December 22nd marks the 41st Anniversary of the UNSOLVED HOMICIDE - Case: 75-186030
The victim, Deborah Jean Cargill, lived in Campbell, CA. She was 19 years old at the time she was kidnapped and killed. On 12/21/1975 at approximately 4:30PM just as she was parking her vehicle in the parking lot of the Albertsons grocery store, located at Hwy 9 and Bollinger in the City of San Jose, (where she worked) she was contacted and led away by an unknown male suspect. Her body was found on 12/22/1975 in the San Lorenzo River near the train trestle.
SCPD is always looking for new information on cold
“Our goal for the Cold Case webpage and the investigative efforts, said Chief Vogel, is to bring attention to these cases, so they are not forgotten. The Investigations Unit is committed to bringing justice and a degree of closure to the victim’s families.”
To solve a decades-old murder you have to be curious and dedicated in the search for the truth.
Meet SCPD Cold Case Detective Ron Truhitte
How do you solve a cold case?“The only way to solve a decades-old murder is through hard work, thorough analysis of the evidence, and examining and re-examining old witness interviews.”
Why the dedication to cold cases?
“I am an advocate for victims. My primary mission is to bring peace to the family and friends of those that were tragically killed. And, as I do, SCPD recognizes the importance to the community of solving cold cases and bringing those accountable to justice.”
Besides case reports, what do you like to read?
Books by Tony Hillerman he writes about the Navajo Tribal Police. Great combination of history and mystery. John Sandford. He writes the "Prey" series. John Grisham. Everything he writes.
Do you ever stay in touch with your clients after the case is closed?
One homicide victim's family l'm still in touch with is the Karastamatis family. Their father, Father John Karastamatis was murdered in 1985.
SCPD is hoping to have this Cold Case Webpage shared as widely as possible. Even someone with second or third-hand information about what happened may hold the missing piece of the puzzle that helps us to crack the case, solve a mystery, and bring justice to the victim’s family and her friends.
Click SCPD Cold Cases are featured on our website. If you have information about any of these unsolved murders, contact SCPD through our anonymous tipline 831-420-5995 or SCPD Investigations 831-420-5820. Contact Ron Truhitte at RTruhitte@cityofsantacruz.com
