Betty Mae Palmer, 78, moved into Dorothea Puente’s Sacramento boarding house in fall 1986. She left for a doctor’s appointment on August 19, 1986, and never returned. Two months later Puente changed the mailing address for Palmer’s Social Security benefits to the F Street residence and cashed nearly $7,000 in checks using a forged California ID that showed Puente’s photo with Palmer’s name.

In November 1988 police excavating Puente’s yard found a torso buried beneath a statue of St. Francis near the front sidewalk; the head, hands, and lower legs had been removed and the body wore a sleeveless white nightgown. Toxicology detected doxylamine and the prescription sedatives haloperidol and flurazepam, drugs previously prescribed to Palmer. Medical X-rays were matched to confirm the remains as Palmer’s on January 24, 1989. Officers also recovered the doctored ID used to cash Palmer’s checks.

Puente fled during the dig but was arrested November 17, 1988, and later charged with nine murders. A jury convicted her of three counts but deadlocked on six others, including Palmer’s. Puente received life without parole and died in prison in 2011, leaving some legal closure unresolved for Palmer’s killing. Anyone who knew Palmer or saw her around August 1986 is asked to come forward with information?