Linda Dearth:1973, Brookville, Ohio

   


   Linda Dearth was 13 years old in January 1973. She attended Northmont Junior High School. She lived with her parents and two siblings at Rural Route Two, Diamond Mill Road near the town of Brookville, Ohio. That is a small town northwest of Dayton, Ohio. Linda’s family lived in a rural area outside of Brookville. So, that means there were less people around, fewer houses and traffic. 


  She was at home near Brookville, Ohio on Thursday January 25th, 1973. Most school children in the area had the day off from school in observance of the funeral of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. (He passed away on January 22nd, 1973.) 


  Her oldest brother, Maurice, was away at college. Her brother, Robert, lived at home. 


  Someone entered the home, sexually assaulted and shot Linda three times in the head around 10:30 a.m. with a .22 caliber weapon. 


  The family had a very protective Dalmatian dog who had been locked in the basement. The dog had also been beaten. 


  Linda was found by her 17 year old brother, Robert about an hour after the killing. (This was an estimation by the medical examiner.) 


   One theory was that a car with a “For Sale” sign in the window at the Dearth home might have attracted a person who stopped and inquired about it. That person, seeing Linda at home alone, then assaulted and murdered her. 


  The gun used was the same caliber as the gun used in another murder just about a week before. Mrs. Gloria Jean Buck and her children were murdered at their home at 2020 Arthur Avenue on Saturday, January 13th, 1973 on the N.W. side of Dayton. That may or may not be connected as a .22 caliber is a fairly common weapon. But, Gloria Jean had also been sexually assaulted. She was shot and stabbed. Both of her children had been stabbed to death. This was a daytime killing as well.

  



  At the time of Linda’s murder, police had a young woman in custody on suspicion of the Buck murders. This young woman had been the babysitter for the Buck children. I don’t see her as a viable suspect for rape and murder. I think the police jumped on a rumor and tried to make it fit. She could not have killed Linda Dearth as she was in custody at the time of Linda’s murder. 


  Newspaper reports and rumors had fueled public sentiment against that young woman. She was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Gloria Jean Buck was obviously raped and murdered by a man. Knowing all we know now about 1970’s crime, the arrest of the babysitter seems ludicrous. 


  There were many other 1970’s Dayton area murders of young women. Deborah Rubenfeld was abducted, sexually assaulted and shot to death with a .32 caliber weapon in 1972. Cindy Rader and Judy Kanter were both murdered in 1975. Cindy Rader was walking to work one morning when she was dragged into a vacant home and was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death. Judy Kanter was walking home from work whe. She was abducted, sexually assaulted and killed by two shotgun blasts. 


  Who could have done this? The main serial killers active in Ohio in the 1970’s don’t exactly fit these crimes. Eugene William Gall Jr. was incarcerated at the time, I believe. Ralph Richard Howell almost exclusively strangled his victims with cord that he used in his bulk newspaper delivery work.  Larry Ralston tended to meet his Cincinnati area victims at parties. He would offer them a ride home. 


  Are these Dayton area murders the work of one killer or many different killers? Hopefully, rape kits with DNA evidence were preserved and can still be tested. 


  Linda Dearth was buried in Brookville at Arlington Cemetery. 


  Rest in Peace Linda. 



  If you have information about the murder of Linda Dearth please use the link below to submit a tip. https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Dearth



  If you have information about the murders of Gloria Jean Buck and her two young children, Tracy and Scott, please submit a tip here: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Buck-1


  

  


   


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