OH OH - Linda Hamilton, 28, Beaver Township, 20 Sept 1977

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The Doe Network:
Case File 2225DFOH

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2225dfoh.html

Linda Hamilton
Missing since September 20, 1977 from Beaver Township, Mahoning County, Ohio
Classification: Endangered Missing



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Vital Statistics

Age at Time of Disappearance: 28 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair. Glasses.


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Circumstances of Disappearance
Linda Hamilton was last seen on September 20, 1977 in Beaver Township, Ohio.
On the morning of September 21, 1977, her children discovered their father dead on the kitchen's floor. He had been hit by three bullets one in the back of the head and one in each shoulder. They ran to the neighbors who called the police. No trace of Linda was found.
Neighbors told police they heard what sounded like strong, rapid strokes of a hammer at 12.45 am. Some neighbors also later remembered having seen a man walking down the road from the direction of the truck stop.
The couple's car was found near the entrance of a closed strip mine in view of the truck stop where Linda worked. Prints of a man's boots and Linda's bare feet, led from the driver's side.
For years the cases remained unsolved until serial killer Edward A. Surrattconfessed to their murder in February 2007 while in jail in Florida.
He also confessed to the murder of Ranee Gregor. He declared in an interview that Linda Hamilton's and Ranee Gregor's bodies were "unrecoverable by anybody's standards".



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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Beaver Township Police Department
330-549-5338

NCIC Number:
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The Examiner
Beaver County Times

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hamilton_linda.html

Just because Surratt confessed doesn't mean he did murder Linda and her Husband. IMHO even if he did murder Linda, just because he says her body is unrecoverable means nothing.

Linda is not in NamUs at this time.

Given that Linda shares a name with an actress it's very difficult to find any archived articles, if there in fact any to be found.

Linda has been missing almost 33 years. Her children deserve answers. Come home soon.
 

Attachments

  • Linda Hamilton.bmp
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Wow, very interesting case. Here is a link to an archived newspaper article where a warrant was issued for Linda in the death of her husband...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...FUdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JFgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3699,3579681

However, it seems likely that Edward Surratt was the killer and that Linda is now deceased. Not only did Surratt confess, but he was tied to very similar killings in the area where a husband was killed and the wife was (at least initially) missing - though I don't know how many he was actually convicted of.

Here's an excellent detailed article about those killings.

http://www.timesonline.com/the-crim...9a2-3d4b-5136-ab63-6dd5c3bb1751.html?mode=jqm

..
 
One more thing I just wanted to link to here...here's a post by pghlady on the Ranee Gregor thread which looks like a summary of the article from the timesonline article:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Gregor-15-Robinson-Township-21-Oct-1977/page2

Names of unsolved murders linked to Surratt.
sept,20 1977 david a. Hamilton,28 and his wife Linda,28. David was shot in his house in beaver township, Ohio home with a .38-caliber handgun. Linda was never found
Sept. 27,1977 Frank Ziegler,28 of kittanning. Ziegler a driver for taylor milk co. in ambridge, was shot along warrendale-bayne rd. in marshall twp. with the same caliber handgun that killed David Hamilton
Sept.30,1977 joesph Weinman 30, and his wife,Katherine 28. Joseph was a paraplegic and was beaten to death in his secluded single story marshall twp. home.Katherine wasbeaten raped and stabbed to death.
Oct.21,1977 John Feeny 17 of coraopolis and Ranee Gregor,15 of robinson twp. Feeny was shot with a 12 gauge shotgun in his van parked near the airport in findlay twp. Ranee was never found.
Nov.10 1977 john j. Davis 64, and his wife, Mary,61 Both were shot with a 12 gaude shotgun and set afire in ther secluded single-story home. Mary was left in a position that indicated sexual assault, but her condition left police unable to make a determination
Nov.20,1977 William Adams,31 and his wife Nancy,29. Willeam was shot with a 12 gauge shotgun in fallston mobil home. Nancy's remains were found in bradys run park in 1985
Dec.3,1977 richard Hyde,34 and his wife Donna,34. richard was shot with a 12 gauge shotgun in there home in moon twp. police found Donna two days later in a nearby wooded area, partially nude and beaten to death.
Dec.31,1977 Guy Mills,64 and his wife, Laura,65 and Joel M Drueger,36. the millses were shot with a 12 gauge shotgun in there home in Brezewood in bedford co. and Druegar was found shot to death in his vehicle with the same weapon at a nearby rest stop.
Jan. 7, 1978 John J. Shelkons, 56 and his wife Catherine,48 John was shot with a12 gauge shotgun in his Baden home Kay was severely beaten, but survived. Her attacker likely fled when he heard her daughter returning home.
he escaped an on his way south june 1 1978 south carolina Luther Langford 66, and his wife Neil, 58 were attacked in there home in columbia, s.c. Luther was beaten to death Neil was beaten, raped and left for dead, but she surived
July 1 1978 in St. John's co. Florida wife and teen daughter were repeatedly raped by Surratt in front of bound husband. when Surratt drunk and on drugs fell asleep, the husband escaped, and police caught him in the house.
Sept20,1978 in Florida Surratt was convicted by a jury on three charges of sexual battery and one charge of burglary. he was sentenced to two life sentences and 100 year sentences to run consecutively. he escaped once from the prison he is in and went to south carolina and was caught there in polk county.
 
Serial killer Kenneth Gordon Taylor also claimed credit for these murders, but I get "serial confessor" vibes from him.
 
Any updates on Surratt? Did they get any more info from him?
 
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Demographics
Missing Age28 Years
Current Age70 Years
First NameLinda
Middle NameJune
Last NameHamilton
Nickname/Alias--

SexFemale
Height5' 5" - 5' 7" (65 - 67 Inches)
Weight130 - 145 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactSeptember 19, 1977
NamUs Case CreatedSeptember 21, 2011
Last Known Location Map
LocationNorth Lima, Ohio 44452
CountyMahoning County

Circumstances of DisappearanceLinda was last seen in North Lima, OH on 09/19/1977.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair Description--
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown
Eye Description--
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Piercing
Pierced ears

Scar/mark
Small scar on bridge of nose

Other distinctive physical characteristic
Protruding upper front teeth

Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Eyewear
Eyeglasses

R/O

upload_2019-11-20_13-54-54.png

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
Linda's 'Find a Grave' page here had another great photo of her... a little clearer image of her features. Includes her maiden name, Hall.
Linda June Hall Hamilton.jpg
 
The cases of Linda Hamilton and Ranee Gregor are absolutely horrifying. My heart aches for them and for all of the suspected victims. The fact that Linda and Ranee’s bodies are listed as “unrecoverable” is chilling. Did Surratt ever give anymore details to police? Do they have an official list of suspected victims?

Edward Surratt is a monster, and how he was able to assault, rape, and murder so many people is frightening beyond words. I hope he rots in prison for as long as possible and that every moment of it is painful beyond measure.
 
Wait, did this happen on September 19th or 20th? Sources seem to conflict on the date.
 
  • linda_june_hamilton_1.jpg
  • linda_june_hamilton_2.jpg
  • linda_june_hamilton_6.jpg
  • linda_june_hamilton_5.jpg
Linda, circa 1977; David Hamilton; Edward Surratt, circa 2007
  • Missing Since 09/20/1977
  • Missing From Beaver Township, Ohio
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 05/31/1949 (74)
  • Age 28 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'6, 135 pounds

  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Linda wears eyeglasses. She has a small scar on the bridge of her nose, her ears are pierced and her upper front teeth protrude.

Details of Disappearance​

Linda was last seen with her husband, David A. Hamilton, and their two young children inside their house on Route 164 in Beaver Township, Ohio on September 20, 1977. A photograph of David is posted with this case summary.

That morning David was found dead in his home; he had been shot three times with a .38 caliber gun. Linda was missing and so was the couple's vehicle. The couple's children were unharmed; they had slept through their father's murder. In the yard of the house was a bicycle that had been stolen from a neighbor several doors down the street.

The Hamiltons' car was later found parked at the entrance of a closed strip mine off State Route 7, near the truck stop where Linda worked. A man's boot prints and a woman's bare footprints led away from the driver's side of the car. Sometimes the woman's prints indicated she was walking and sometimes the prints were dragging, as if she was being pulled along. There was no sign of Linda, or anyone else, at the scene.

Authorities initially suspected Linda had murdered her husband, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. The warrant remained active for several years following her disappearance, but investigators eventually concluded that some other person or persons had murdered David and Linda had been abducted by the killer(s).

Edward Arthur Surratt is considered the prime suspect in Gregor's disappearance and Feeny's murder. A photograph of him is posted with this case summary.

Surratt is suspected of at least 18 murders, including the October 1977 disappearance of 15-year-old Ranee Gregor and the murder of her seventeen-year-old boyfriend. He's been in prison since 1978, serving multiple life sentences for burglary, sexual battery and escape.

In 2007, Surratt admitted to killing the Hamiltons, Ranee and her boyfriend, and four other people. He stated Linda's body was "unrecoverable." In exchange for his statements he asked to be transferred from his Florida prison to a prison in South Carolina. He remains in Florida, however.

Authorities stated Surratt's admissions were vague and they would like more detailed confessions from him. He has not been charged in connection with David's homicide or Linda's disappearance.

Foul play is suspected in Linda's case, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

  • Beaver Township Police Department 330-549-5338

Source Information​

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 8, 2011; middle name added, distinguishing characteristics updated.
 

June 4, 2021

June 3, 2021
 

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