Episode 634: Michael and Suzan Carson: San Francisco Witch Killers

In February 1942, Gordon Cummins, a twenty-eight-year-old Royal Air Force Serviceman, murdered four women and attempted to murder two others over a six-day period in London, leading the press to dub him “The Blackout Ripper.” At a time when the fear of imminent bombings was high and London was on high alert, authorities nonetheless launched an investigation and, quite remarkably, were able to catch Cummins quickly, thereby preventing any further murders; yet the question remains, how was it that a brutally violent killer manage to kill so many people in such a short amount of time and barely attract attention of the police and press? Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Bolton News. 1942. "Is 'killer' at large?" Bolton News, February 14: 1. Campbell, Duncan. 2010. "London in the blitz: how crime flourished under cover of the blackout." The Guardian, August 28. Driscoll, Margarette. 2022. "Ranmpage of the Blackout Ripper." Daily Mail, November 24. Evening Standard. 1942. "Accused of murder of 4 women." Evening Standard (London, England), March 26: 8. Evening Telegraph. 1942. "'Killer' theory in wave of London murders." Evening Telegraph (Derby, England), February 14: 8. Herald Express. 1942. "Cadet's defense in murder trial." Herald Express (Devon, England), April 28: 1. Hull Daily Mail. 1942. "London murders." Hull Daily Mail, February 11: 1. Imperial War Museum. n.d. Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-nation-at-a-standstill-shutdown-in-the-second-world-war. Liverpool Daily Post. 1942. "Another London murder." Liverpool Daily Post, February 14: 1. Storey, Neil. 2023. The Blackout Murders: Homicide in WW2. South Yorkshire, England: Pen and Sword. The Citizen. 1942. "Cadet sent for trial." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), March 27: 1. —. 1942. "'Evidence was overwhelming'." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), June 9: 8. —. 1942. "Fresh Jury to be sworn in." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), April 24: 1. The Times. 1942. "Airman charged with three murders." The Times (London, England), March 13: 2. Venning, Annabel. 2017. "The Blackout Ripper; under cover of the Blitz." Mail on Sunday, January 29. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In response to the onset of German bombing raids during World War II, many of England’s most vulnerable citizens evacuated or were temporarily evacuated out of urban areas to safer, more rural parts of the country. Those who remained in the cities would ultimately spend years enduring wartime blackouts, periods where the city was plunged into complete darkness in order to prevent German bombers from easily identifying their targets. The blackouts were a significant inconvenience and safety risk for everyone, but for at least one Londoner, they offered a perfect opportunity to enact his darkest fantasies. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Bolton News. 1942. "Is 'killer' at large?" Bolton News, February 14: 1. Campbell, Duncan. 2010. "London in the blitz: how crime flourished under cover of the blackout." The Guardian, August 28. Driscoll, Margarette. 2022. "Ranmpage of the Blackout Ripper." Daily Mail, November 24. Evening Standard. 1942. "Accused of murder of 4 women." Evening Standard (London, England), March 26: 8. Evening Telegraph. 1942. "'Killer' theory in wave of London murders." Evening Telegraph (Derby, England), February 14: 8. Herald Express. 1942. "Cadet's defense in murder trial." Herald Express (Devon, England), April 28: 1. Hull Daily Mail. 1942. "London murders." Hull Daily Mail, February 11: 1. Imperial War Museum. n.d. Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-nation-at-a-standstill-shutdown-in-the-second-world-war. Liverpool Daily Post. 1942. "Another London murder." Liverpool Daily Post, February 14: 1. Storey, Neil. 2023. The Blackout Murders: Homicide in WW2. South Yorkshire, England: Pen and Sword. The Citizen. 1942. "Cadet sent for trial." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), March 27: 1. —. 1942. "'Evidence was overwhelming'." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), June 9: 8. —. 1942. "Fresh Jury to be sworn in." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), April 24: 1. The Times. 1942. "Airman charged with three murders." The Times (London, England), March 13: 2. Venning, Annabel. 2017. "The Blackout Ripper; under cover of the Blitz." Mail on Sunday, January 29. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year, weirdos, and we're celebrating the holidays with Holiday tales brought TO you, BY you, For you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! Today we have boogens, a Hanukkah haunting, horrible Fourth of July discovery, delivery people getting waaaaay much more than a tip, and messages from Beyond sent via ornament! Don't forget to check out the VIDEO from this episode available on YouTube on 1/2/2025! If you’ve got a listener tale please send it on over to Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line :) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a girl walking on a Provincetown, Massachusetts beach discovered the decomposing body of a young woman in the summer of 1974, it began an investigation into what would become one of the most notorious cold cases in the state’s history. The victim—who would remain unidentified for nearly five decades—and her killer were the source of much speculation, with theories ranging from an extra in Jaws to the victim of the local mob.  After decades of mystery, DNA from the remains of “the Lady of the Dunes” was subject to extensive genetic matching and was finally identified as thirty-seven-year-old California resident Ruth Terry. A year later, authorities in Massachusetts announced their main suspect in the murder was Guy Muldavin, Terry’s husband at the time of her death. Muldavin died in 2002 and thus couldn’t be prosecuted for the crime, so the case was finally closed.  Identifying Ruth’s killer brought an end to one of the most enduring murder mysteries in Massachusetts, yet identifying the Lady of the Dunes and her killer turned out to the be the beginning of a new mystery. Indeed, investigators soon learned this might not have been Muldavin’s first murder, but one of several mysterious disappearances that traced back to him. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Abrams, Norma, and Sidney Kline. 1960. "Nab village Casanova onb grisly find." Daily News (New York, NY), December 2: 33. Associated Press. 1960. "Woman's remains found in search of old Seattle home." Bellingham Herald , August 31: 1. —. 1950. "Police probe for clues in beach killing." Berkeley Gazette, June 19: 1. —. 1961. "Rockwell says resentment le to life of deception." Longview Daily News, October 25: 11. —. 1960. "Rockwell on hunger strike; seeks death." Peninsula Daily News, December 3: 1. —. 1961. "Rockwell's wife not sure she will remain married." The Columbian, October 20: 2. Cavallier, Andrea, and Sheila Flynn. 2023. "'Lady of the Dunes' killer identified after nearly 50 years." The Independent, August 30. Dowd, Katie. 2022. "California man questioned in double murder linked to 'Lady of the Dunes' victim Ruth Marie Terry." SF Gate, November 3. McClatchy Newspaper Service. 1950. "Sea search is started for missing girl." Sacramento Bee, June 20: 1. McClatchy Newspapers Service. 1950. "Kidnaping is suspected in beach killing." Sacramento Bee, June 23: 1. —. 1950. "State detective is called into beach death case." Sacramento Bee, June 22: 1. Murphy, Shelley. 2023. "DA says husband killed 'Lady'." Boston Globe, August 29: 1. NBC News 10. 2022. "Man eyed in Lady of ther Dunes murder had a dark side." NBC News 10, November 11. Reynolds, Ruth. 1961. "Too many women, too many lies." Daily News (New York, NY), December 24: 38. Rule, Ann. 2007. Smoke, Mirrors and Murder: And Other True Cases. New York, NY: Pocket Books. Sacramento Bee. 1950. "Humboldt beach slaying may join long list of county's unsolved mysteries ." Sacramento Bee, June 30: 22. —. 1963. "Lie test plan is dropped in hunt for bones." Sacramento Bee, April 3: 47. San Francisco Examiner. 1963. "Con tells of killing lovers." San Francisco Examiner, March 22: 22. —. 1963. "Girl-killer's search for grave fails again." San Francisco Examiner, March 25: 3. —. 1963. "'Murderer' can't find victim." San Francisco Examiner, April 2: 3. The Doe Network. 2017. 119UFMA. May 17. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/119ufma.html. United Press. 1950. "Waitress sought for questioning in state beach death mystery." Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 19: 4. Wood, John B. 1974. "The baffling case of the body on Cape dunes." Boston Globe, December 22: 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode was that was originally published as Episode 240. We are revisiting it as a refresher before we update the case next Monday! We hope that you have a happy and safe holiday! We’re bringing you to one of our favorite vacation spots: Provincetown Mass. Only we aren’t sunbathing and playing volleyball on the beach, we’re here to solve a cold case, y’all. The Lady of the Dunes, as she’s known, was discovered on July 26, 1974, in the tall grass at the Race Point Dunes. Throughout the past 47 years investigators have worked tirelessly following up on leads and exhuming her body every time some kind of new technology comes up. To this day they still don’t know who killed the woman, or more importantly, who the woman even is! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.