John Henry Jackson was 64 when he disappeared after being seen with labor contractor Juan Corona on May 3 or 4, 1971. Jackson, a World War II Army veteran who had been left at an orphanage as a baby and later worked as a farm laborer, never returned from that job ride.

Investigators later recovered Jackson’s body among a series of shallow graves uncovered on area ranches in Sutter County. The killings were part of a larger pattern: 25 buried men, mostly itinerant farm workers, were found over several weeks. Items linking victims to Corona and weapons recovered at his home were among the evidence that led to his arrest and murder charges.

Corona was convicted in 1973 of 25 counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 consecutive life terms; that conviction was overturned on appeal in 1978 and a second trial in 1982 produced the same verdict. The case profoundly affected the region and the families of the victims.

If anyone knew John Jackson, worked with him, or has information about his last days, please share what is known.