Benjamin Frederic Shaffer, 69, and his wife Edith Elouise Shaffer of Yuma, Arizona, were reported missing after a trip to Manchester, Mendocino County, California in July 1982. Their bodies were discovered on December 8, 1983, and official death records list their date of death as December 9, 1983, the date their bodies were found.

Investigators determined the couple had been robbed and murdered. Their deaths were linked to a serial killer who targeted elderly couples during visits to California; that offender was later apprehended and died in prison. A 1983 court case resulted in the conviction of an individual named Remsen on one count of second-degree murder plus multiple forgery and theft-related counts.