13 year old Lori Lee Kursa was a student at Lawrence Cook Middle School, she often ran away to stay with friends due to a troubled home life.
She was reported missing by her mother on November 11, 1972, but according to authorities, she was staying with friends who last saw her alive on November 30, 1972. A conflicting report says she was last seen with her mother on November 20th, 1972, by a clerk at a U-Save Market
Unfortunately, Lori’s body was found nude down an embankment on Calistoga Road 1/10th of a mile from the intersection of Harville Road on December 14th 1972.
According to autopsy, Lori Lee Kursa most likely died of a broken neck, thought to have been sustained by jumping from a moving vehicle and falling down the embankment. There were no signs of sexual assault. The state of her remains indicated she had been deceased for about one week, but due to cold weather at the time, it was hard to tell.
After reading about Miss Kursa’s murder and seeing her photo in the paper a man came forward with the information as follows:
At around 9:30pm, sometime between December 3rd and 5th, two men holding a girl between them matching Lori’s description, quickly crossed Calistoga Road at the Parkhurst Drive intersection. They pushed the girl into the back of a van and jumped in after her. The van was driven by a white male with an afro. The vehicle was white with a discolored drivers side door (possibly primered) maybe due to an accident since the door looked like it had been dented but was in the process of repair. It was probably a Ford. The van then sped off north, up Calistoga Road.
There is no description of the other two men
Two wire hoop earrings were found at the scene, but may or may not have been attached to Lori’s ears, (there are conflicting reports) so it’s unclear if they belonged to her.
It is also unclear whether or not a “witch symbol” was found near Kursa’s body, since authorities have never released information on which murder site the symbols were found.
When Lori Lee was last seen by her mother, she was wearing:
polished blue bell-bottom pants
- a brown leather jacket
- brown suede cowboy boots
These clothes also fit the description of what the witness said the girl was wearing before being shoved in the back of the van.
It is important to note what the victims of these murders were wearing or had with them when they were last seen alive. This is because serial killers often keep souvenirs from their victims, or take clothing and jewelry to sell or reuse as gifts for friends and family. Ted Bundy, Joseph D’Angelo and Richard Ramirez all had this habit.
If you recall seeing or receiving any items that match what Lori was wearing around 1972 it’s important to remember where you saw them or who you saw them with.
If you have any questions or more information on Lori Lee Kursa, please contact:
sonomacountymm@gmail.com
Sources:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bXCliIvo4XXQDzz58Gs3nRO-3rDHIlrs&usp=sharing
https://www.newspapers.com/clippings/#user=1170212
santarosahitchhikermurders.com
http://themurdersquad.com/episodes/ted-bundy-and-the-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders
Sonoma County Missing and Murdered 