahoe in California. He had died of a heart attack. Authorities discovered a .38 caliber pistol and a bloodstained pillowcase containing $98,000 in hundred-dollar bills with his body. Nearly a mile away, the body of Florence Evelyn Richina, a 49-year-old former special education teacher, was found. She had been shot with a .38 caliber pistol.Victims
Authorities believe James Carlin Toliver was involved in the disappearances and deaths of several women, including:- Patricia Gay Toliver - Disappeared on August 12, 1978, from Modesto, California.
- Hester Lee Chandler - Disappeared in 1974.
- Jacqueline Cooper - Disappeared in 1976.
- Mary Watkins - Last seen in 1979.
- Florence Evelyn Richina - Found dead on October 8, 1980, in Hope Valley, California.
Victims
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Confirmed Victims: (1)
Florence Evelyn Richina Age: (49), Date of Death: 1980-10-08 ...View 0 additional victims
Links to Additional Sources (15)
See any mistakes? Let us know!Killer's Details
James
Toliver
United States
October 8, 1980 Hope Valley, California, United States
Self-inflicted gunshot wound
Male
White
1 - 5
1974 - 1980
California
07/12/2025









