Kippi Jacquelyn Vaught was 16 when she disappeared from a Sacramento shopping mall parking lot on September 11, 1978, alongside 17-year-old Rhonda Lee Martin Scheffler. Their bodies were found two days later in a rural area outside Sacramento. Both girls had suffered severe blows to the head, but the official cause of death was gunshot wounds. Kippi’s hands were tied behind her back; Rhonda, who showed signs of sexual assault, was clutching a piece of cord similar to the binding on Kippi.

Investigators later identified Gerald Armond Gallego and his accomplice Charlene Williams as the perpetrators. Gallego was convicted in California of the murders of Kippi and Rhonda; Williams cooperated with authorities, testified against Gallego, and received a reduced sentence. Gallego was also tried for additional slayings in Nevada; his appeals were denied and he remained on death row.

Does anyone have memories of the mall parking lot or information about Kippi’s life that could add context to what happened that day?