A shocking murder from 1966 in San Rafael, a wealthy town, has finally been resolved thanks to advancements in DNA testing.
Marjorie Rudolph, aged 60 at the time, was the victim. She was a descendant of a well-known dentist and landowner from 19th-century San Francisco. Tragically, she was killed in her home one evening while she was alone.
Now, decades later, two retired detectives have cracked the case, as reported by SF Gate.
The San Rafael Police Department acknowledged the efforts of the detectives, stating that unresolved cases leave families without closure.
Marjorie Rudolph’s murderer, 41-year-old Laurel James Switzer Jr., was identified through a cigarette found at the scene of the crime, which was left behind on the night of her murder.
Other cigarette butts discovered didn’t match the brand Rudolph smoked, and investigators believed these were crucial pieces of evidence.
Switzer Jr. had a background as a police officer and military veteran but died by suicide shortly after Rudolph’s murder.
On February 1, 1966, Rudolph was home alone; her husband was in the hospital recuperating from surgery. The last known interaction she had was a phone call at 5:30 p.m., where she turned down a neighbor’s dinner invitation, mentioning she was already in her robe for the evening.
With no signs of forced entry, detectives concluded she likely let in someone she knew between the time of the call and 8 p.m. The following day, a neighbor discovered her body in a disordered room, with overturned furniture and blood spatter indicating the violence of the attack.
She had sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull and multiple broken ribs. The county coroner described the extent of her injuries, noting it appeared she had been savagely beaten.
After the attack, her body was placed in a bathtub filled with water. Interestingly, her watch had stopped at 7:55 p.m., providing a timeline of when the assault occurred.
Although the attacker ransacked drawers, no valuables were taken, and there was no evidence to suggest sexual assault.
It turns out, the families of both the victim and the perpetrator were acquainted with one another.
