Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 02/08/1985

Missing Since:

Missing Since 02/08/1985

Missing From:

Missing From San Marino, California

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 09/17/1956 (68)

Age:

Age 28 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 6’0 – 6’1, 200 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Red hair, blue eyes. Linda has a stocky, muscular build. She may use the last name Mayfield or the nickname Cody. She may color her hair blonde.

Details of Disappearance:

Linda and her husband, Jonathan Sohus, vanished from their California home in February 1985, saying they were going to Connecticut for jobs. They were reported missing two months later. Their four cats were left behind, as was Linda’s job.

Their tenant, Christopher Chichester, gave conflicting stories about their whereabouts – a long honeymoon in Paris, then secret government work. Chichester disappeared before police could talk to him. Neighbors smelled something awful coming from the guest house chimney around the time of the disappearance, and police later found blood there. Disturbed earth was also found near the guest house.

Years later, in 1994, the new homeowners found Jonathan’s partial skeleton buried on the property. It took years to identify him due to lack of a jawbone and teeth, and a DNA sample.

The case took a dramatic turn in 2008 when “Clark Rockefeller” (who was actually Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) kidnapped his daughter. Authorities discovered Rockefeller was Chichester, a man with a history of assuming false identities.

In 2011, Gerhartsreiter was charged with Jonathan’s murder. The evidence was mostly circumstantial, but he was convicted in 2013. His defense claimed Linda killed Jonathan and left. The prosecution believes Gerhartsreiter killed Linda too, but she remains missing. Linda’s case remains unsolved, but foul play is suspected.

Agency:

San Marino Police Department 626-300-0720

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