Lora Stewart, 44, was found murdered on August 4, 1983, near Cottonwood in Battle Creek, California. Employed as a waitress at Jerry’s Restaurant on Cypress Avenue in Redding, she was discovered nude and had been strangled to death.

Investigators noted similarities between Stewart’s killing and other unsolved Northern California cases from that period. Robert Maury, later convicted of multiple murders whose known victims included Averill D. Weeden, Belinda Jo Stark, and Dawn M. Berryhill, was considered a potential suspect, but authorities never charged him in Stewart’s case. The case remains open due to a lack of definitive evidence linking any suspect to the crime.

The Redding Police Department continues to seek information that could help solve this decades-old homicide. If anyone has information about Lora Stewart, her movements in early August 1983, or relevant sightings near Battle Creek or Cottonwood, please get in touch with investigators.