True Crime Chronicles: Montgomery County native was responsible for multiple child killings from 1953-1970

Mack Ray Edwards, born October 17, 1918, in Montgomery County, was a serial killer and child molester convicted of murdering three children and confessed to killing three others in Los Angeles County, California, between 1953 and 1970.

His crimes, committed far from his rural birthplace, left a lasting impact. This feature compiles verified details about his early life, family, census records, criminal acts, and ongoing investigations into additional victims.

Mack Ray Edwards was born in a rural area in the Ouachita Mountains. Limited records obscure details about his childhood and family. Searches of the 19201930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Census records for Montgomery County and nearby counties (Pike, Clarkfound no entries for Mack Ray Edwards or a household matching his name and age (1–2 in 1920, 11–12 in 1930, 21–22 in 1940).

This absence may result from incomplete rural records, family mobility, or unenumerated

areas. Without parental names, identifying his family is challenging. Edwards likely grew up in a modest, agricultural household typical of the region.

In 1941, at age 23, Edwards moved to Los Angeles County, California. In 1942, he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, training as a combat engineer and learning heavy equipment operation.

He married Mary Howell on August 11, 1946, in Pike County, Arkansas, and returned to California, where they adopted two children. Between 1950 and 1957, Edwards lived in Pico Rivera, El Monte, and Azusa, joining the International Union of Operating Engineers.

In the 1960s, he settled on Ralston Avenue in Sylmar with his wife and children.

Edwards worked as a heavy equipment operator for contractors like Caltrans and Kirst Construction, building California freeways in the 1950s and 1960s. Known as a trusted neighbor, he owned horses for local children to ride and took them camping.

Between 1953 and 1969, motivated by a desire for sex, he molested and murdered at least six children:

-June 20, 1953: Stella Darlene Nolan, 8, abducted from a Norwalk flea market, molested, strangled, and stabbed in Angeles National Forest. Edwards found her alive the next day, 100 yards from where he left her, and stabbed her to death. In 1970, he led police to her remains under a Santa Ana Freeway embankment in Downey.

-August 6, 1956: Donald Lee Baker, 13, and Brenda Jo Howell, 11, Edwards’ sister-in-law, disappeared in Azusa. Edwards confessed to paying Baker $7 to lure Howell for a bike ride, then slitting their throats in a secluded area. Their bodies were never found, though Baker’s jacket and Howell’s bicycle were located near Morris Dam.

-November 26, 1968: Gary Rochet, 16, shot in his Granada Hills home after Edwards broke in to abduct his 13-year-old sister, who was not present.

Roger Madison

-December 16, 1968: Roger Dale Madison, 15, a friend of Edwards’ son, lured to a Sylmar orange grove, tied up, stabbed, and buried under Route 23 in Thousand Oaks, where Edwards worked. A 2008 search with cadaver dogs detected human remains but found nothing.

-May 16, 1969: Donald Allen Todd, 13, abducted in Pacoima after a school suspension, molested, and shot with a .22 caliber handgun. His body was found by two children under a bridge 1.5 miles from his home.

On March 6, 1970, Edwards and a 15-year-old accomplice kidnapped three sisters—Valerie (12), Cindy (13), and Jan Cohen (14)--from their Sylmar home on Roxford Avenue, former neighbors. After forcing them to write a note claiming they ran away, Edwards took them to Bouquet Canyon in Angeles National Forest.

Two sisters escaped, and Edwards released the third. Knowing they could identify him, he surrendered at the LAPD Foothill Division, handing over a loaded handgun and confessing to six murders. He told Sergeant George Rock his “guilt complex” prevented him from eating or sleeping, fearing he might wreck his $200,000 grader or harm someone.

He said of the Cohen sisters, “I’m glad they got away because it would have been nine [murders] instead of six.”

On March 17, 1970, Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of kidnapping and three counts of murder in Van Nuys Superior Court, insisting, “I am guilty!” despite his lawyer’s attempt to enter an innocent plea.

After two suicide attempts--slashing his stomach on March 30 and overdosing on tranquilizers on May 7--his trial began May 17, 1971.

Deputy District Attorney David Kenner sought the death penalty, and Edwards agreed, requesting execution: “I want the chair. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

On June 5, 1971, he was sentenced to death by gas chamber and transferred to San Quentin State Prison on June 11, housed near Charles Manson. On October 30, 1971, Edwards died by suicide, hanging himself with a television cord at age 53.

Edwards’ 12-year gap between 1956 and 1968 raised suspicions of additional victims. He told a jail guard and inmate he killed 18–22 children but later told the Los Angeles Times and court, “Six is all there is.”

He claimed authorities’ negative comments in court led him to withhold further confessions. He is a suspect in these cases:

Thomas Eldon Bowman

-Thomas Eldon Bowman, 8, disappeared March 23, 1957, in Altadena’s Arroyo Seco Canyon while hiking. A 2006 letter to his wife, uncovered by researcher G. Weston DeWalt, admitted omitting Bowman from his confession. Edwards’ employer, Kirst Construction, had an equipment yard less than half a mile away. Bowman’s body was never found.

-Bruce Howard Kremen, 6, disappeared July 12, 1960, from a YMCA camp in Angeles National Forest, 300 yards from the campsite. The rugged area matched locations Edwards used.

-Karen Lynn Tompkins, 11, disappeared August 18, 1961, in Torrance after a crafts class at Halldale Avenue Elementary School. She was last seen walking home with two toy wagons. Her case may connect to others due to victim age and location.

-Ramona Irene Price, 7, disappeared September 2, 1961, in Santa Barbara during a family move. A witness saw a girl matching her description enter a 1953–1954 Plymouth, which Edwards drove. Her scent was tracked to a 101 Freeway overpass under construction where Edwards worked. A 2011 search found no remains.

-Dorothy Gale Brown, 11, disappeared July 2, 1962, in Torrance while biking to a car wash. Her body was found July 3 off Corona del Mar, molested and drowned. Her dress and hairband were found in beer cans on Tin Can Beach. Her case may link to Tompkins’ due to victim similarities and proximity. It remains unsolved.

The LAPD continues investigating Edwards’ potential links to cold cases. Searches in 2008 for Madison’s remains and 2011 for Price’s were unsuccessful. DeWalt’s research, including Edwards’ letter about Bowman, keeps these cases active, seeking closure for families.

Contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 213-485-5381 or your local FBI office with information.