Barbara Stroud, 18, of Mendocino County, was abducted from her 1965 Mustang after a January 7, 1973 date in Willits and found murdered three days later. Her car was located parked on the shoulder of Highway 101 north of Willits with the canvas top slashed, her purse and coat inside, a dent on the driver’s side bearing green paint, and witnesses reported seeing a green vehicle nearby — all suggesting she had been forced off the road. Her nude body was discovered January 10 in a remote area; she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

In 1975 six local men were arrested after new information, and one, Phillip Wood, testified for the prosecution after receiving immunity, saying others took Barbara from her car. Key witness statements obtained using sodium amytal were later ruled inadmissible and the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Renewed forensic testing in 2008 on clothing, a rope, and car prints produced no breakthroughs. Two suspects are believed to be alive; no conclusive evidence has led to prosecution.