MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. (KTNV) — In 1979, the body of Marion Berry Ouma of Dayton, Ohio, was discovered down an embankment on Highway 93 at MP7 by Hoover Dam security guards.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate this cold case, and now their Special Investigative Unit is requesting the public's help in identifying a suspect.
Detectives are trying to find more information on Ouma's whereabouts between the time she was last seen leaving a Las Vegas bank on December 13, 1978, and when her body was found on January 3, 1979.
They are also looking for leads on a 1976-1977 powder blue Chevrolet Blazer or Ford Bronco seen in the area on the evening of Ouma's death.
Here's the timeline
January 3, 1979, around 9 a.m., Hoover Dam security guards said they found a body down the embankment on Highway 93 at MP7. A release provided by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the body was a female victim who appeared to have a gunshot wound to her lower right abdomen, and it appeared she had been dead for less than 12 hours.
The sheriff's office said an autopsy later confirmed her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and abdomen from a .38 caliber firearm.
January 4, 1979, Mohave County detectives said they spoke over the phone with a man who said he and his wife were driving on Highway 93 the evening prior around 3 a.m. near the scene where the body was found.
The couple told authorities they saw a vehicle backed up to the guardrail near the location, with the witness describing the vehicle as a powder blue 1976-1977 Chevrolet Blazer or Ford Bronco with a removable hard top. The witness also told police the vehicle has front-end chrome push bars, all-terrain tires, and a tall CB antenna on the right rear.
According to detectives, the witness told them the vehicle's front license plate was covered with a rag — a detail the witness told police was odd. Also, all the doors were closed and the witness said he saw no subjects around it.
At the time, detectives classified Ouma's body as a Jane Doe victim, as fingerprint identification attempts were unsuccessful.
February 4, 1981, Las Vegas Metro Police contacted Mohave County detectives that a private investigator from Ohio possibly identified their Jane Doe victim.
Detectives said they met with the investigator who gave them a picture of Marion Berry Ouma of Dayton, Ohio. It was a striking resemblance to the victim, according to Mohave County authorities.
Investigators said Ouma has been married in Africa and worked there for a few years as a physical education teacher.
Mohave County detectives then contacted Robert and Elizabeth Gray, the stepfather and mother of Ouma. After being shown the photo, detectives said Robert and Elizabeth were sure it was their daughter.
Ouma's identification was also confirmed through a comparison of fingerprints from objects in Elizabeth's home and the prints of Jane Doe. Detectives said further dental charts from two dentists — one from Ouma's family and one from the victim — also confirmed her identity.
March 18, 1981, Mohave County detectives followed up at a Las Vegas bank, located at 4th Street and Carson Avenue. Detectives said they interviewed an employee at the bank who conducted two bank transactions with Ouma a few months prior to her death.
According to the detectives, on November 28, 1978, and December 13, 1978, Ouma went to the bank to take money out of her savings account in Ohio.
June 30, 1981, Mohave County detectives and Search & Rescue said they located Ouma's residence in Las Vegas at Sierra Vista Apartments, located at 750 East Sierra Vista Drive.
Investigators said an interviewee told them Ouma had arrived in a cab on November 4, 1978, to rent an apartment. Ouma was asked to vacate the apartment a month later due to not paying rent.
Throughout the investigation, Mohave County detectives said multiple newspapers in Dayton contacted them. They told detectives that Loren Berry, Ouma's grandfather, had passed away on February 10, 1980, and had left Ouma $40 million — who had been unidentified at the time of his death.
Loren Berry, the founder of Yellow Page telephone books, had an estate worth $500 million, according to detectives.
The victim's description
Mohave County detectives said Ouma is described as a 25-year-old white female, about 5'5", 106 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. She often wore her hair in a ponytail.
Detectives said Ouma was wearing green sweatpants and a dark blue short-sleeve blouse at the time of her death.
Contact the Special Investigative Unit
It's been nearly 45 years since Ouma's body was discovered, by Mohave County detectives with the Special Investigative Unit are still hoping that anyone with information leading to a suspect — or suspects — identification will come forward.
If you have information, please contact the SIU at (928) 753-0753 ext. 4408, reference DR# 79-022.
