Thirty-five years after 18-year-old Barbara Stroud was abducted, raped and murdered, the investigation into her death has been revived in hopes that improved crime-fighting technology will bring closure to the cold case and the victim's family.
"It's been up in the air for so long. I'd like to see it finished," said her father, Don Stroud of Willits.
In 1975, six Willits men were arrested in connection with the murder, and five were charged.
But the charges were dropped later that year because there was insufficient evidence linking them to the crime after a judge ruled that an incriminating statement by the sixth suspect was inadmissible.
The admission by Phillip Wood, who turned star witness in exchange for immunity, was tossed out because it was obtained with the use of sodium amytal, a drug used to help in the recall of memories.The case languished after that, but it was not forgotten.
Ukiah attorney Duncan James, a Mendocino County prosecutor at the time, vividly recalls details of the case, one of two that he says have haunted him for decades.
"I always thought it was a gross miscarriage of justice," he said.
Now, a Mendocino County detective who wasn't born when the crime occurred is trying to right that wrong.
Detective Andy Whiteaker is subjecting the old evidence to DNA testing and other modern crime-lab techniques that weren't available three decades ago.
He was perusing the Sheriff's Office cold-case shelf in July when he found Stroud's file, began reading it and became captivated.
"I haven't been able to put it down since," Whiteaker said.
He learned that the victim's clothing, a rope believed to have been used to strangle her and fingerprints lifted from her car had never been submitted to newer crime laboratory procedures.
In 1973 there was no DNA testing, and fingerprint evaluations were done by visual comparison. "Back then, all we had were fingerprint cards and magnifying glasses," Whiteaker said.
It also was not possible to match car paint to certain makes and models, James noted.
The last of the evidence remaining from the crime scenes was sent to the state Department of Justice for evaluation last week, Whiteaker said.
He's hoping for a quick return of results, but the Justice Department's caseload could mean it will take months.
The waiting will be difficult for Barbara Stroud's parents.
Reopening the case has rekindled the agonizing memories of losing their only child to a brutal murder, said Norma Stroud. "Bringing it back has been very painful," she said.
But "I want to see it closed," she added.
Barbara Stroud disappeared Jan. 7, 1973, while on her way home from Willits, where she'd met her boyfriend and gone to the movies.
Her blue convertible Ford Mustang was found about three miles north of Willits on Highway 101. It apparently had been forced off the road by another vehicle, which left green paint on the Mustang, Whiteaker said.
Stroud's attackers cut through her prized convertible's fabric roof, unlocked her door and dragged her out, according to physical evidence and Wood's statement.
"The convertible was her downfall," said Don Stroud, who had lovingly restored the 1965 Mustang for his daughter.
Barbara Stroud was petite, about 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing maybe 100 pounds, Whiteaker said.
Though small, she would not have given up without a struggle, Norma Stroud said. "If I know my daughter, she was fighting all the way," she said.
Barbara Stroud was put into a truck and driven away, Wood told authorities at the time.
He said he heard her screams and saw clothes flying out of the truck but did not see her raped or killed.Stroud's nude body was found in a remote field off a dirt road. Her clothes were scattered in several locations.
Harold Harrington, Randy Rowan, Dennis Weeks, Larry Phillips and his brother, Milton Phillips, were charged with murder, conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, conspiracy to rape, rape and being accessories to murder.
Barbara Stroud knew at least some of the men, who ranged in age from their early 20s to late 30s. She had worked with two of them at Little Lake Industries, a now-defunct manufacturing plant in Willits where she was employed after graduating from Willits High School the year before, Whiteaker said.
Two of the six are still alive, Whiteaker said. Weeks, 58, now of South Dakota, worked with Stroud. Rowan, 59, lives in Oklahoma, he said.
Milton Phillips shot and killed his brother in 1989 in Montana, then later died of liver cancer, Whiteaker said. The other men's deaths are believed to have been related to heavy alcohol and drug use, he said.
Since Whiteaker reopened the case, he's spoken with several people who knew the suspects. Some of the suspects had told them they'd witnessed the crime, but none said they knew who strangled or raped Stroud.
"It looks like we're going to rely on the DNA," he said.
Whiteaker is determined to uncover the truth.
"I'm not going to quit until it's solved," he said.
Researcher Teresa Meikle contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: