Murders of Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble
Kerry Ann Graham and Francine Marie Trimble were two teenage friends from Forestville, California. Graham, 15, and Trimble, 14, disappeared on December 16, 1978 after leaving home to visit a mall in Santa Rosa.
Their skeletal remains were found on July 8, 1979, buried in a shallow grave along Highway 20 near James Creek, about 12 miles west of Willits. The bodies were placed in plastic bags and bound with duct tape; a bird-shaped shell earring linked to Trimble was found at the scene. At first, investigators misidentified one of the remains as male.
Over the years, the bodies were exhumed and re-examined. Forensic tests showed they were two teenage girls who likely died around December 8, 1978. The exact cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition, but homicide is suspected.
In 2015, DNA testing identified the remains as Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble, and the identification was publicly announced in 2016. The case remains open, with no official suspects named. A false confession in 2000 by a New Jersey inmate was ruled out.
Graham and Trimble were close friends who grew up in different family situations. It is still unclear whether they reached the mall that day or who was responsible for their deaths.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:24 (CET).