On July 2, 1982, 65-year-old Frances Dorothy Cook Cunningham was found murdered in her Thompson Falls, Montana, home. Her violent death shocked the small community and raised immediate questions about motive and connection to other victims found the same day.

Also killed that day were four members of the Sexton family: 39-year-old Linda Kay Cunningham Sexton and her children 18-year-old Deborah Kay Sexton, 16-year-old Robert George Sexton, and 8-year-old Michael Duval Sexton. Linda’s shared middle name Cunningham suggests a possible familial link to Frances, but the relationship and circumstances linking the two households have not been clarified.

Investigators pursued leads for years but the trail grew cold and the killings remained unsolved. Advances in forensic technology have given investigators renewed hope, yet no public details of later developments have been disclosed. If anyone knew Frances or the Sextons, or has information about July 2, 1982, contact the authorities handling the case.