Lava Lake murders

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As Lava Lake murders a triple murder is called, in January 1924 in the vicinity of Little Lava Lakes in Oregon took place. The bodies were only found after three months on the frozen Lava Lake . The Lava Lake triple murder is one of the oldest unsolved murders in Oregon history.

Sequence of events

Edward Nickols, 50, Roy Wison, 35, and Dewey Morris, 25, lived in Bend, Oregonand wanted to rent a hut in the forest for the winter of 1923/1924 to work as a fur hunter. In autumn 1923 the entrepreneur Edward Logan rented them a hut and the three friends moved in there. A week before Christmas, Edward Nickols drove to Bend briefly. There he sold some of the furs and reported on the successful hunt. After Christmas, Allen Wilcoxen, a Fall River resident, hiked from home to Elk Lake. En route to Elk Lake, Wilcoxen arrived at the rented cabin of Nickols, Wison, and Morris on January 15, 1924. He spent the night with them and later reported a lively mood. He set out again on the morning of January 16, 1924. Allen Wilcoxen was the last to see Nickols, Wison, and Morris alive. Since nobody heard from Nickols, Wison and Morris anymore and the traps for the mink, fox and martens remained untouched, a search party searched the hut in April 1924. All they found there was a set table and burned food. Finally, near the hut, they found a bloodstained carpenter's hammer, tufts of hair and a knocked out tooth. A little later the three corpses were discovered on the frozen Lava Lake.

Investigations

Investigations revealed that the hunters were beaten to death with a hammer and then shot with a shotgun and revolver. The perpetrator lured the hunters out of the hut and then shot them. According to the police, the murder happened in mid-January. The first suspect was Indian Erickson, a boon but with an alibi.

Edward Logan, who owned the cabin, told police that Lee Collins could be the culprit. Edward Nickols and Lee Collins reportedly argued over a stolen wallet prior to the murder. Collins is said to have threatened Nickols to murder him. The police found Collins in Bend, and it was discovered that Collins was just an alias. Collins real name was Charles Kimzey and he had been wanted for a year for robbery and attempted murder. A witness stated that Kimzey asked him about a fur trader on January 24, 1924. Kimzey eventually sold the fur trader $ 110 worth of furs. In a later comparison, however, the fur trader could not identify Kimzey. Kimzey ended up jailed for robbery and attempted murder.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Grisly 1924 Lava Lake murders still “unsolved” . In: Deschutes Pioneers' Gazette . May 31, 2012 ( wordpress.com [accessed November 25, 2017]).
  2. ↑ The Bulletin - Google News Archive Search. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Trapper Murders Album. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .
  4. ^ San Bernardino Sun April 26, 1924 - California Digital Newspaper Collection. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .
  5. ↑ The Source Staff: Two of Bend's Most Gruesome Unsolved Crimes: Beware crazies in the wilderness. Retrieved November 25, 2017 .

Coordinates: 43 ° 54 ′ 49.7 "  N , 121 ° 45 ′ 47.6"  W.