Wilma Ida Woods, 49, was found naked and strangled behind a sand dune in Pasco County, Florida, on December 29, 1973, about 100 feet from the highway. She worked as a bartender on Franklin Street in downtown Tampa and had an extensive arrest history, with more than 100 incidents recorded; her last arrest was on December 5, 1973.

Her death was investigated as part of a cluster of murders in the Tampa Bay area between 1971 and 1978 that involved fourteen women and two men. At least eight victims, including Woods, had ties to sex work along the Dale Mabry Strip. Investigators debated whether the killings were the work of a single offender dubbed the Gulf Killer or the result of rival criminal elements; no definitive suspect was identified in Woods’ case.

Two men, Wirtjes and Hardagree, were later convicted in connection with related investigations, but it remained unclear whether either was responsible for Woods’ murder. Gerald Stano later confessed to one of the regional slayings but did not provide accurate details about Woods’ case and subsequently recanted. The case remains unsolved.

Did anyone who knew Woods or worked the Franklin Street area in 1973 notice anything out of the ordinary in the weeks before her death?