Richard William Davis

Richard William Davis has been identified as the lead suspect in the 1974 rape and murder of 5-year-old Siobhan McGuinnes in Missoula, Montana. The case was cleared by exception due to the death of Davis. McGuinnes had gone missing on February 5, 1974, just a few blocks from her home. Her body was found two days later, off the Turah exit on Interstate-90.

The FGG investigation in this case was conducted by Othram. A confirmation was made by through the assistance of living relatives of Davis. His wife and children have also reached out to the McGuinnes family.

Davis died in Arkansas in 2012 at the age of 70. At the time of the murder, he was passing through Missoula as part of his work as a truck driver. The vehicle he owned in 1974 matched descriptions given by witnesses at the time. Authorities are investigating Davis for other, similar, crimes that took place in the 1970s.

Sources:

Associated Press. “Arkansas Man Identified as Killer in Cold Case.” 4029 TV News, October 27, 2020. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.4029tv.com/article/richard-william-davis-north-little-rock-cabot-arkansas/34493435?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Arkansas%20man%20identified%20as%20killer%20in%20cold%20case&utm_term=khbs_news_local_breaking#.

Brantley, Max. “Montana Closes 46-Year-Old Case of the Death of Abducted Child by Naming Arkansas Man.” Arkansas Times, October 27, 2020. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/10/27/montana-closes-46-year-old-case-of-the-death-of-abducted-child-by-naming-arkansas-man.

Georgiou, Maritsa. “DNA Identifies Killer in Missoula Cold Case 46 Years Later.” NBC Montana, October 26, 2020. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/dna-identifies-killer-in-missoula-cold-case-46-years-later.

McCauley, Connor. “New DNA Testing Helps Identify Suspect in 1974 Missoula Murder.” Missoula Current, October 26, 2020. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://missoulacurrent.com/montana-today/2020/10/dna-missoula-murder/.

Individual

First Name Richard William
Last Name Davis
Other Names
Victims 1 (Details)
IGG Started nd
Case Cleared 2020-10-26
IGG Org Othram

Victims

Case ID Name Age Case Opened Location Investigating Org Most Serious Charge Disposition Court
1425 Siobhan McGuinnes 5 1974-02-05 Missoula, MT Missoula CSO Second degree murder Case was cleared by exception due to death of perpetrator n/a

Last updated: February 9, 2024

To contribute information on new or existing IGG cases, use this form.

Case data and narrative licensed under CC BY 4.0: Dowdeswell, Tracey (2023), “Forensic Genetic Genealogy Project v. 2022”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/jcycgvhm96.1. All other content, including photos, have been added.