Lady in the Dunes

October 31, 2022:

On October 31, 2022, the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Office of the Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe, the Provincetown Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, are announcing that after nearly a half-century, the oldest, unidentified homicide victim in Massachusetts, dubbed the “Lady of the Dunes,” has been identified as Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee.

The FBI identified Ruth Marie Terry, previously identified by investigators seeking her identity as the “Lady of the Dunes” using investigative genealogy. This is a unique method that can generate new leads for unsolved homicides, as well as help identify unknown victims.

On July 26, 1974, Terry was found deceased in the dunes about a mile east of the Race Point Ranger station inside the Cape Cod National Seashore in Provincetown, MA. The cause of death was determined at the time to be a blow to the head and is estimated to have occurred several weeks prior. Her hands were missing, presumably removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints, and her head was nearly severed from her body.

For nearly five decades, investigators have worked tirelessly to identify this victim through various means, including neighborhood canvasses; reviews of thousands of missing-person cases; clay model facial reconstruction, and age-regression drawings. Since this crime was committed, many investigative and scientific techniques have either improved or been created through new advances in technology. One of these methods is Investigative Genealogy and combines the use of DNA analysis with traditional genealogy research and historical records to generate investigative leads for unsolved violent crimes. Recent FBI investigative efforts through genealogical examination of this infamous cold case have led to the positive confirmation of Terry’s identity.

In addition to Tennessee, investigators believe Terry had ties to California, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

The case is being investigated as a homicide by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Office of the Cape and Islands District Attorney, the Provincetown Police Department, and the FBI.

The public is being asked to review Terry’s Seeking Information Poster that includes newly released photographs.

Anyone with information pertaining to the above individuals (believed to have been married in February 1974) including their whereabouts in 1973 and 1974 in the New England Area, specifically Massachusetts and Cape Cod, are asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 1-800-KAPTURE, by email at MSPTips@pol.state.ma.us, or by text message at 226787 (Tips submitted by text must start with the word “MSPTips” followed by a space, and then the information can be entered). Anyone with information on persons associated with the above individuals are also asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police.

Read the full October 31, 2022 announcement from the FBI

UPDATE: November 3, 2022:

The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, the Provincetown Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit for Cape Cod & the Islands are seeking the following information:

As a result of a recent victim identification in the Lady of the Dunes homicide investigation, investigators are seeking information from the public about the following individuals:

Ruth Marie Terry, Date of Birth September 8, 1936. White female.  

Terry was also known to use the names of Teri Marie Vizina, Terry M. Vizina, and Teri Shannon.

Guy Rockwell Muldavin, Date of Birth October 27, 1923. White male.  

Muldavin was also known to use the names of Raoul Guy Rockwell, Guy Muldavin Rockwell.

Anyone with information pertaining to the above individuals (believed to have been married in February 1974) including their whereabouts in 1973 and 1974 in the New England Area, specifically Massachusetts and Cape Cod, are asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 1-800-KAPTURE, by email at MSPTips@pol.state.ma.us, or by text message at 226787 (Tips submitted by text must start with the word “MSPTips” followed by a space, and then the information can be entered). Anyone with information on persons associated with the above individuals are also asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police.

View the Massachusetts State Police Request for Information Poster

UPDATE: November 29, 2022:

The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, the Provincetown Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit for Cape Cod & the Islands are seeking the following information:

As a result of a recent victim identification in the Lady of the Dunes homicide investigation, investigators are seeking information from the public about the following individuals:

Ruth Marie TERRY, Date of Birth September 8, 1936. White female.

Terry was also known to use the names of Teri Marie VIZINA, Terry M. VIZINA, and Teri SHANNON.

Guy Rockwell MULDAVIN, Date of Birth October 27, 1923. White male.

MULDAVIN was also known to use the names of Raoul Guy ROCKWELL, Guy Muldavin ROCKWELL.

Anyone with information pertaining to the above individuals (believed to have been married in February 1974) including their whereabouts in 1973 and 1974 in the New England Area, specifically Massachusetts and Cape Cod, are asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 1-800-KAPTURE, by email at MSPTips@pol.state.ma.us, or by text message at 226787 (Tips submitted by text must start with the word “MSPTips” followed by a space, and then the information can be entered).

Anyone with information on persons associated with the above individuals are also asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police.

View the Massachusetts State Police Request for Information Poster

Provincetown Case History

The victim was discovered in the dunes about a mile east of the Race Point Ranger Station on July 26, 1974. The cause of death was a blow to the head. The estimated date of death was from 10 days up to three weeks. The unidentified woman's hands were missing, presumably removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints and her head was nearly severed from her body with an instrument similar to a military entrenching tool. The left side of her skull had been crushed. No weapon was found at the crime scene. Her nude body was discovered lying on a beach towel with her head resting on folded jeans. There was no sign of a struggle and the woman lay on half the towel, as if she'd been sharing it with a companion.

The body was exhumed in 2000, in an attempt to confirm her identity. In May of 2010, a new composite was created using state of the art technology and computer analyses. The new facial reconstruction images (pictured above) were created by forensic experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Smithsonian Institution.