Brenda Gail Faison was 21 when she was last seen in late February 1978 in Columbus, Georgia. She was Black and also used the names Gail Jackson and Gail Bogen. Her body was found in April 1978, about six weeks after she disappeared; she had been beaten to death with a tire iron and was decapitated.

The man later identified as her killer was William Henry Hance, a soldier stationed at Fort Benning. Hance met Faison at a local bar in February, drove her to a secluded wooded area, and carried out the attack. In the weeks after her death he sent letters and made calls claiming to be a group called the Forces of Evil, issued threats against other Black women, and made false ransom demands purporting that Faison was being held hostage.

Hance confessed to Faison’s murder while being questioned about other victims found on the base. He was tried and convicted for Brenda Faison’s murder on December 16, 1978, and received a death sentence. Does anyone have information about Faison’s life in Columbus or remember her before February 1978?