Guilty From The Grave: 1974 Murder Solved
The decades-old mystery surrounding the death of a woman found nearly decapitated in Provincetown has finally been solved. Investigators have officially closed the case of the woman, known for nearly 50 years as the "Lady of the Dunes," after identifying her as Ruth Marie Terry and naming her husband, Guy Muldavin, as the suspect in her murder.
In a significant breakthrough made in October 2022, the FBI positively identified the "Lady of the Dunes" as Ruth Marie Terry. Her body was discovered in a sand dune on July 26, 1974, with her hands cut off and her head nearly severed from her body. The investigators used investigative genealogy to identify Terry, a resident of Tennessee. The FBI revealed that Terry had suffered a blow to the head and was most likely killed several weeks before her body was discovered.
The Massachusetts State Police took over the investigation from Provincetown Police in 1982. Terry's skull, which was kept in police custody and not buried with her other remains, was sent to labs for testing. In 2021, Othram was able to create a DNA profile that eventually led to a positive identification. The Chief Medical Examiner's Office issued Terry's death certificate on April 5.
The investigation then turned to Terry's husband, Guy Muldavin. The couple got married in Reno, Nevada, in either 1973 or 1974, and traveled to Tennessee to visit Terry's family. Muldavin and Terry traveled together in the summer of 1974, but Muldavin returned alone. He indicated to witnesses that Terry had passed away but told her brother that they had a fight during their honeymoon and he had not heard from her again.
The District Attorney's Office revealed that Muldavin was also believed to be the prime suspect in the disappearance of his ex-wife and stepdaughter in Seattle in 1960. Investigators determined that Muldavin was responsible for Terry's death in 1974.
Muldavin, who also went by the names Raoul Guy Rockwell and Guy Muldavin Rockwell, died in 2002. In November 2022, Massachusetts State Police announced they were seeking information about him. Detectives investigated the 1960 disappearance of his wife and stepdaughter and later found human remains in the septic tank of their home. Although Muldavin was arrested for unlawful flight and convicted of grand larceny, he was never charged in relation to the Seattle killings.
A news article dated December 1, 1960, reported that Muldavin was arrested in New York City after the mutilated bodies of Manzanina Mearns and her 18-year-old daughter, Dolores Ann Mearns, were found in the septic tank. The article noted that detectives found dismembered remains and other parts of human tissue. Dolores and Manzanita disappeared on April 1, 1960.
Muldavin was 78 years old when he died.
The resolution of this case brings a measure of closure to a mystery that has perplexed investigators for decades. Although Muldavin was never brought to justice for his crimes, the identification of Ruth Marie Terry and the determination of her killer have finally shed light on the dark events of the past.
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