Under Arizona Skies

Under Arizona Skies

• An Unsolved Murder –

By BR Chitwood

*

Kentucky is now part of my living history, back to the desert heat and sunshine one can almost love during any month of the year except the torrid heat-up into the summer months…Ah, hell, I love those months as well as the tourist months of Winter as long as the air-condition unit will stay true to its mission, as long as my views of the mountains north, south, and east can remain a reminder of the colder months to come and the short drive north where another kind of beauty prevails with colder weather, snow capping pristine mountains in their long stretches in any direction.

Now, one could be thinking I’m writing an Arizona essay for the Chamber of Commerce. Not so, but the reader can think of this piece of writing in that way, but, please, do not bum out on me when I continue here with a memory of one actress friend of mine many summers ago during the month of August, 1967. In fact, this adorable lady was responsible for my becoming an actor myself…television commercials, stage plays, film work of one kind or another, and/or ‘still modeling’. In fact, this actress was most responsible in my joining ‘The Bobby Ball Talent Agency’. At that time, the great actor, Nick Nolte, did the photo shoots for my initial

‘Bobby Ball Talent Query’ format. Many folks will remember Nick’s blockbuster Hollywood TV series, “Rich Man, Poor Man” – great actor and friend.”

Sorry to digress, but back to the actress mentioned above…

In the record heat month of August, 1967, this delightful actress went ‘missing’ for two weeks. Her body was discovered by a couple of kids rock-hunting in the desert just north of Shea Boulevard. The desert heat had made her easy prey for the desert population of animals, her body unrecognizable. With the news of her homicide, her many friends were devastated.

The miserable bastard who committed this brutal crime has, to my knowledge, never been found. My wife at the time was a room-mate of the lovely lady, and we were all shocked and overwhelmed with the news of her death. If anyone has information about this horrible crime, please contact the Phoenix Police Department’s ‘Cold Case’ Division.

Years later on, with the library microfiche available on the crime, I wrote a book on this good lady’s death… ‘Book One’ of my six-book ‘Bailey Crane Mystery Series’. A few of these books were also written based on unsolved crimes – or, were, at the time I wrote them.

Please, if you have any information that might help solve this long-ago case, the Phoenix Police Department would appreciate hearing from you.

https://www.brchitwood.com

*

My 20 books, 500 blog posts, short stories, flash fiction, poems, and songs all appear at the above Web site…

Advertisement