Top Stories of the Week

Husband Identified as Killer in “Lady of the Dunes” Cold Case

Cape Cod, Massachusetts - Massachusetts' longest unidentified homicide case, “The Lady of the Dunes”, has been officially closed after nearly 50 years.

In October 2021, “Lady of the Dunes” was officially identified as Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee. She was 37 when she was killed in 1974 by what authorities concluded was blunt force trauma to the skull. On August 28, 2023, Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois named Guy Rockwell Muldavin, Ruth’s husband, as the man responsible for her death. Muldavin, who died in 2002, was the last person to see Ruth alive.

3 Killed in Racially-Motivated Shooting at Dollar General Store in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida - On Saturday, August 26, three people were killed in a racist attack at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The gunman, identified as Ryan Christopher Palmeter, was wearing a mask and used a swastika-emblazoned assault-style rifle during the attack. He then killed himself.

The victims were Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; A.J. Laguerre, Jr., 19, a store employee who was shot as he tried to flee; and Jerrald Gallion, 29, a customer who was shot as he entered the store.

Palmeter’s father discovered a suicide note, a will, and racist writings in his room after receiving a text message from Palmeter during the shooting.

UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate Student Charged with Fatally Shooting Professor

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - A graduate student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Tailei Qi, has been charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting associate professor Zijie Yan on August 28. Qi, an applied physical sciences major from China, was ordered to be held without bond. He was also charged with possession of a gun on an educational property.

Zijie, an associate professor in the Applied Physcial Sciences department, had worked for UNC since 2019. He was Qi’s faculty adviser.

In Other Crime News

• Ivins, Utah - Popular YouTuber Arrested for Aggravated Child Abuse in Utah. Read More.

• Solana Beach, California - Prominent Equestrian Arrested in Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Husband. Read More.

• Bavaria, Germany - Interpol Seeks Public’s Help to Identify Child’s Body Found in Germany. Read More.

• Clark County, Nevada - Backstreet Boys Singer Nick Carter Faces New Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault. Read More.

• Tampa, Florida - Former Chemistry Student Faces Felony Charges for Allegedly Injecting Unknown Substance Under Neighbor’s Door. Watch Video.

CrimeDoor Blog

Bugs as Silent Witnesses: The Role of Insects in Crime-Solving

The unlikeliest of detectives are crawling under our very feet. As it turns out, insects play no small role in solving crimes.

While many people are familiar with DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and ballistics as key components of forensic investigations, another fascinating field that plays a significant role in crime-solving is forensic entomology. This branch of science is the study of insects and the deceased, offering valuable insights into the timeline and circumstances surrounding a person’s death.

Forensic entomologists deal with various cases, from murders and homicides to accidental deaths and suicides. They may be called in to help identify the cause of death when the victim’s body is in an advanced state of decomposition.

The profession of forensic entomology is often misunderstood, with many people imagining it as a field where scientists study bugs for the sake of science. However, forensic entomologists work closely with law enforcement agencies and lawyers, using their knowledge of insects to assist in legal cases. They are often called upon to determine the time of death of a victim by studying the insects found on or near the body. This information can be crucial in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice.

Crime History

AUGUST 31, 1888 - Mary Ann Nichols

Charles Cross was walking to work around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1888, when he came across what he thought was a package in the first section of Buck’s Row, near the 1876 Board School in London. Upon closer inspection, Cross noticed the package was actually a woman who was either drunk or dead. When another man approached, Cross called him over and they began to check on the woman, who was lying on her back with her skirt raised to her waist. Because the street was dark, neither man noticed the woman’s throat was slashed. So they pulled her skirt back down below her knees and continued on their way. Shortly thereafter, a police officer walking his beat came across the body and quickly realized she was dead.

A doctor was called around 4 a.m. and verified she was dead. He also observed that her hands and wrists were cold, while her body and legs were warm, leading him to conclude she’d been dead for more than half an hour. Her throat had been cut twice, once down to the vertebrae. She’d also been stabbed twice in her vagina and her lower abdomen was ripped open.

The woman was identified as Mary Ann Nichols, a 43-year-old prostitute who was known to work in the area. Nichols had been seen earlier that evening in multiple places, including the Frying Pan pub and at a lodging house on 18 Thrawl Street. Around 2:30 a.m., she talked to a woman at the intersection of Osborne Street and Whitechapel High Street. This was the last known sighting of her. Nichols is considered the first victim of Jack the Ripper, who murdered at least four more women in the same area of London during a killing spree in the latter months of 1888. Jack has never been identified, leaving Nichols murder unsolved.

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