Vernon Parker

Vernon Parker has been identified as the lead suspect in the January 15, 1981 rape and murder of 17-year-old Mary London in Sacramento, California.

London was developmentally disabled, and she disappeared on her way to her scheduled ride for school. Her body was found near I-5 the next day. She was nude and had been stabbed multiple times.

Parker himself was killed in 1982, about one year later. The case has been cleared by exception.

Sources:

Cremen, Alanea, Kristopher Hooks, and Chris Thomas. “Suspect in Decades-Old Sacramento Cold Case Identified as Man Killed One Year Later.” ABC 10 News, April 22, 2020, last modified April 23, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/suspect-in-decades-old-mary-london-cold-case-identified/103-f0916941-98d2-4d87-9b9a-b0a85b751189.

Luerpon, Alberto. “Suspect in 1981 Cold Case Met Ironic End the Year After Killing 17-Year-Old Girl: Cops.” Sacramento Bee, April 24, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article242230826.html.

McGough, Michael. “DNA Links Suspect to 1981 Cold Case Murder of Disabled Sacramento Teen.” Sacramento Bee. April 23, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article242230826.html.

Murdock, Jason. “DNA Breakthrough Identifies Suspect in Cold Case Murder of California Teen Unsolved for Nearly 40 Years.” Newsweek, April 24, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.newsweek.com/california-sacramento-police-cold-case-mary-london-dna-genetic-genealogy-testing-1499951.

Individual

First Name Vernon
Last Name Parker
Other Names
Victims 1 (Details)
IGG Started nd
Case Cleared 2020-04-22
IGG Org nd

Victims

Case ID Name Age Case Opened Location Investigating Org Most Serious Charge Disposition Court
1352 Mary London 17 1981-01-15 Sacramento, CA Sacramento PD Second degree murder Case was cleared by exception due to death of perpetrator n/a

Last updated: February 9, 2024

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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.