CA CA - Linda Lovell, 25, & Stephen Packard, 18, Westport, 10 June 1974

[burblestein]

The comment about the couple hiking the Pacific Coast Trail is rather odd, given that they never got within hundreds of miles of the Trail.

 

[Ozoner]

The comment about the couple hiking the Pacific Coast Trail is rather odd, given that they never got within hundreds of miles of the Trail.

Someone may have been confusing the Pacific Coast Trail with the Pacific Coast Highway.

 

[Betty P]

One thing I would like to know is, was it normal behavior for them to go ten days or more without sending postcards or making phone calls? If it was, then Stephen is most likely the one who cashed the check in Westport on the 20th. I'm not sure why anyone would steal their traveler's checks and only cash one; I would think that a thief would try to cash all of them right away, possibly in different locations. (It's possible that someone tried but was refused due to the lack of matching ID, but that seems a little unlikely because we all know that it isn't too hard to find store clerks who are less than diligent about authenticating IDs.)

It's worth mentioning the disappearance of Craig and Christine Langford, which occurred 10 miles away and which I think has already been discussed. It appears that their disappearance may have been the result of drowning because an inflatable raft and oar were found in the surf near their motor home. The same thing could have happened to Stephen and Linda. Double drownings are not uncommon: one person gets in trouble, the other attempts a rescue, and both end up drowning. The trouble with the drowning theory is that none of Linda and Stephen's possessions were found. However, no one was looking for their possessions for over three weeks, so everything could have been lost to the tide and to beachcombers. It's also possible that there was a serial killer operating in the area in the 70s and 80s; the disappearance of Craig and Christine may have even been staged.

It was probably normal to not check in for a couple of weeks at a stretch, if not more. There were no cell phones back then and, as I'm sure we all remember, long distance phone calls were very expensive back then and difficult to make from a public pay telephone. You needed to get several dollars worth of quarters and have them stacked up to feed into the pay phone as you talked. No calling cards or anything back then. Several dollars in change only bought you 5 minutes or so of phone time on a long distance call.

Accidental drowning does sound like a possibility, if anyone who lives in the general area knows if swimming conditions are hazardous. Sad, if true. They were an innocent young couple out for an adventure, not hurting anyone.

 

[Coleraine]

Regarding how often they made contact with home, I believe we only have a brief mention in a 1977 New York Times article that "...Stephen and Linda made their way West and Stephen wrote home about every three days. He was in high spirits; the trip was going well. But after about three weeks, the postal cards stopped coming."

A Grieving Mother Finds Hope in Art.

 

[burblestein]

To answer the question about swimming conditions here in Mendocino...it can be be extremely hazardous. It's generally a rough shore of coastal bluffs, strong surf, and undertows. But more importantly, there is risk even to nonswimmers, in the form of surprise sneaker waves that can overwhelm people on the shoreline and carry them out to sea.

 

[kemo]

Any number of things could have happened: they took a swim in the Pacific and drowned, took a hike and got lost, attacked by Big Foot, abducted by aliens etc. There are many possibilities, but when someone vanishes while hitchhiking, foul play is probably the most likely.

While hitchhiking, expenses are minimal and, at the time $20 could last days if you were sleeping rough and eating from convenience stores. In addition, in those days, a reasonably clean non-threatening couple could have made it hundreds of miles in a day. They could have made it all the way to Spokane before Stephen would need to cash another travelers check.

Those were the days of the Counter Culture and hitchhiking was a very viable means of travel. It was also a time of a certain innocence and trust, and a tendency to underestimate or ignore the dangers that were out there. I hitchhiked all over the US and Canada, particularly on the West Coast and it was all a great series of adventures with minimal problems, but I was pretty naive to the risks involved.

 

[Alleykins]

Not sure if it's changed, but it shows Stephen doesn't have any identifiers available, at least, in Doe Network. Of course, we can't see that info in NamUs anymore. So, does anyone know if he has any out there now?

 

[Richard]

Linda Lee Lovell

25 years old
Missing since June 1974

Missing with:
Stephen Locke Packard

18 years old

 

[Capecodsleuth]

Hello. I am from the same area as Stephen Packard and my uncle was good friends with him. I have asked my uncle some of the questions asked on this forum and will try to answer once he responds. I wasn’t born until a while after he disappeared, so I didn’t know him personally, but my mom says he was a very sweet and goofy young man. But I would like to protect the family’s privacy so I hope this is ok.

 

[Betty P]

Thank you, that's very nice. We understand the need to protect the family's privacy, but any info you can share is helpful. He seemed like a nice, fun-loving young man. It's nice to hear his friends still remember and miss him and so sad that he met with some kind of tragic end.

 

[Capecodsleuth]

I don’t think he’ll reply until tomorrow. But I remember hearing about this case from my family and their friends and all I knew was that they were hitch hiking across the US and they disappeared and we all thought they were picked up by the wrong person who killed them.

My mom told me they were definitely dating and when they disappeared, the family was hugely broken up and wouldn’t talk about it to anyone for a long time. But Stephen did bring his girlfriend to the Cape one summer and my mom met her, briefly.

The area on Cape Cod were I grew up had a very close knit community and all the families there go back together a long time.

I don’t know if the Packard family has made peace with the fact that he’s gone or if they still want to find out what happened, which is why I am a little hesitant about posting personal info. I don’t want to upset them.

 

[Capecodsleuth]

Ok I finally heard from him. He said Linda had been dating someone else from cape cod when she met Stephen. And that they had been planning to attend a music festival in Washington state. He didn’t know if it was the Grateful Dead or not. Does anyone know if they were touring in Washington that year? That might be the answer.

I’m still waiting for him to clarify a few things. And I also found out another friend of my family knew Stephen, and he’s been researching the case as well. So my mom is going to reach out to him.

 

[Capecodsleuth]

Could they have been victims of ted bundy? Stinson beach is only about an hour away from Santa Rosa, where he is suspected in several murders...

 

[Alleykins]

Ok I finally heard from him. He said Linda had been dating someone else from cape cod when she met Stephen. And that they had been planning to attend a music festival in Washington state. He didn’t know if it was the Grateful Dead or not. Does anyone know if they were touring in Washington that year? That might be the answer.

I’m still waiting for him to clarify a few things. And I also found out another friend of my family knew Stephen, and he’s been researching the case as well. So my mom is going to reach out to him.

It appears the Grateful Dead was on the West Coast in May, and headed east in June, in 1974, according to this website:
Grateful Dead Tour-by-Tour: 1974

 

[Capecodsleuth]

I spoke to the Orange County coroner's office, because of a John Doe they had which seemed similar to Stephen. They asked if the family had ever given DNA to enter into a database, but I didn't know. I asked for more information about the decedent, but the person I spoke to didn't know and her supervisor is on vacation until next week. I plan on calling back then.

Anyway, this is the John Doe's info:
Laguna Hills John Doe (1974)

 

[Ozoner]

Could they have been victims of ted bundy? Stinson beach is only about an hour away from Santa Rosa, where he is suspected in several murders...

I think Ted Bundy was too much of a coward to go after any male, let alone one Stephen's size.

I spoke to the Orange County coroner's office, because of a John Doe they had which seemed similar to Stephen. They asked if the family had ever given DNA to enter into a database, but I didn't know. I asked for more information about the decedent, but the person I spoke to didn't know and her supervisor is on vacation until next week. I plan on calling back then.

Anyway, this is the John Doe's info:
Laguna Hills John Doe (1974)

Westport and Laguna Hills are at complete opposite ends of the state, but the similarities are enough to justify a comparison. I don't think this Doe is Stephen, for Stephen was about three inches taller and the postmortem interval was only three days, which means that this Doe died about three months after Stephen disappeared. I think that Stephen probably died in early June.

 

[Capecodsleuth]

I think Ted Bundy was too much of a coward to go after any male, let alone one Stephen's size.


Westport and Laguna Hills are at complete opposite ends of the state, but the similarities are enough to justify a comparison. I don't think this Doe is Stephen, for Stephen was about three inches taller and the postmortem interval was only three days, which means that this Doe died about three months after Stephen disappeared. I think that Stephen probably died in early June.

You're absolutely right about Bundy! I think Randy Kraft would be a better suspect, in retrospect. The John Doe was suspected to have been killed by him, according to that website.

 

[JosterSA]

"Fun fact" - It appears there is another family connection,
Recently, a man was swolled by a whale. Michael Packard. He is the younger brother of Stephen. Michael also survived a plane crash in 2010. Cape Cod lobster diver who was gulped up by a whale also survived plane crash 20 years ago | Daily Mail Online

 

[Richard]

Michael Packard would probably qualify for designation as a Jonah.

 

[Diane Redfern]

Could this be Linda?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

1365UFCA

www.doenetwork.org

She committed suicide in Cecil Hotel in 1975. She used the alias "Alison Lowell" and the height seems to be correct (5'4 in both subjects) and the weight is rather similar (Linda: 110 lbs; Alison: 118 lbs).