LA LA - Mary Rodermund, 16, Morgan City, 2 March 1978

Mary Leah Rodermund



Last Seen: Thursday March 2nd, 1978 @ 8:00 pm - Morgan City, Louisiana (Inglewood Shopping Mall)


Physical/Clothing/Medical
Age: 16 Years Old
Height: 5’4 (63"-65")
Weight: 110 - 115
Hair: Brown Hair
Eye: Hazel
Race: White
Clothing: Brown shirt and sweater, khaki pants, brown loafer shoes, burgundy/red purse
Jewelry: Gold Chain Necklace
Dental Records: Not Available
DNA Records: Available

Circumstances:
Mary went to the pharmacy at the Inglewood Shopping Mall and never returned home. A call was made to her parents requesting a ransom of $ 5,000.00, the person whom called placed Mary on the phone to tell them she was unharmed. The ransom caller did not provide any instructions on how or where to deliver the ransom money. Her car was later found abandoned in the pharmacy parking lot.

LE believe Mary was the victim of SK Robert Carl Hohenberger (alias Frank Green) a former California sheriff.
RCH had also abducted and raped four women in California in which he escaped from prison in 1974. LE believe he utilized his police badge to lure in his victims. Hohenberger worked for five months (Jan-May) in the Morgan City area. It is possible he killed up to seven people confirmed abductions (March 2, April 27, May 11) before his death in May 31, 1978. RCH fled from Louisiana to Tacoma, WA Washington State Police attempted to apprehend Hohenberger however he committed suicide. A distinct pattern of SK RCH is that all abductions occurred on Thursday evening right after dark; he is linked to other cases in Boca Raton, FL and Cartersville, GA

Mary's body has never been found and is the only one of Hohenberger victims that has not been located.

Investigating Agency:
Morgan City Police Department - Case # 7-1546-485 - Dt Travis Trigg - 985.380.4605


Resource Articles and Links:
LSU Faces Case # 597 - http://identifyla.lsu.edu/profile.php?id=683
Charley Project - http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/rodermund_mary.html
NAMUS MP # 23885 - https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/23885/0/
NAMPN - http://www.nampn.org/cases/rodermund_mary.html

Robert Carl Hohenberger - Murderpedia - http://murderpedia.org/male.H/h/hohenberger-robert.htm
The New Yorker; Warm Bodies 01/15/79 - http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1979/01/15/warm-bodies
Houma Today - http://www.houmatoday.com/news/20020407/kidnapping-sparks-local-interest

56-year-old Mary Rodernund of Morgan City, La. has been missing since March 2, 1978.

Missing 13-year-old Nori Benoit of Lafayette is one of 4 teens missing from the Acadiana area

iam putting this unidentified girl in because she was found with a brown sweater.

The Doe Network: 1257UFOR

e Doe Network


Artistic renderings of the victim


Unidentified Female

• Date of Discovery: May 9, 1978

• Location of Discovery: Williams, Josephine County, Oregon

• Estimated Date of Death: Years prior

• State of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

• Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

• Estimated Age: 14-18 years old

• Race: Unknown

• Gender: Female

• Height: Unknown

• Weight: Unknown

• Hair Color: Unknown

• Eye Color: Unknown

• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

• Dentals: Available.

• Fingerprints: Not available.

• DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items

• Clothing: Brown sweater.

• Jewelry: Unknown

• Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Case History
Loggers discovered the victim's partial skeletal remains in a wooded area of Holkum Peak.

Bumping for Mary, today is her birthday.

madamx said:

iam putting this unidentified girl in because she was found with a brown sweater.

The Doe Network: 1257UFOR

e Doe Network

Artistic renderings of the victim


Unidentified Female

• Date of Discovery: May 9, 1978

• Location of Discovery: Williams, Josephine County, Oregon

• Estimated Date of Death: Years prior

• State of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

• Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

• Estimated Age: 14-18 years old

• Race: Unknown

• Gender: Female

• Height: Unknown

• Weight: Unknown

• Hair Color: Unknown

• Eye Color: Unknown

• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

• Dentals: Available.

• Fingerprints: Not available.

• DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items

• Clothing: Brown sweater.

• Jewelry: Unknown

• Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Case History
Loggers discovered the victim's partial skeletal remains in a wooded area of Holkum Peak.

Click to expand...

Its actually Holcomb Peak and now that I am researching all this....I know we have major time lapse here.... But Missing Person Sherry Wellwood car was found like less than a mile from Holcomb Peak. Also Ericka Hogg a Missing Person went missing like 6-7 miles from Holcomb Peak. I am now wondering if there are others found over the years in this area??? They could all be unrelated but also maybe some long time perp is using these mountains for his nefarious activities?

Bigfoot1977 said:

Its actually Holcomb Peak and now that I am researching all this....I know we have major time lapse here.... But Missing Person Sherry Wellwood car was found like less than a mile from Holcomb Peak. Also Ericka Hogg a Missing Person went missing like 6-7 miles from Holcomb Peak. I am now wondering if there are others found over the years in this area??? They could all be unrelated but also maybe some long time perp is using these mountains for his nefarious activities?

Click to expand...

wow I see what you mean... that is a real interesting thought!

Mary has been missing for 42 years today.

Bumping for Mary, today is her birthday.

Mary has been missing for 43 years today.

I believe she might be “el dorado Jane doe”

Bumping, today is Mary’s birthday.

Mary has been missing for 44 years today.

Bumping, today is Mary’s birthday.

Photo from southwestern louisiana institute

Mary has been missing for 45 years today.

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Mary, circa 1978; Robert Hohenberger

• Missing Since 03/02/1978
• Missing From Morgan City, Louisiana
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 02/11/1962 (61)
• Age 16 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 110 pounds
• 
  
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown sweater, a brown shirt, khaki pants, brown loafers and a gold chain necklace.
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Mary's ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance​

Mary was last seen in Morgan City, Louisiana on March 2, 1978. She went to the pharmacy on Victor II Boulevard and never returned home. Someone later called her parents to demand a $5,000 ransom, and Mary got on the phone to tell them she was unharmed.

This is the last time anyone heard from her, and the ransom caller never provided any instructions about where to deliver the money. Her car was found abandoned in the pharmacy parking lot.

Authorities believe Mary was a victim of the serial killer Robert Carl Hohenberger, a former sheriff's deputy from California. He had abducted and raped four women in California, escaped from prison there and went to Louisiana, where he lived under an alias name.

A photo of Hohenberger is posted with this case summary. Investigators believe he used his police badge to lure victims to their deaths. He may have killed up to seven people over a three-month period before his death in June 1978. He took his own life when the police tried to arrest him.

Investigators believe he used his police badge to lure victims to their deaths. He may have killed up to seven people over a three-month period before his death in June 1978. He took his own life when the police tried to arrest him.

Mary was a sophomore at Morgan City High School at the time of her disappearance. She is described as an average student who enjoyed dancing, listening to music and going to parties with her boyfriend. She had had a job as a department store cashier, but had recently quit. She planned to go to college eventually and become a psychiatrist.

Mary is the youngest of six children. Her body has never been found. She and Bertha Gould, who disappeared in May 1978, are the only presumed victims of Hohenberger who are still missing.

Investigating Agency​

• Morgan City Police Department 985-380-4605

Source Information​

• Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People
• Murderpedia
• The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
• NamUs
• The Daily World Sun
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• The Morgan City Daily Review
• The Shreveport Journal

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 6, 2020; details of disappearance updated.

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Mary disappeared on the evening of March 2, 1978. She drove to the K&B Drug Store at the Inglewood Mall on Victor II Boulevard to buy batteries for her radio. Mary made the purchase at the drug store at about 8 p.m. She didn't return home. Police believe she was abducted from the drug store parking lot. The family car was later located at the parking lot.

The following day Mary's parents received a call demanding $5,000 in ransom. The father was able to speak briefly to Mary, who told him, "Hi, I'm okay", but the call ended before the ransom instructions were given.

Mary has been missing 46 years today, her birthday also passed recently.