LOS ANGELES—On Friday, November 15, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Jackie Lacey, filed the first investigative Genetic Genealogy Case against Horace Van Vaultz, Jr. 64, who is being charged with the murder of two women. Vaultz was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders involving rape, sodomy and stalking his victims.
He is accused of murdering Mary Duggan, 22, on June 9, 1986. Duggan died from asphyxia, tissue was stuffed down her windpipe and her body was found in the trunk of her car, tied up. Authorities indicated she was sexually assaulted in an empty parking lot in Burbank, California.
Vaultz was charged with murdering Selena Keough, 20, who was killed on June 16, 1981. Her body was discovered on Montclair Street in San Bernardino County under some bushes. Authorities indicated she was strangled, tied up and had been sexually assaulted.
The defendant faces life in prison without the possibility of parole and could face the death penalty if convicted as charged. Vaultz could be charged with capital punishment, but a decision will be determined at a later date.
He is expected to be arraigned in Department 30 on Monday, November 18 in the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
“With dedicated resources and rapidly advancing technology, we can unmask the cowardly murderers who have remained hidden in our community and bring justice to the grief-stricken families who have waited too long for answers,” said District Attorney.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman of the Major Crimes Division’s Cold Case Unit is prosecuting the case. The cold case unit consists of two experienced deputy district attorneys dedicated to assisting law enforcement agencies, aimed in closing cold case murders, providing tactical and legal advice, filing and prosecuting cases.
The defendant’s Case BA482647 remains under investigation by the Burbank and Montclair Police Departments. The FBI’s Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team is assisting in the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding either case or the defendant is asked to contact the Burbank Police Department via a designated tip line at (818) 238-3086.
