Detectives seek help in Arizona cold case murder of woman from 45 years ago
Aug 8, 2024, 4:25 AM
Marion Berry Ouma, 25, was found down an embankment on U.S. 93 near Hoover Dam with gunshot wounds to her head and abdomen on the morning of January 3, 1979. (Mohave County Sheriff's Office)
(Mohave County Sheriff's Office)
PHOENIX — Authorities are hoping the public can provide information that can lead to an Arizona cold case murder of a woman from 45 years ago being solved.
Marion Berry Ouma, 25, was found down an embankment on U.S. 93 near Hoover Dam with gunshot wounds to her head and abdomen on the morning of January 3, 1979, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
A day later, MCSO detectives spoke with a man on the phone who said he and his wife were driving on the highway about six hours before Ouma, an Ohio native, was found. They noticed a vehicle, described as a 1976-77 Chevrolet Blazer or Ford Bronco that was powder blue in color, backed up to the guardrail near the location of Ouma’s body.
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The caller said he reached out to police because the front license plate was covered by a rag, which seemed odd. There were also no people around the car and all the doors were closed, according to the caller.
Ouma’s identity wasn’t known at the time of the call and the identification process took multiple years.
Who is the 1979 Arizona cold case death victim?
Months of attempts to identify Ouma via fingerprinting were unsuccessful.
It wasn’t until February 1981 when MCSO detectives were notified by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that an Ohio private investigator had possibly identified the victim.
The investigator provided a picture of Ouma, which seemed a match to the victim. Dental comparisons confirmed the victim to be Ouma.
A month later, detectives found that Ouma had been living at an apartment in Las Vegas in November 1978 prior to her murder but had been kicked out a month later because she hadn’t paid rent.
Detectives are trying to piece together Ouma’s whereabouts between December 13, 1978 — the last time she was seen alive — and her January 1979 death.
Ouma was 5-foot-5, weighed 106 pounds and had hazel eyes and brown hair that she normally wore in a ponytail. She was wearing green sweatpants and a dark blue short-sleeved blouse at the time of her death.
Anyone with information should reach out to MCSO’s Special Investigations Unit at t 928-753-0753 ext. 4408 and reference case DR# 79-022.
