James Wylie Howard, a 64-year-old Caucasian male born May 25, 1907 in Elida, New Mexico, was one of 25 men murdered and buried in shallow graves in Sutter County, California, in May 1971. His body was found in a peach orchard along the Feather River and showed multiple stab wounds and severe head trauma consistent with the pattern of the other victims. Howard’s death is dated between May 1 and May 13, 1971; the series of graves was uncovered after a peach farmer near Yuba City reported a freshly dug and refilled hole on May 19, 1971.

Investigators linked many of the victims to a Mexican-born labor contractor, Juan Vallejo Corona, through employment records and witness sightings near the burial sites. Searches of Corona’s home and vehicle reportedly turned up bloodstained weapons including a machete and knives and a ledger with several victim names. Corona was arrested May 26, 1971 and charged with 25 counts of first-degree murder; he was convicted in 1973 and received 25 consecutive life terms.

Does anyone have information about Howard’s life before he came to Sutter County or remember him from that area in 1971?