Stanley Robert Leighton:1977, Truckee, Nevada

   


   Stanley Robert Leighton was born on March 25th 1955 in Marysville, California to Mary Ann Riedel Leighton and  Lloyd Leighton. 


  Stanley had a sister named Susan and three brothers: Lloyd Jr., George, and Timothy. 


 In 1960, Stan’s mother, Mary Ann, passed away. Stan was only five. 


 Stan’s father remarried some time later and Timothy and Susan joined the family. 


 Stanley Robert Leighton graduated from Yuba City High School in 1973. 


  In 1975 he was listed as living at 1830 Clement Way Apartment 7 in the Marysville city directory. (Marysville and Yuba City are not very far apart)


  He played a lot of recreational softball with his high school friends in a local league in those days. He was a second baseman. They had a lot of fun. His friends remember him as a nice guy and a good friend. 


  In 1977 Stanley was in the Navy. He had received an assignment at Fallon, Nevada. According to his close friends he was happy about that assignment because it was so close to home. Fallon is about a 3 hour drive from Yuba City. 


  On October 4th, 1977, Stan was headed from Yuba City to Fallon. He did not make it there. Stan was found on the eastbound lane shoulder of I-80 about a half mile past Truckee, California. 


  Stanley had suffered fatal head injuries. A rock with blood on it was thought to be a possible murder weapon. He still had his wallet on him. His identification and his cash were still inside.




  Stan’s truck was found about a hundred miles eastbound from there in Lovelock, Nevada. The interior was splashed with blood. 



 Police from Nevada County, California traveled to Lovelock to inspect the truck. Did they find any fingerprints or anything left behind by the killer? Cigarette butts could potentially contain the killer’s DNA. The killer’s DNA could be under Stan’s fingernails if he grabbed or scratched the killer. 


  Why kill a man and not take his cash? Why kill a man and not keep the truck either? It seems like this killer just wanted to kill. Is Stan’s murder related to other murders of young men along I-80 in the 1980’s? 


  Stan was buried in Olivehurst, California at Sierra View Memorial Park.  


Rest In Peace, Stan. 

If you have information about the murder of Stanley Robert Leighton please contact the Nevada County Sheriff's Office at (530) 582-7838.





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