William “Billy” Mansfield Jr. is the eldest son of a convicted child molester. By the 1970s, Mansfield was already sexually assaulting teenagers. He was in and out of prison.
Elaine Louise Ziegler and her family were at a KAO campground in Florida. After leaving her family to take a shower, she was not seen alive again.
On December 31, 1975, Mansfield brought Elaine Louise Ziegler home to the junky 6-acre Mansfield property. He killed her with a penetrating wound to the skull. He buried her nude body close to the home. Mansfield was later arrested and jailed for a sex crime, but not for her murder.
In 1979, Mansfield testified against a cell mate who had committed murder. Mansfield pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was got 1 year rather than a life term, for two charges of rape. He was paroled in February 1980, and began killing within 2 months.
After getting out of prison, Mansfield begins living with his parents at their 6 acre property in Weeki Wachee, Florida. He would keep some of his victims’ bodies near him on the land. He has already killed Ziegler and buried her here.
Sandra Jean Graham, 21, goes missing on April 26, 1980. Mansfield had strangled her with electrical wire. Her nude body was buried in the property.
On June 19, 1980, he was charged with battery and false imprisonment. The victim was a young woman who never knew how lucky she was to survive his attack. By early September, he left for California. On November 23, he is arrested in Santa Cruz and released on bond. Had he not been accidentally released, René Abbey Saling, and the others, would still be alive.
In the late night of December 6, 1980, René Abbey Saling was seen leaving a tavern with Mansfield. She was not seen alive again. On December 7, she was found strangled to death in a drainage ditch in Watsonville, California. A passing motorist saw her body from the roadway.
On December 10, 1980, Nevada police arrested Mansfield and his brother on suspicion of the California murder of Saling. His younger brother was charged as an accessory to murder. They were quickly extradited back to California. To protect their identities, the Mansfield brothers wear paper bags on their heads and are mocked in the media.
On December 22, both men plead not guilty to the charges. Before Mansfield goes on trial, the first body will be discovered on the family property.
On March 16, 1981, following a tip, police descend on the family homestead, a 6-acre junk yard. They were told the body of Graham was buried there. They find four skeletal remains over the next month.
On March 17, police make their first discovery. The unidentified remains of a woman were found buried on the property. She had heavy wire wrapped around her neck. Her skull was fractured. Police continue digging for days.
On March 22, police announce the body is Ziegler, curled in a fetal position with a blanket. She was buried in a shallow grave behind the family house.
On April 3, 1981, the police find the unidentified skeletal remains of a woman. Four days later, they find Graham’s body. Each woman was buried on the property, two very close to the killer’s house. Some were buried with the knowledge and help of family members: water pipes and electrical wiring were installed over top of one of the bodies.
Graham’s body is found on the family land on April 7, 1981. Her remains were identified the next day. She is the last victim found. The police had spent significant time dealing with “false alarms” such as buried dog and cow bones. They even found chicken bones buried under the hearth in the home.
Police try facial reconstruction to identify the unknown victims. They are never identified.
On July 21, 1981, California begins the trial for the murder of Saling. On August 10, the judge declared a mistrial. Only 9 of the jurors could agree on a guilty verdict, and it must be unanimous.
Prosecutors make a deal with Mansfield’s brother. In exchange for immunity, he agrees to testify at Mansfield’s second trial for the murder of Saling.
Mansfield escapes from prison on October 26. Dogs are used to hunt him down, and he is rearrested within 12 hours.
Florida indicted Mansfield on January 7, 1982. California begins its second trial on February 7, 1982. On February 23, he is convicted of first degree murder. On April 6, he is sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder of Saling. His brother never testified in court.
On May 7, Mansfield is returned to Florida. He did not go to trial, but instead pleaded guilty on August 4, 1982. He is sentenced to 4 concurrent life terms and 5 years, for 4 counts of murder and 1 count of attempted sexual battery and forcible confinement. It is concurrent to the California sentence. He is eligible for parole in 25 years. Three days after the sentence, Mansfield chooses not to attempt an escape with another serial killer.
As of February, 2020, “Billy” Mansfield remains in custody. He is housed in the California Health Care Facility, in Stockton. The unidentified woman are known only as Anna from Michigan and Joanne of Tampa.
UPDATE: In late October, 2020, police returned to the property to resume searching for bodies and other evidence.
Elaine Louise Ziegler is abducted and bludgeoned and her nude body is buried on the family property
Mansfield had been arrested and convicted for a sex crime. He is paroled after testifying against another inmate
Mansfield is charged with battery and false imprisonment and released
Mansfield is arrested in Santa Cruz and inadvertently released
Mansfield and his brother are arrested in Nevada on suspicion of murdering Saling
The remains of a another unidentified person, thought to be a 13-year-old girl, are found buried on the Mansfield property
Mansfield pled guilty to 4 counts of murder, and one count of attempted sexual battery and forcible confinement
[book-info number=”2″]
[book-info number=”1″]
[book-info number=”3″]
[book-info number=”4″]
https://youtu.be/gDlwBZ_xf-s
