153. Smells Like A Possible Serial Victim - The 1978 Long Beach John Doe

It’s the big Tuesday after the Big Thursday of last week, when our gal got her first taste of TV fame in her home town of Cincinnati – and it’s time to get back to the business at hand with a brand new episode...In June of 1978 the body of a young man – aged 15 to 19 years old – was discovered face down on a back street/alley/parking lot in Long Beach, California.  He was well dressed.  His body appeared to be healthy – there were no drugs found in his system.  There were no signs of sexual assault.  He had been strangled to death.  There was nothing on his person to identify him other than a stamp on his wrist that indicated he had been to a bar or a club or a sporting event – or some other venue where he had paid for admission.  While the crime scene was very near a popular gay bar, it was impossible to determine whether the stamp came from that establishment or somewhere else.  Who could this young man – a child, really - this “Long Beach John Doe” - be?  He was clearly well-taken care of; someone somewhere must have missed him.  But no one has ever sought or claimed him.  It is these cases that haunt and vex and form the reason Melissa started this podcast – to shed light on the forgotten deceased – to find their loved ones – to bring them home – and to seek justice for their untimely end.  And therein begins the quest to determine if Long Beach John Doe could have been the victim of one of the country’s most evil serial killers – Long Beach native Randy Kraft (also known as the “Scorecard Killer,” the “Southern California Strangler” and the “Freeway Killer”).  Kraft was convicted in 1989 of the rape and murder of 16 young boys and men between 1972 and 1983 – and is suspected of the murders of up to 53 others.  Melissa will be focusing on Kraft and his horrific exploits starting with our next episode - and be prepared - it's disturbing stuff.  Kraft was known for keeping a private “scorecard” of his victims – giving each of them nicknames.  One of the nicknames in his book – the only one that could not be verified – is “Parking Lot.”  Could that be the young man found in 1978?  Kraft isn’t talking.  But in this episode Melissa is pleading for Tip-Sters to review the case, look at this young man’s face and search their memory banks – could he be someone you remember going missing all those years ago? If so, PLEASE call the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office at (323) 343-0512 or the Long Beach California Police Department at (562) 570-5703.   *****     *****  And a REMINDER: If you have not yet listened to Episode 147 of “Just The Tip-Sters,”  please take the time to listen to Melissa’s interview with Detective Coy Cox of the Boone County Kentucky Sheriff’s Department on the Bill and Peggy Stephenson murder investigation.  The family has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers – and your tip may be the final piece of the puzzle.  If you have information please call (859) 334-8496   or send an email to [email protected]