Sandra Cwik, 43, was found dead in July 1988 in Buckman Springs, California. A white woman originally from Florida, she lived as a vagrant, struggled with drug addiction and was known to engage in sex work. Her death was ruled the result of severe blood loss after she was brutally beaten; investigators concluded she had walked barefoot on rough roads for over a kilometer while bleeding, likely trying to seek help.

Cwik was one of several victims in a series of attacks that occurred between 1985 and 1988 in the remote desert mountains of California, where a total of 18 people were choked, molested and left for dead. The wider investigation found multiple perpetrators were responsible; Ronald Porter was later identified and convicted in connection with Cwik’s murder in 1992. The case prompted a large, costly task force and a nationally televised appeal that helped solve several of the crimes.

If anyone knew Sandra, saw her in the Buckman Springs area in 1988, or has information about what happened that summer, please share what can help the ongoing historical record.