Authorities have identified the victim in a cold case from 1978 and are now asking for the public’s help in developing investigative leads to apprehend whoever was responsible for the slaying.
The body of a teenager, now known to be 15-year-old Kenneth Nevada Williams, was found lying on the pavement of Division Street in Belmont Shore, just east of Corona Avenue, on June 3, 1978, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
He had been strangled, and according to police, declared dead at the scene.
At the time, Williams’ identity was not attainable, but he was believed to have been between 15 to 19 years old at the time, the LBPD said. He became known as “John Doe 1978,” authorities said.
Detectives searched for more than four decades to identify Williams, even expanding their investigation to other countries.
Convicted serial killer Randy Kraft was at one point a suspect due to circumstantial evidence, but he was eventually ruled out, and ultimately, the case went cold, police said.
But as the years went by, advances in investigative genealogy were made, which made it possible for detectives to develop new leads that have since reignited the investigation, authorities said.
“A teenager who went missing in the 1970s has been known only as ‘John Doe’ for decades until recent technology and dogged investigators led to his true identity,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
In September, detectives identified the victim, according to police, who said Williams’ family confirmed their findings.
Williams had run away from his home in La Puente, police said, although he was never reported missing. He attended schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Police until Oct. 27, 1977, police said.
“Without the assistance of investigative genealogy, Kenneth Williams may have never been identified, however, his story is far from over,” according to the LBPD. “The person(s) responsible for his murder are still outstanding and must be identified to be held accountable for their crimes so that Kenneth Williams and his family will get the justice they have long deserved.”
Police ask anyone with information to call LBPD Homicide Detail, Missing Persons Section at 562-570-7246.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or lacrimestoppers.org.
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