Randy David Horton was 26 when his body was found on January 28, 1983, near Scott Valley, California. He had been last seen hitchhiking from his grandmother’s home in San Jose and was reported to be traveling toward Spokane, Washington. Horton’s body was discovered inside a sleeping bag on the side of the road and the circumstances indicate he was likely strangled; his suitcase was later found abandoned on a highway.

Because he was hitchhiking and the manner of death fits a pattern seen in other West Coast killings of that period, some investigators and private researchers noted similarities to cases involving serial killers active in California in the early 1980s. No publicly confirmed direct evidence links Randy Horton to any specific perpetrator, and his homicide remains unsolved and classified as a cold case.

If anyone knew Randy, saw him hitchhiking that month, or has information about the abandoned suitcase, please come forward with tips.