Naman Shrestha
Oxygen’s ‘Lady of the Dunes: Hunting a Cape Cod Killer’ delves deep into one of the longest unsolved cases — the mysterious 1974 murder of Ruth Marie Terry, whose remains were identified after nearly five long decades. The long-running investigation finally came to an end in 2022. That was when the victim’s family was informed of her tragic demise, many of whom were featured in the three-part true crime documentary series. However, the primary focus was on Ruth’s son, Richard Hanchett, who grew up without knowing who his mother was.
Richard Hanchett Was Taken in and Raised by His Biological Mother’s Superintendent
Born in 1958 to Ruth Marie Terry, Richard Hanchett was raised by the family of the superintendent of her workplace, Richard Hanchett Sr., who agreed to adopt him as she could not give him the life he deserved due to her alleged financial problems. After giving her son away, she reached out to him in 1972 when he was around 13 years old. However, at that time, Richard was going through a difficult phase and dealing with a drug overdose, due to which he reportedly stayed in a coma for about 18 days.
Growing up, he had gotten close to his adoptive family, especially his sisters Patricia and Lisa Hanchett. So, when the former was reportedly murdered by her ex-husband in 1980, he had a hard time dealing with the fact. Richard Hanchett was unaware of the identity of his biological mother until 2018. When he finally took a DNA test through Ancestry, he learned that he was the son of Ruth Marie Terry, a woman who had been missing since the 1970s.
Richard Hanchett Dedicated a New Headstone For His Late Mother
Only after the FBI identified “The Lady of the Dunes” with the help of forensic genetic genealogy in 2022 did Richard come to know that the mother he had been searching for all his life was brutally found murdered on a Provincetown beach in 1974. After the identification of his mother’s remains, he contacted her family and even attended a reunion, connecting with 55 members of the Terry family. Upon further investigation, on August 28, 2023, the detectives declared her then-husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin, as the perpetrator responsible for her killing. However, since he passed away in 2002, he could not be brought to justice.
To properly bid farewell to his biological mother, Richard Hanchett set up a GoFundMe account, through which he raised more than $2,000. Using the money, he purchased a stone for Ruth Marie Terry’s grave, which was situated in St. Peter’s Cemetery in Provincetown. In October 2024, he visited Provincetown along with her ashes and scattered some of them in the dunes where her body was discovered in 1974. He also placed a new headstone next to the previously laid stones. From what we can tell, he also has plans to travel to Whitwell, Tennessee, to scatter the remainder of her ashes in her native mountains. Richard also wants to dedicate a memorial bench to the mother he never met and knew.
Richard Hanchett is Leading a Content Retired Life With His Loved Ones Today
After graduating from South Lyon High School, Richard Hanchett went to Central Michigan University to earn his bachelor’s degree. In August 1976, he got a job at General Motors as a software engineer. Several decades later, he retired from the same company in 2015. When it comes to matters of the heart, he has been in a loving relationship with Wendy Couture, a Macomb Community College graduate, since the early 2010s. Richard also maintains a close bond with her son, Mason, connecting through their shared love and passion for Wendy and softball. Presently, the longtime couple is engaged to each other, looking forward to getting married and making their relationship official in the eyes of the law.
Residing in Waterford, Michigan, Richard enjoys a retired life, while Wendy owns a pet grooming store called Wendy’s Wild Stylz. Being an outdoorsy person, he loves to spend time connecting with nature by clicking photos of animals and riding on his boat on Cass Lake regularly. He dotes upon his grandson, Jordan, with whom he spends quality time too. Chasing sunsets and making new memories are two of the favorite things that Richard and his fiancée, Wendy, enjoy doing together.
Read More: Guy Muldavin: What Happened to Ruth Marie Terry’s Killer?
