CA - Kerry Graham, 15, & Francine Trimble, 14, Forestville, 16 Dec 1978

[burblestein]

The mistake in Kerry's gender was just one of a skein of screwups in handling this case. Websites that stated the girls' went missing after their bodies had been found kept them from being considered by online searchers. The bogus idea they were from the Midwest contaminated the case. And on and on. Read back in this thread, and you will come to the conclusion it was near miraculous they were ever identified.

Now, all we have to do is catch the b*****d who murdered them. I've already turned in the name of Jackie Hovarter; his murder of Danna Walsh CA - CA - Danna Elizabeth Walsh, 16, Rio Dell, 24 August 1984 is strikingly congruent.

 

[Paul B.]

We'll always wonder whether the b*****d who murdered them, sexually assaulted Kerry and Francine as well.

 

[burblestein]

That thought is vile enough to gag a maggot. Unfortunately, he probably did because these murders are twistedly sexual in nature.

 

[Paul B.]

BTW if it had been Kerry Graham as she looked when she was alive, even these "Three Stooges" investigators would have had no trouble figuring out her gender.
@burblestein @Lavender Moon

 

[burblestein]

Hovarter's life was spared by Governor Newsom. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2019/mar/19/two-surviving-who-were-sentenced-death-humboldt-co/
His sentence has been commuted to life.

 

[Paul B.]

I'm still upset by the sex mis-identification. Wouldn't a girl Kerry's age have started to develop breasts and hips and other signs of growing into a woman? Wouldn't that have shown post-death? Was puberty later in the 1970s?
@burblestein

 

[Lavender Moon]

I'm still upset by the sex mis-identification. Wouldn't a girl Kerry's age have started to develop breasts and hips and other signs of growing into a woman? Wouldn't that have shown post-death? Was puberty later in the 1970s?
@burblestein

Hi, Paul B., I feel upset about that, too.
I believe that only Kerry's skeletal remains were found.

 

[burblestein]

Only scattered bones were retrieved from the drop site. Gender in skeletal remains is difficult to determine until the late teens. Not to defend the pathologist, but that's reality. My personal opinion is that the pathologist should have listed the gender as unknown or uncertain. Then again, I have no medical training.

 

[Paul B.]

Thanks you guys. I often think I could have been lost to suicide because of chance events. Chance events like the girls fate can strike anyone. I developed breasts because of a weight issue. I was attacked by boys when I was going home from school and also a female student decided that it was the height of insults to tell me "Paul, you need a bra!"

 

[Lavender Moon]

I'm so sorry to learn that, Paul B. I think those experiences may have further developed your innate compassion. Bullies are punks whereas you are a kind and caring soul.

 

[Paul B.]

Like i said earlier, had it been a (naked) Kerry when she was alive, even The Three Stooges/Keystone Kops that investigated this would have been able to tell her sex. ••••

 

[dotr]

Feb 1 2021
23 unforgettable North Coast cold cases and where each stands now

''Slide 1 of 23
Unsolved cold case: Kerry Ann Graham, 15, and Francine Trimble, 14, disappeared in Forestville in mid-December 1978. The following July, skeletal remains found in Mendocino County were identified as theirs, but it wasn't until 2015 that their identities were confirmed through DNA analysis. Eileen Goetz, a friend of the El Molino High School students, said the girls were going to hitchhike to a party in Santa Rosa, but no one asked her about their whereabouts while she was a student. The case remains unsolved. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat, 2016''

 

[burblestein]

If Paul B. has some magic trick to deduce whether a skeleton had breasts, he should share it with the world of forensic pathologists.

 

[Paul B.]

I misunderstood I fully understand your frustration.

 

[Lavender Moon]

I just finished reading " Lost Coast Highway " by Gray George. While I disapprove of some of his statements (eg; he was highly critical of Francine's mother who had a behavior pattern of choosing horribly abusive partners ) , I nevertheless reccomend it as a good read for anyone who wants to know more about Francine, Kerry and their connection to the Santa Rosa Hitchiker victims.

 

[Paul B.]

@Lavender Moon yes there's a whiff of distaste when they attack victim's family

 

[Paul B.]

Bumping for Kerry and Frannie.

 

[Hockeyfan158]

This would probably be a long shot but since they have DNA that might be able to find a suspect i would encourage police to look into serial killer David Misch who committed many crimes including the murders of two best friends.

David Misch and his crimes timeline

1977: Misch, then 16, breaks into a neighbor's house and rapes the household maid (at knifepoint).

1978: Paroled for this crime. Not sure what month he was paroled

February 1979: Arrested for false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon (later charged with assault with intent to commit rape). Released just months later in September on parole.

July 1982: Convicted of beating a woman at knifepoint. Amazingly, he is paroled again in January 1984.

1985: Arrested for indecent exposure after he was found to be driving around naked in Oakland.

1986: Was under suspicion for several drug and burglary incidents, diversion court was being considered.

February 1986: Murders Michelle Xavier and Jennifer Duey by shooting and strangulation. Rape also occurred, according to the police. Misch isn't charged until much later for this case.

May 1988: Convicted of burglary and given a sentence of one year plus one year of probation. Paroled in October-November 1988.

November 19, 1988: Michaela Garecht is abducted from the Rainbow Market parking lot in Hayward, CA.

November 21-25, 1988: Arrested for drug possession.

November 17, 1989: Paroled for the drug possession charges.

December 1989: Murders Margaret Ball. The crime is horrific: Ball was found in a fetal possession laying on a butcher's knife that she had been stabbed with numerous times, and she was beaten so badly that Misch knocked out one of Ball's teeth.

1990: Convicted of Ball's murder. Receives a term of 18 years to life in prison.

2006: Denied parole.

2009: Denied parole for a second time.

2018: Charged with the Duey and Xavier homicides.

December 21, 2020: Charged with murder in the presumed death of Michaela Garecht.

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