Killers identified in infamous Lady Of The Dunes case

After nearly 50 years, investigators closed the infamous Lady of the Dunes murder case on Monday and found the victim’s husband was her killer.

Ruth Marie Terry, 37, was found dead July 26, 1974, by a family in the Cape Cod dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts. At the time, authorities could not even identify her body, but instead investigated the case as a homicide.

Investigators now believe Terry was killed by her husband Guy Muldavin.

“On the basis of the investigation into Mrs Terry’s death, it has been determined that Mr Muldavin was responsible for the death of Mrs Terry in 1974. Mr. Muldavin passed away in 2002,” the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, according to a press release Monday Boston 25 messages.

Accordingly Provincetown government website, Terry’s deceased body was found naked on a beach towel, her head resting on folded jeans. The left side of her skull had been shattered and her hands severed from her body, but no weapons were found at the scene. Her death, which likely occurred up to three weeks before her discovery, was found to be caused by a blow to the head.

The case has garnered significant attention over the years, and several theories have emerged about the incident. For five decades, investigators worked to identify Terry using blood and DNA samples, facial reconstructions from clay models, and age regression drawings. She eventually became the oldest unknown murder victim in Massachusetts.

Finally, the FBI identified Terry last October through investigative genealogy that combines DNA analysis with traditional historical research. A special agent with the Boston FBI described the development as “big breakThat would bring investigators closer to identifying her killer.

The investigation also revealed that Terry and Muldavin had traveled together in 1974 shortly after their marriage. Investigators found that Muldavin had returned from traveling that summer in Terry’s vehicle and told people his wife had died.

Muldavin was also a suspect in the disappearances of his former wife and stepdaughter in the 1960s. according to NBC News.

The Provincetown Police Department and the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.