He even broke into a doctor's office in 1968, stealing about $5,000 worth of prescription drugs, which he buried in his "secret garden" out in the Truro woods. In the late 1960s, when most young men were either worrying about the draft, experimenting with growing their hair long, or discovering their love for Eric Clapton, a Massachusetts resident named Antone Charles Costa was butchering young women and dumping their bodies in shallow graves on and around a seemingly innocuous patch of land in Truro, Massachusetts. "The Christa I knew was a person of contradiction. Interviewed twice, both times he had denied knowing Christa Worthington. ET. Boston.com reports that Costa was suspected of killing at least four women, and possibly as many as eight. "It's enough to establish that the statements were made, the bias statements were made, now it's up to the judge to decide if there's gonna be a new trial," George told WBZ at the time. Did Stephen King's Son Just Solve a 44-Year-Old Murder Mystery? - Esquire Its not clear if Terry and Smith had children, but FBI Special Agent Joe Bonavolonta referred to Terry as a wife and mother in a Monday press conference. Police say that's when his story changed. "This case here, is a very horrendous case. That's the enduring tragedy of the whole thing," Arnold adds. Will these killings ever be solved? | CNN She had beenlast seen April 7, 1991, and lived at the River Bend Motel. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District said the bridge work will result in the closure of the Cape Cod Canal to all marine traffic this Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each . For starters, he claims, his client and Christa may have been involved. The cause of death was determined at the time to be a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. Tips can also be emailed to tips.fbi.gov or MSPtips@pol.state.ma.us. You'd sit around and once again go through it, trying to figure out, could it have been Tim? The Lineup notes that Costa got married in 1963, and eventually had three children with his wife, Avis. I just want to make this all work," she tells Spencer. George's witness, forensic psychologist Eric Brown, claims that with an IQ of about 76, Christopher McCowen simply couldn't understand the police's questions. The year before the gruesome Cape Cod murder, a female bank robber named Rory Gene Kesinger escaped from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. Worthington, a 40-year-old Vassar grad, had lived what seemed a life in the fast lane, covering the runways of New York, London and Paris for top fashion magazines, scoring an interview with fashion superstar Yves St. Laurent when she was just 26 years old. According to the papers archives, Perrys skull was cracked in three places, his jaw in five. They had footprints that were unidentified, they had palm prints that were unidentified, and they had unknown male DNA from three individuals under her fingernails!" As for the DNA, the lynchpin of the prosecution's case, the significance of that, George says, is all in how you look at this crime. Most of that was untrue or exaggerated. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The 2002 murder of fashion writer Christa Worthington in her Depot Road home in Truro rocked Cape Cod and made national headlines 20 years ago. Now, it's revered. "How would you want to tell her about the past?" With pressure mounting, District Attorney O'Keefe took an unprecedented step, asking for DNA from single every man in Truro. And by the time of the murder, the Jacketts claim, it was more or less working. On Wednesday, Massachusetts State Police, the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office and Provincetown police announced they are seeking information about Muldavin and his whereabouts in 1973 and 1974. Murderpedia reports that 1961, when Costa was 16 years old, he twice invaded the home of a teenage neighbor, attempting to drag her from her bed. She had long auburn hair pulled into a ponytail, blue Wrangler jeans, a blue bandana and was about 5-foot-6. During an early attack in November of 1961, Costa broke into an apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he lurked over the bed of a sleeping teenage girl. Every parent knows the anxiety of leaving your children in the care of someone you don't know well. According to The Lineup, the bodies had been cut up and the pieces buried separately. Again, when questioned, Costa told police that Perry had run away to Mexico. And that, according to reporter Eric Williams, is pretty much how everybody in the town of Truro saw him. Otherwise he refused to discuss Christa Worthington. According to CapeCod.com, on Oct. 19, 1974, the unidentified victim was buried at St. Peters Cemetery in Provincetown with a marker that read: Unidentified Female Body Found Race Point Dunes; July 26, 1974.. The Biggest Mysteries From The '80s That Are Still Unsolved - Ranker "You think, 'It's gotta be someone who is here, 'cause no one comes here in January.'". Tony Jackett, Ava's father, says this case has changed his life dramatically. Whatever Dinis intended to do, what he actually did was create a media frenzy surrounding the case. List of unsolved deaths. More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980. The womans identity remains unknown to this day and many have speculated over the years as to who the woman was. Maine's oldest unsolved murder case is that of 13-year-old Mary Catherine Olenchuk. The best potential lead to the murderer's identity was DNA found on Christa's body. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Officials hope the cards could inspire someone with information to come foward. After his arrest, Costa tried to turn his drug habit into an asset by implying that his drug use was to blame for the violent murders he'd committed, and often claimed his drug use had clouded his memory so he couldn't remember any of his actions. Three years following her disappearance, her remains were discovered a few miles from the pond. As with many recent identifications, the breakthrough was finally achieved through genetic genealogy, the process by which investigators use publicly available DNA profiles from genealogy kits to trace down living relatives. Vonnegut had more than just sensational interest in the story, though. You know ultimately I ended up over her house having a cup of teaand one thing leads to another," Jackett remembers. Based on newspaper reports from 1960 and 1961, it appears homicide charges were not filed against him. I don't' know.". Tim Arnold is happy it's finally over, but to this day he is haunted by what happened. Later that night Jermaine headed to a sushi bar in Hyannis, and he called to Ashley asking her to join them. Authorities identified the victim as Ruth. But he doesn't want to bring himself to admit that he killed her. But the judge ruled against McCowan, upholding his conviction. Clark stopped to talk to an old friend at a gas station on Orange Street, roughly a block away from the home of her mother and stepmother, when a drive-by gunman fired multiple rounds toward them, Jeanette DeForge of The Republican reported. Costa also had a habit of lecturing his fellow inmates about drug use, and there is evidence he was routinely assaulted during his time behind bars. According to Murderpedia, on May 12, 1974, a corrections officer found Costa hanging from a leather belt in his cell, dead. In 1997, a new lady came to town - a glamorous former fashion writer from New York named Christa Worthington. Darrel Jenkins, Jr. That would have been her top story, top of the Christa news would have been 'I'm having an affair with my local trash man,'" he says. No one has ever been charged in connection with any of the deaths. "This is a person with a 76 to a 78 IQ on his best day, meaning on a day where he's not using drugs and alcohol, not under pressure," George says. Susan says Tony was home with her when Christa was killed. Two of his victims stayed at the same boarding house where Costa lived. Karen Marchioni (Photo submitted by Jennifer Case). And that's the defense's explanation for the damning DNA evidence: that Christa Worthington voluntarily had sex with McCowan, probably that Thursday, his day for picking up the trash, and that later, someone else came along and killed her. In fact, Christa had gone on the "Leeza" talk show the year before to talk about women who choose to be single parents. 'I thought it was a dream': Cape Cod home leveled in massive explosion Even Christa's elderly father was drawn into the investigation, though his 29-year-old girlfriend - a former heroin addict upon whom Christa thought he was spending far too much money. When police arrived, they found a nightmarish scene. Jenkins was included on playing cards that feature victims in unsolved homicides and missing-persons cases, which were distributed by state police, the Department of Corrections, and district attorneys. It's just something that's always there," he says. In the story, Muldavin claimed to have "worked with youth through the Santa Monica Police Department" and had once been told "the only job an employment agency could find for him was as a Santa Claus at Macy's.". More people are getting away with murder. Unsolved killings reach a Honey the Bunny, beloved class pet, has gone missing- and you're the prime suspect! The 20-year-old nanny is pictured here. Tim Arnold: Please send somebody to 50 Depot Road. Unresolved - Cape Cod Times Courtesy of the Martha's Vineyard Museum. More than 30 years later, the mystery remains as to how 11 women from New Bedford went missing between March 1988 and April 1989. INVISIBLE EDEN: A STORY OF LOVE AND MURDER ON CAPE COD- Reviewed by Investigators guessed she was between 25 and 40 years old, but they had little else besides her physical description to go off of. A later trial was planned for the murder of his other victims at a later date. He later was seen at another party, and then slept at a friend's house. A huge bombshell," Williams remembers. She was born in 1936 in rural Marion County, Tennessee to Johnny Terry and Eva Lois Keener. "There was no evidence of the indications of rape," he says. State Police also created a video with pictures of each of the cards that they posted to itssocial media so that members of the public could also have a look at the unsolved cases. Detectives say he again denied knowing Christa. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. As reported by The New York Post, the Cape Cod Vampire murders involved the idyllic small towns of Provincetown and nearby Truro, Massachusetts. Susan Jackett says she didn't have a clue her husband had fathered Ava. Bob George also argues that police bungled the whole investigation. As reported by Murderpedia, Costa wrote a "factual novel" while serving his life sentence in prison. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Put all the puzzles together as you travel along with the characters, make decisions that affect the plot of the mystery game, complete the mini-games and puzzles, and find out how the next . But Bob George wants the jury to believe Frazier could have. In response to the news of Costas crimes, Edith told her father, If Tony is a murderer, then anybody could be a murderer.. The front door was smashed - there were drag marks on the ground outside and several personal items scattered in the drive. ", But Radlauer acknowledges Arnold may have had that idea. As the brutal cold case murder of Swedish au pair Karina Holmer stretches into its 25th year of remaining unsolved, Boston police continue to seek new leads. There's little doubt that Tony Costa, a.k.a. Story highlights Shirley Reine was found dead in her home. "He admits that, yes, he went there on Friday night, yes, he had sex with her and yes, he beat her. It did seem to smack of some desperation," Williams remarks. For more than two decades, the family of Molly Bish has searched for an answer following the disappearance of their 16-year-old daughter. Years later, Tony reported seeing his father entering his room at night. According to authors Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan, people who knew Costa believed he wasn't the sort of person to ever take his own life. A man is found dead on a beach, his identity unknown. In 2018, a campaign called Hope for Holly was launched to help generate tips for the investigation. (FBI via AP) Officials used investigative genealogy to identify a woman whose mutilated body was found on the Cape Cod National Seashore nearly 50 years ago, solving the mystery of the "Lady of. But his enthusiasm for home-grown weed led to his downfall. Self-isolation. Costa's story is that two of his alleged victims died of drug overdoses while partying with Carl, and Carlnot Costashot the other two victims. "He deserves every bit of reasonable doubt if it's there," another said. But the court didn't buy it and sentenced McCowen to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Certainly Frazier and McCowen were together that night. These are just some of the bizarre unsolved mysteries we've covered on The Lineup. Walsh and Monzon had been shot in the head, but Costa had then dismembered them and cut them up badly with a knife. In December: Boston man charged with murder in Hyannis shooting. Now finally cleared as a suspect in Christa's murder, Tony Jackett is relieved at the verdict, although remarkably, he isn't sure the jury got it right. (Jeanette DeForge/Republican staff). Avis filed for divorce in 1968 as a result of Tony's increasingly erratic behavior and abuse. Williams says. Suddenly, there was a match, a suspect and an arrest, all announced to the world by District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, three and a half years after the crime. The proximity of the murder, along with the fact that she was a single mother, like the victim, lead Flook to identify with her on both levels and to conduct a "literary investigation" into the case. She was found dead on August 22 in a barn in Kennebunk with a rope around her neck. The videotaped rap contest shows Frazier listening to music with McCowen nearby. On May 12, 1974, Costa committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell. A true crime series on a Cape Cod serial killer is in development with Massachusetts police are seeking information about Muldavin in relation to the Ruth Marie Terry murder case. Normally sleepy, safe places, the discovery of several dismembered bodies in the woods near Truro was incredibly shocking. A few days later, Costa returned to the home and tried to drag the girl down the stairs, but heroic neighbors stepped in to save her life. In an interview with MassLive, Marchionis daughter Jennifer Case said her mother was airlifted to UMass Medical Center where she died two hours later. They shouldn't bother. Despite an earlier diagnosis as a "schizoid personality," the jury apparently believed Costa knew exactly what he was doing, and he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, making further trials unnecessary. Related: Lake Bodom Murders: 60 Years Later, Finlands Infamous Unsolved Killings Remain a Mystery. She would be proved wrong. Jackett was allowed to see his daughter only one afternoon a week. 'Jaws' mystery: Did unidentified Cape Cod murder victim appear in scene? Ruth Marie Terry, known for decades as the "Lady of the Dunes" unsolved Cape Cod murder victim, was identified in October 2022. "We were just going to have to live with the fact that the perception of my being a suspect is going to stay.". Who killed Shirley Reine? | CNN The New York Post reports that Costa not only took heroic amounts of drugs, but he also sold them in town, offering a selection of uppers, downers, and hallucinogens. FBI/Handout For nearly half a century, the Lady of the Dunes. Unsolved Massachusetts murders, disappearances Boston, MA 02108 46 Mostly Cloudy 2% Change MORE No Alerts & Closings in Your Area Sign Up to Get Future Alerts 1 / 2 Advertisement TOP PICKS. Here is the crazy true story of the Cape Cod Vampire, Tony Costa. A grisly double homicide still haunts the small Cape Cod community of East Falmouth. As noted by author Sam Baltrusis, Dinis told everyone that the hearts of each woman had been removed and could not be located, that a strange "razor-like" cutting device had been found near the burial sites, teeth marks had been found on the body parts, and that the bodies had been cut into "as many parts as there are joints." With all the elements of a classic mystery, sensational reports of the murder on Cape Cod topped the news around the country, leaving Christa's nervous neighbors with no reason to suspect that it would take police literally years to solve this crime, not that they didn't have plenty of suspects. Police widened their circle. They noted that the car hadnt been reported stolen, and they didnt see anything strange in the area. Teen's family awaits justice - Cape Cod Times Please enter valid email address to continue. The circumstances of their deaths were strange, and fake news generated around his arrest made those circumstances seem even worse than they were. The state police, Department of Corrections, and district attorneys are distributing playing cards featuring the victims in unsolved homicides and missing-persons cases. "I just think it's a case about reasonable doubt. Tim Arnold: It's Christa Worthington. Officials say a man's torso was dumped in the dunes and his identity is still unknown. And Tony Jackett, married, with six kids, nonetheless went for her, hook, line and sinker. In his letters, Costa protested his virtue and tried to convince the author that he was incapable of harming anyone. The bodies were then buried near a garden of sorts that Provincetown native Tony Costa maintained. It took her decades to realize that the man she'd trusted so implicitly was a crazed serial killer. Could it have been Tony? Her case of death was blunt-force trauma to her head. And the baby was very enchanting," says Susan Jackett. Soon, all of Truro knew what had happened. Unlike a serial killer like the Son of Sam, Costa didn't kill from a distance with a gun. According to author Robin Smith-Johnson, Costa was held in jail for 14 months before finally being brought to trial, with charges involving only the two of his victims who had initially been positively identified: Mary Ann Wysocki and Patricia Walsh. While the jury in the Christa Worthington murder trial deliberated, the case was still being tried in the court of public opinion. Social distancing. Police said Clark was not the target and was accidentally shot. Another one time suspect, Keith Amato, described a similar experience. There were many other girls killed, and nobody knows about [that]. Moulty goes on to say that Costas predatory ways were common knowledge around that area at the time, making his arrest unsurprising to those who had their eyes open. Gregarious, smart, ah, you know, really a pleasant fellow, you know, who likes the ladies, the ladies you know!" He joined friends at a local club, where they were videotaped by an onlooker, while taking part in a "Rap" contest. The case of Karen Marchionis murder has remained unsolved for 21 years now. The show will run through May 11. As reported by The New York Post, the Cape Cod Vampire murders involved the idyllic small towns of Provincetown and nearby Truro, Massachusetts. The two women Costa supposedly drove to California were never officially found, but the bodies of both Perry and Monzon were found in 1969, brutally murdered and buried in the woods outside Truro, Massachusetts. Ava never will remember those happy times, but Christa's friends are determined that one day she will know how much her mother loved her. A powerful explosion and resulting fire reduced a Cape Cod home to rubble Thursday night and left debris scattered in nearby trees. AP Photo/Cape Cod Times, Vincent DeWitt "At this point Chris wants to get his story out there," McCowen's attorney tells 20/20 in the video preview. Oftentimes prisoners want to improve their situation within a prison, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael OKeefe, said, addingthat an incarceratedperson may come forward with valuable information. "And I don't accept it. This SF restaurant was the blueprint for Bobs Burgers'. During closing arguments, he said, "It's based on an assumption -- a false assumption -- that a Vassar-educated, 46-year-old world-traveling wealthy heiress could not possibly have had consensual sex with a black, uneducated, troubled, garbage man.". Census, death and marriage records reviewed by SFGATE begin to coalesce a portrait of Terrys life. The murder remains unsolved. When Terry was 20, she married Korean War veteran Billy Ray Smith, and it seems Terry left Tennessee for good sometime after the wedding. Police searching his Seattle home discovered a disturbance around the septic tank; when they pulled it open, they found pieces of human flesh inside. It's just crazy.". The decks will be given out to state prison inmates, who state police hope will have information about some of the cases and be willing to come forward. Couldn't believe they'd come up with a match.". Local | This mysterious Bay Area beach is covered in broken ceramicsFood | Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good?Culture| This SF restaurant was the blueprint for Bobs Burgers'Music| Nirvana's Cow Palace show was once panned. Christa Worthington's savage murder in January of 2002 left 2-year-old Ava without a mother, and it left the townspeople of Truro edgy, nervous and silently wondering if the killer might be one of them. Feds raise environmental concerns about proposed gun range on Cape Cod Costa's life and crimes continue to fascinate. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). It was a woman, dead for perhaps several weeks. Is San Francisco tiki bar the Tonga Room actually good? The eight- to ten-year sentence was reduced to three to five. The case against Christa's alleged killer, O'Keefe concedes, depends on two vital pieces of evidence. (Photo from Google Maps). As far as horrifying unsolved crimes go on Cape Cod there are few the make one's skin crawl more than that of the 'Lady In the Dunes.' On July 26, 1974 the mutilated, decomposing body on an unidentified woman was discovered in the dunes near an access road along the Dunes' Edge Campground in Provincetown. Rodman recalls that in 1969 Costa suddenly disappeared and no one would tell her where he'd gone. Nirvana's Cow Palace show was once panned. Despite new concerns raised by the feds around a proposed machine gun training range at Joint Base Cape Cod, the National Guard says the location remains best suited for the facility. This fight is not for the few, it is for the many, Tangela Clark, Tamaras mother, told The Republican. "A very devoted mother and she would always have Ava on her lap and they would always be playing and laughing," Linda remembers. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the FBI tipline at 1-800-225-5324 or the Massachusetts State Police at 1-800-527-8873. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The Cape Cod Vampire, tried to give his side of the story in the late 1970s by writing a "fictional" account of the ghastly murders he had committed. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). Christopher McCowen never testifies, betting that his attorney has created enough doubt to set him free. 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