Shivangi Sinha
In July 1974, the remains of a woman were discovered in the Race Point Dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Despite the initial inability to identify her, the police remained determined to solve her murder. In October 2022, advancements in DNA tracing technology finally identified the woman as Ruth Marie Terry. Within a year, her husband at the time of her death, Guy Muldavin, was officially named as her killer. A closer examination of Muldavin’s life led the police to suspect his involvement in other murders as well. In ID’s ‘Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior,’ Terry’s murder investigation is briefly explored, raising questions about whether Guy is truly responsible for her death.
Guy Muldavin’s Reputation as an Antique Dealer Saw Steady Growth
Guy Rockwell Muldavin was born in October 1923, either on the 26th or 27th, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Little is known about his biological parents, but he was pretty young when he was adopted by Abram Albert Zadworanski Muldavin and Sylvia “Lily” Silverblatt. His childhood was filled with travel, comfort, and the company of his older brother, Michael Semyon J. Muldavin, and a sister, Joan Towers. It was a life as normal as one could imagine, and as he grew up, Guy dreamed of living in New York and pursuing his creative ambitions.
By 1942, Guy was living in New York and studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. As a young man, he was called to serve during World War II, but a mastoid infection disqualified him from military service. Teaching had always appealed to him, and by 1946, he was working as a professor. On July 11, 1946, he married Joellen Mae Loop, and the young couple soon embarked on a journey of travel and exploration. They lived in New York for a time before moving to California, where Guy pursued work as an actor and disc jockey. Eventually, they settled in Seattle, Washington.
In Seattle, Guy opened his antique store, and for reasons unknown, began using the name Raoul Guy Rockwell. The couple’s life went smoothly for a few years, but they divorced on July 16, 1956. Over the next few years, Guy focused on his work as a poet and artist, gaining a reputation in the community as someone with an artistic disposition. He found love again and married Manzanita Aileen “Manzy” Ryan on September 30, 1958. Manzy had a daughter named Dolores Ann Mearns, and both moved in with Guy at his Seattle home.
Guy was a Suspect in the Murder of His Second Wife and Stepdaughter
Between April 1 and April 3, 1960, Manzanita and Dolores vanished, and Guy claimed to many that she had left him. On July 21, he filed for divorce, citing desertion on the part of Manzy. Just a week later, on July 29, he married Evelyn Marie Emerson. He even borrowed $10,000 from Evelyn’s stepmother, Mrs. Caroline Winkler, to buy antiques from Canada. Suspicious of his actions, Winkler reported him when he was later found in San Francisco, leading to larceny charges. Meanwhile, William Mearns, Manzanita’s ex-husband and Dolores’ father, informed Seattle police that he suspected Guy might be involved in the disappearance of the two women.
In August 1960, police executed a search warrant at Guy’s house and discovered human remains in a septic tank. The FBI joined the investigation, launching a nationwide search for him. Guy was eventually apprehended in December 1960 and charged with unlawfully fleeing to avoid testifying before a grand jury about the remains found at his home. However, due to the lack of physical evidence directly linking him to the crime, he was never convicted of the murders. In 1961, he was tried for theft, found guilty, and sentenced to 15 years. However, in 1962, during an appeal, he agreed to repay the stolen money, leading to his early release on this condition.
Guy Muldavin Claimed His Fourth Wife Went Missing From Home
Shortly after his release, Guy reconnected with his third wife, and they remarried on August 10, 1963, in Los Angeles, California. They had most likely separated during his time in prison. However, their renewed marriage was short-lived, and they divorced again shortly after. By late 1973, Guy had met Ruth Marie Terry and fell in love again. He accompanied Ruth to visit her family in Reno, Nevada, where her relatives noticed she behaved differently around him. They claimed Guy was quite possessive, and Ruth didn’t seem like her usual self. On February 16, 1974, Guy married Ruth, and the couple announced plans to travel across the US in search of antiques, specifically mentioning Massachusetts as a destination.
In late 1974, Guy visited Ruth’s family in Tennessee and informed them she had gone missing from their home in California. He claimed he was unsure of what to do next. Concerned, Ruth’s brother accompanied Guy in hiring a private investigator to search for her. The investigator concluded that Ruth had likely left voluntarily and joined a religious cult. However, the reality was far more sinister. On July 26, 1974, the remains of a woman were discovered in a decomposing state at the Race Point Dunes of Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Since the area was deserted, the body went unnoticed for some time. The autopsy report later confirmed that the woman had died nearly two weeks before she was discovered. She was found lying face down on a beach blanket, and the cause of death was strangulation, so severe that she was nearly decapitated. One side of her skull had also been crushed by a heavy object that had most likely caused her death. Her hands and one forearm had been cut off, and several of her teeth were missing. The police concluded that the killer had intentionally mutilated the body to prevent identification and conceal their involvement in the crime possibly.
Guy Muldavin Was Officially Named Ruth’s Killer Posthumously
On October 18, 1975, Guy Muldavin married Phyllis Roper. By 1976, he had moved to Salinas, California, where he worked as the vice president of a silver store in Beverly Hills. He also worked at a radio station and a tobacco shop for a while, but by 1985, he had retired and continued to lead a quiet and peaceful life with his fourth wife. After a prolonged illness, Guy passed away on March 14, 2002. Despite his death, the investigation into Ruth’s murder continued. When Ruth was finally identified in October 2022, the police began to piece together the evidence.
On August 28, 2023, they officially named Guy as her killer, even though in 2004, a suspected serial killer named Hadden Clark had alluded to being responsible for Ruth’s death. Nevertheless, the police still suspect that Guy may have been a serial killer and believe he could have been involved in other crimes, such as the murder of Henry Lawrence “Red” Baird and the disappearance of Barbara Joe Kelley in 1950.
Read More: Ruth Marie Terry: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
