The Murder of Linda Jean Neukam, December 1981

During the late evening hours of Wednesday, December 23, 1981, Linda Neukam, 27, was seen leaving the Marion Hotel in downtown San Diego, CA.

At about 11pm a bystander found her staggering out of an alley toward 300 Market St. Linda collapsed, telling the bystander that she had been stabbed by a white man.

A possible suspect was seen running northbound on Second St at the time. The suspect is described as a white male, medium build, 5'8 to 5'11, with short or collar-length dark hair and wearing dark loose-fitting clothing. The suspect is unknown and still at large.

Linda was rushed to the hospital but later died in surgery as a result of multiple stab wounds. Her official date of death based on records found on Ancestry is December 24, 1981.

Photo of Linda Neukam from the City of San Diego Cold Case page.

 

I could not find anything about Linda's death in newspapers from the time. The only source about her murder itself is the City of San Diego Cold Case page, which erroneously spells her surname as "Neukum."

While the San Diego Cold Cases page's profile for Linda states that the hotel she was last seen at was the "Marion Hotel," I could find no record of such a hotel existing. From my research, it seems possible that the intended hotel is actually the Mason Hotel, which was located on the southwest corner of 3rd Avenue and F St at the time. According to the measurement tool on Google Maps, Mason Hotel was a short walk from 300 Market St, only about 850 ft total. Mason Hotel is no longer standing, there is no alleyway in the 300 block of Market St, and the area in general has had a lot of construction since the time of the murder. 

According to local newspapers, Linda was on probation for soliciting assault at the time of her death. In June 1980, she had asked her sister's boyfriend, as well as another man, to beat up her then-boyfriend, a Hispanic man with whom she was living at the time, after an argument over custody of their child. The two men beat him with a tire iron while Linda watched, leading to various injuries, including a broken leg. In August 1980 Linda pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 1.5 years probation.

Locations where Linda was last seen (top) and later found (bottom). Created by me originally on Google Maps, viewed on Google Earth using satellite imagery from 1995.

 

Linda had previously married Dennis L Neukam in August 1972 in Imperial, CA; they divorced in November 1974 in San Diego. Linda's maiden name is Bush. She was born on August 29, 1954 in Portsmouth, VA, and her mother's maiden name is Adams. I have created a FindAGrave memorial to remember Linda, which can be found here.

Anyone with information regarding Linda's murder is asked to please call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293. To submit a tip anonymously, call Crimestoppers at (888) 580-8477 or submit your tip online.

[**Note: All sources are hyperlinked in the body of the text.]

Note: Linda was attacked two days after the winter solstice, and two before Christmas. See the Holiday & Events Reference Page for an explanation as to why this is being mentioned.