Vincent Cruz Mestas, a 23-year-old Hispanic male, was found murdered at the bottom of a ravine in a mountainous area of San Bernardino County, California, in late December 1973. The isolated location and the condition of the scene suggested a deliberate attempt to conceal the crime. Investigators later linked his death to a pattern of killings attributed to a serial killer operating in Southern California during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Authorities believe Vincent Cruz Mestas was one of the victims of Randy Steven Kraft, known by monikers including Scorecard Killer, Southern California Strangler, and Freeway Killer. Kraft targeted young males, often between 13 and 35, and many victims were in the military; Mestas fit that profile. Although Kraft was never tried for Mestas’s murder, his name appears on a coded list investigators associate with victims, and law enforcement considers him the prime suspect in this case. No other suspects have been publicly identified.

Anyone who knew Vincent Cruz Mestas, his movements in December 1973, or who has information about this ravine location is asked to come forward.