OC Register on Kraft victims, 1978-1983

These clippings, accessed from NewspaperArchive, are from the immediate aftermath of the discovery of the bodies of murder victims in Orange County after 1977 who would later be revealed as confirmed victims of serial killer Randy Kraft.

Under the most unclear images are my own transcriptions; please do not use my own work without credit. An underscore represents a word that I cannot make out, and sections in brackets are parts that I'm not entirely sure are correct, but I am fairly confident on the accuracy of the rest of the transcribed text.

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Scott Hughes

Geoffrey Nelson & Rodger DeVaul

Terry Lee Gambrel

Scott Hughes

"Youth's body found on freeway ramp." OC Register, pp. 2. Tues., Apr. 18, 1978.

"Body found near on-ramp identified." OC Register, pp. 2. Wed., Apr. 26, 1978.

Roland Young

"Unidentified male stabbing victim dumped in Irvine." OC Register, pp. 2. Mon., June 12, 1978.

"Irvine stab victim's last hours studied." OC Register, pp. 2. Tues., June 13, 1978.

"Police say body of stab victim also mutilated." OC Register, pp. 2. Wed., June 13, 1978.

Transcription:

IRVINE — The body of a young Maywood man, who was found stabbed to death through the heart on a roadside here Sunday, had also been castrated, police said Tuesday.

It was the numerous stab wounds through the heard — and not the sexual mutilation — that caused the death of Roland Gerald Young, 23, a coroner’s autopsy found.

His still warm body was found at about 4 a.m. Sunday on Irvine Center Drive by a passing motorist, police said.

Young’s body was identified by a jail slip [inside] the pocket of his trousers. [When discover]ed he was wearing only the trousers and a pair of shoes, the same clothing he wore when released from the Orange County jail Saturday evening.

Irvine police are interviewing everyone Young came in contact with following his arrest early Saturday morning in Santa Ana for drunkenness.

Investigator [Hermes] McNeilly said there are no strong suspects and that there have been no similar crimes reported recently in Southern California.

"Irvine police running out of leads in stabbing death of Maywood man." OC Register, pp. 2. Wed., June 20, 1978.

Richard Allen Keith

"Body found on shoulder of parkway." OC Register, pp. 2. Mon., June 19, 1978.

Transcription:

LAGUNA NIGUEL – The nude body of [an unidentified] white man in his early 20s was discovered lying on the shoulder of Moulton Parkway north of La Paz Road at approximately 7:_0 a.m. today by a passing motorist, sheriff’s deputies reported.

The cause and time of death were not immediately known, although a spokesman said the body appeared to have been dumped on the paved shoulder sometime between 3 and 5:__ a.m.

A coroner’s autopsy was scheduled for today.

"Parkway body identified as Pendleton man." OC Register, pp. 2. Mon., June 23, 1978.

"El Toro 'John Doe' shot, coroner says." OC Register, pp. 3. Fri., June 29, 1978.

** Note: The main subject of this clipping is unrelated to the Kraft case. However, the second to last and last paragraphs mention Kraft victims Richard Allen Keith and Roland Young, respectively.