On a slow Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 1988, I got a tip from the police watch commander that if I was interested in “bodies,” I ought to take a short drive to 14th and F streets in downtown Sacramento, just a couple of blocks from our newspaper office. So off I went, and I got there just as they found the leg of the first victim. I’ll never forget the police homicide officer on the scene pointing to the slab of concrete covering the yard of the old Victorian and saying they would start digging the next day. And dig they did, eventually uncovering a total of seven bodies (another victim found along the Sacramento River in 1986 was credited to Puente), beginning the most compelling story I would ever cover. While there were dozens of stories written by Sacramento Union staff writers, these are my stories written as the regular daytime police reporter that unfolded over the historic saga. When this hit, the Union had just gone to a tabloid format, with a graphic front page. Since this story fit that format perfectly, newsstand sales soared as a result.
1426 F Street in March 2014. Notice the creepy mannequin of Dorothea under the stairs. At least the current owners have a sense of humor about it all.
The F Street Boardinghouse Murders
Dorothea Puente Murders/November 1988
The First Body/Sac Union/November 12, 1988
The Toll Reaches 7/Sac Union/November 15, 1988
Yard of Death/Sac Union/November 15, 1988
No Bodies Found/Sac Union/November 16, 1988
Chief Responds/Sac Union/November 17, 1988
Looking for Clues/Sac Union/November 18, 1988
4 Autopsies Done/Sac Union/November 19, 1988
How the Horror Unfolded/Sac Union/November 20, 1988
First Body Identified/Sac Union/November 22, 1988
Body was Mutilated/Sac Union/November 23, 1988
No Evidence Found/Sac Union/November 30, 1988
The Missing Boarder/Sac Union/November 24, 1988
Homicide Chief Transferred/Sac Union/December 30, 1988
No Clues Found/Sac Union/December 1, 1988
Fifth Body ID'd/Sac Union/December 13, 1988
Report Criticized/Sac Union/January 14, 1989