Murders of Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble

Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble
Kerry Graham (left) and Francine Trimble
Born	Kerry Ann Graham (1963-11-12)November 12, 1963 Francine Marie Trimble (1964-09-27)September 27, 1964
Disappeared	December 16, 1978 Forestville, Sonoma County, California
Cause of death	Undetermined, suspected homicide[1]
Body discovered	July 8, 1979 Willits, California, United States
Nationality	American
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Students
Known for	Murder victims

The murders of Kerry Ann Graham and Francine Marie Trimble is a currently unsolved crime that took place sometime in late 1978, when both girls, aged 15 and 14, respectively, went missing after they left for a trip to a nearby mall. Their remains were later discovered in Willits, California in 1979. Due to the condition of the bodies, the specific causes of their deaths has yet to be determined, yet authorities believe both girls had been murdered, especially due to the fact that the remains had been concealed in duct taped garbage bags that were hidden in a wooded area.^[1][2] Graham's body was mistakenly thought to be that of a boy's until a DNA test demonstrated otherwise.^[3] The remains were unidentified until December 2015, nearly 37 years after their deaths.^[2][4]

Disappearances

Graham and Trimble were next-door neighbors and "best friends" that resided in Forestville, Sonoma County, California.^[5] On December 16, 1978, they left their homes to a Santa Rosa mall but never arrived home.^[6] Investigators concluded that they were likely together when they went missing, given the circumstances of their relationship.^[7] Family members stated that they did believe there was a possibility that they were murdered, although it was also believed they may have hitchhiked to various different regions, including New Jersey, or as far as Nova Scotia, Canada.^[2] Investigators believed the pair had willingly run away from home.^[8] The victim's families speculated that the girls could have been kidnapped prior to departing to the mall, possibly by someone they knew, as there were no signs of a disturbance at either residence. The possibility that they had been taken by "gunpoint" was also acknowledged.^[1]

The dates that the girls had vanished was inconsistently listed amongst missing persons organizations. Some stated the pair had each disappeared on separate dates, including December 24, 1979.^[9][10] Graham had not been reported missing for several weeks after the event took place, believed to have been due to her history of running away from home.^[4]

Efforts to locate the girls involved obtaining physical statistics as well as processing DNA samples from the girls. They were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as well as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.^[7][9][10] Family members of the pair also went to extensive levels in hopes of finding their loved ones. Francine Trimble's aunt explained that a psychic had been contacted on one occasion.^[4]

Discovery

Crime scene

A man leaving an argument with his girlfriend discovered the unclothed skeletal remains of the victims on July 8, 1979, west of Willits in Mendocino County, California, near milepost 21, off of Highway 20.^[11] They had been bound with duct tape and concealed with plastic, being buried in shallow graves.^[4][12] The coroner estimated that the two were murdered around December 8, 1978.^[11] The causes of the victim's deaths could not be determined due to the state of their remains.^[2][13] However, investigators concluded that it was possible that they had been strangled, which would be difficult to determine on their skeletons.^[1]

Investigation

Examination

A local coroner was unable to determine if the bodies were male or female.^[5] After ninety-percent of the bones were removed from the scene, they were sent to labs for examination.^[14] By 1980, results came back, establishing approximations of physical statistics of the victims, including their sexes, ages and heights.^[13] It was at this time that the error of believing one of the bodies being male was made.^[6][14]

Both victims were believed to be white, yet local investigators were "unsure" of their specific ethnicities.^[3][11] Graham was known to be of Native American descent, which is a likely factor in this conclusion.^[10]

Graham, the subject originally believed to be male, was estimated to be between ten and twenty years of age,^[3] possibly thirteen.^[15] She was inaccurately placed between the heights of 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) and 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm)^[3] tall, possibly 5 feet 5 inches (170 cm), when in reality, she was 4 feet 9 inches (145 cm).^[9][10] In 2014, DNA testing concluded the remains were female.^[3] Examination of the bodies also led to an inaccurate conclusion that Graham was likely younger than her companion, where she was actually older, being born on November 12, 1963, opposed to Trimble's birth on September 27, 1964.^[16][17]

Earring worn by Francine Trimble

Trimble was also placed between ten and twenty years old,^[11] perhaps being no older than fourteen.^[18] She was between 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) and 6 feet 0 inches (180 cm) tall,^[19] possibly 5 feet 5 ¹⁄₂ inches (166 cm).^[11] She, like her companion, also had light brown hair. She was found with an earring of a bird, presumed to be handmade from a shell-like material, seen often in the works of "hippies and Native Americans."^[11][18]

Evidence regarding the case was later submitted to the FBI in 1985 for further examination.^[14] The remains were exhumed several times, during the years of 2000 and 2011.^[14]

Circumstance speculations

Partly contrary to initial reports that there was "[A] high probability that the two were brother and sister",^[20] a 2001 mitochondrial DNA test indicated that these two were not related maternally.^[6][13] Speculation on the accuracy on the theory of probable relation arose in 2000 when the victim's dental charting appeared too dissimilar for the pair to be biologically related.^[4][11] It was also speculated that they may have been in a romantic relationship, which may have been a reason why they were together.^[18] It had also been presumed that they could have hitchhiked from as far away as the Midwestern United States, possibly being runaways.^[15][21]

Persons of interest

A man from a New Jersey prison falsely confessed to the murders in 2000, which led to the exhumation of the bodies in 2000.^[4] He was later excluded from the case after it was found he would have been about twelve years old at the time of the murders and he had "never left" New Jersey.^[1] The man is believed to have confessed after reading about the case from a newspaper.^[13]

Rodney Alcala and several other serial killers have been identified as persons of interest in the case. The speculation of a serial killer being the perpetrator was conceived due to the number of females found murdered during the decade and in the same county that the victims disappeared.^[4] No definite suspects have been officially named in the case.^[1][13]

Facial reconstructions

Several forensic facial reconstructions were created to depict a likeness of the victims in life. Clay busts were used prior to being replaced by digital versions that were later released in the early 2000s.^[22][23] In 2012, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released updated renderings of the victims by using CT scans of their skulls to build a digital, three-dimensional, estimation of their faces.^[13] The process was covered by the BBC network.^[24] After the identification of the victims, the artist that created the 2012 renderings stated that the reconstruction of Graham would have had little difference if it had been known at the time she was female.^[6]

Other evidence

At the time the updated reconstructions were being created, a foreign tooth that belonged to neither victim was found with the remains was tested. Authorities were unsure if it had belonged to an individual involved in the murders or possibly due to being misplaced in evidence storage. It was also initially feared that a third person could have fallen victim to the crime, yet this was excluded after no additional remains from the subject were found after the exhumation. Study of the tooth revealed it likely belonged to someone of either Native American or Asian heritage. It was also described to be of a unique shape.^[6]

Identification

Graham and Trimble were incorrectly listed to have disappeared in December 1979, several months after their remains were discovered.^[9] When this error was later corrected, a match of Graham's dental charting was made through the NCIC system. Other circumstances involve family member's speculations of the potential of the remains belonging to the pair.^[6]

DNA comparison later corroborated this belief, formally identifying the bodies after thirty-six years.^[6][13] The University of North Texas had processed the DNA profiles of the unidentified victims after their exhumations in 2011.^[14][1] Assistance with obtaining DNA from family members of the victims was performed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in order to match the DNA from the remains to the missing girls.^[6] The identification was made in November 2015 and later announced in February 2016.^[23][2]

Authorities are moving forward in the investigation and are hoping to obtain more information about the hours leading up to and preceding the disappearance in hopes of capturing the individual or individuals responsible for the deaths and the concealment of their remains.^[6][1][4] It is unknown if the girls had hitchhiked to the mall or had ever reached their destination.^[14] They also stated that they are also earnest to learn more details surrounding their deaths in order to conclusively prove they were murdered.^[25]

The remains were scheduled to be released to the surviving members of the girl's families within the month following their identifications.^[4]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble.

• Kerry Graham at Find a Grave
• Francine Trimble at Find a Grave