The Independent Our prayers are with the family at this time. CBS 8 San Diego - Cindy Borgeson was 18 when her sister Linda We want as many sets of eyes on that sketch as possible so somebody can recognize the face of a killer so we can get justice, she said. Lindas parents have passed away, but her two living sisters have been notified of the arrest. She loved animals, playing the piano, and painting. Newport Beach Stieglitz was a philanderer; but her own sister? In the tweets, Linda recounts the events leading up to her disappearance and includes details about her life and her personality: that she is not the best student but loves science class, art, playing the piano and her cats. Doubt, if there was any, was scant: He flirted incessantly, and she returned his attentions. I will always remember great times we had, sharing stories, walking the streets, first boyfriends, etc. It's a terrible loss for her family and all her friends! In one, the sisters dine merrily at an outside table, smiles all around. The 11-year-old was described as a gentle, lovely soul. Linda O'Keefe murder: Inside the investigation - CBS News She had been strangled. Georgia, every inch of her famous. The eldest sister was affronted and furious. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Linda O'Keefe That became the turning point in the case in 2019. Linda Ann OKeefe, who loved piano, painting and crafts, was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Linda All our love to Dr. O'Keefe, Kathleen, Kelly, and Joe and their families from Dr. McCloskey and family. Manzella decided to tweet in real-time because "we thought people would be able to connect with Linda in a different way from spending time with her.". Im Linda OKeefe (or Linda ANN OKeefe, if Im in trouble with my mom). She fought with everything she had, right up until the very end. Linda Ann OKeefe was the middle child in a family of five. "The pursuit of justice is never-ending, and in this case the hunt for a child rapist and murderer lasted more than 46 years and transcended generations of law enforcement officers,'' Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. Linda was a faithful member of Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, where she served as a deacon. We are hoping that someone recognizes that face. Its small just a couple of dozen works but not insubstantial. Linda O'Keefe Ida, drowned in her wake. ' So Linda did, but she never made it back home. Linda O'Keefe Cold Case: Family Speaks After Arrest in 45 Our thoughts and prayers are with you. La pelcula narra la historia de Linda O'Keefe, una nia de 11 aos que fue secuestrada y asesinada. Im going to call my mom and see if shell pick me up, so I dont have to walk home. #LindasStory pic.twitter.com/xAouON1DrC, Manzella told NBC Los Angeles that police have continued to hear from Lindas former school friends. He made a photograph of a black crows feather pricked into an apple and showed it to her, slyly: Old Crow was the nickname he had given himself, Little Apple the one he had given her. Closure and relief for Lindas sister, who says she forgave Neal before she even knew his name. Ida chose to paint in the 1920s, following an older sister whose fame was already firmly in place. They havent forgotten about her, and we havent either, she said. The following day, a local architect and his son found Lindas remains in a ditch in Back Bay in Newport Beach, California. According to police, Linda normally rode her bike to school. May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. Yes, if youre wondering, its that OKeeffe: double f, she of the naughty-seeming flower paintings, of the impeccable high-desert Ghost Ranch, of the phone-book-thick media profiles and features in Architectural Digest, and of the near-constant-seeming blockbuster museum exhibitions, the most recent of which, last year, featured her fashion and dcor choices. What's Behind Shortages of Adderall, Ozempic and Other Meds? Sister speaks about arrest made in murder case - KGUN "Both from people who knew Linda, her classmates, her friends to people who had never been familiar with her story before.". "It's difficult with a cold case for people to relate to the victim on a personal level," she noted. Usually, I ride my bike to school. Those photos from Lake George presage a darkening family tale. You lived next door to me and Linda was a few blocks away. The next day, a man visiting that same area with his son found Linda's strangled body, police said. No arrests have been made in the July 1973 killing of Linda Ann OKeefe. "We started out at 8 a.m. going to school through to the next morning when her body is found. Sharpest among them, with her frustration reaching its apex in the 1930s, was that she might be famous, too, if she had a Stieglitz by her side. and the late Eileen F. O'Keefe; sister of Kathleen O'Keefe, Kelly (Kent) Voorhees and Joseph D. (Connie) O'Keefe, Jr.; aunt of Charlie Crouse, Mac O'Keefe and Concie O'Keefe; niece of the late Florence and John Hennelly, the late Bernice and Bill Dempsey, the late McCann and Shirley O'Keefe and Charlotte and the late Robert Matthews; cousin of Donald (Marlene) Dempsey, William (Joyce) Hennelly, Karen (Robert) Long, Charlotte (Andy) Lyons, the late Taylor Matthews and Louise Paniello, Charles (Marketa) Matthews, Tim (Vanessa) O'Keefe and the late Michael O'Keefe; and steadfast friends Virginia Binzel, the Reverend Blythe Kieffer, Carol Prough, Kulani Makakoa, Marie Wolf and Steve Wolf. Cindy Borgeson Now: Where is Linda OKeefe Sister O'Keefe vanished in 1973 while she was walking home from school in Newport Beach. She was last seen near a turquoise van speaking to a white man in his mid-20s or early 30s, according to witnesses. Her strangled body was found the following day in a grassy ditch in the Back Bay area. We talked about getting together but sadly never managed that. After James arrest, Cindy also talked about forgiveness and faith and said, I couldnt carry that burden in my heart of hating an individual even though he committed this horrible crime. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Cindy, who, after all those years, didnt think the culprit would be found, was surprised when she heard the news of his arrest. Her sister was an adult and worked in a dry-cleaning shop while living at their parents' home. One, a departure, is deep crimson and black, sharp-angled and seething. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. Linda disappeared on July 6, 1973. Ida Ten Eyck OKeeffe/The Clark Art Institute/The Clark Art Institute. Linda was my best friend when we were 5 or 6 years old. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. Linda was a registered nurse and moved home to Webster Groves from Aspen, Colorado to care for her mother. Neal moved to Southern California with his family from Chicago, Spitzer said, and was a construction worker at the time of the crime. It speaks of a certain kind of confidence to step outside, to try something new. Please consider a donation as requested by the family. Responses to the police departments tweets have largely been positive. OKeeffe sisters: Georgia (1887-1986), Ida Ten Eck (1889-1961), Anita Natalia (1891-1984), Catherine Blanche (1895-1987), and Claudia Ruth (1899-1984). #LindasStory: Evidence From 1973 Cold Case of 11-Year-Old's The Corona del Mar girl disappeared while walking home from summer school on July 6, 1973, and her body was recovered the following morning in a ditch in the Back Bay area. Linda Ann OKeefe, who loved piano, painting and crafts, was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. CBS 48 Hours: Lindas Story chronicles Lindas murder investigation and the decades-long effort it took to catch her killer. A new documentary reveals how giving a voice on social media to long-dead Linda OKeefe helped secure crucial evidence in the unsolved killing Independent Staff Friday 15 October 2021 18:14 Bernie and I were sad to hear of Linda's passing. At around 1:15 pm on July 6, witnesses reported seeing Linda talking to a white man in a turquoise-colored van at an intersection. Linda Ann O'Keefe Cold Case Video2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the abduction of Linda Ann OKeefe, an 11-year-old girl who lived in Corona del Mar. Patricia McCloskey Richards (Patsy). Cindy said that her mother carried that guilt all her life. Linda Ann O'Keefe was just a child when she was abducted and killed on July 6, 1973 on her way home from summer school. Newport Beach police released this undated image of Linda O'Keefe in an effort to get assistance from the public to help solve her murder in Southern California in July 1973. Manzella said police in Canada posted a similar Twitter stream for a case several years ago and it stuck with her. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. That this all took place in front of Georgia might help explain why the relationship deteriorated not long after. So, in February 2019, James was arrested at his home and later extradited to California. Linda OKeefe WebMan charged with the 1973 murder of Linda OKeefe dies while awaiting trial Update James Alan Neal, who was arrested for the murder of Linda OKeefe after Parabon Nanolabs identified him using genetic genealogy last year, has died. In 1974, Claudia, the fourth OKeeffe sister, organized a posthumous survey of Idas work in Santa Fe, not far from Georgias home. Juli Warren. Cindy was about 18-years-old when Linda vanished as an 11-year-old after school. Part of HuffPost Crime. Linda disappeared after walking home from summer school on July 6, 1973. The police department also "live-tweeted" Lindas story from her perspective on Friday and Saturday, narrating the final day of her life in real-time, exactly 45 years later. WebCindy Borgeson was 18 when her sister 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe vanished on her way home from school in Newport Beach, California, on July 6, 1973. Hours: Lindas Story chronicles the tragic turn of events in her life and how the investigators refused to give up on finding her killer even four decades later. She looked great at the reunion and we caught up there. Through the tireless efforts of generations of our investigators, we hope we have been able to bring a measure of closure to Linda's family, friends, and loved ones.''. I know she's in God's hands now, no longer suffering, and we are now filled with the memories of her as she touched our lives. He was also facing charges of sexually assaulting two children in Riverside County. From there, the rift grew. The posts were a way to humanize the case and help create an emotional attachment for anyone who had never heard about it before, police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella told the Los Angeles Times. Man In Colorado Springs Arrested In 45-Year-Old California Cold Bless you Linda - you were one of my best friends ~ rest in peace dear friend. Neal was pronounced dead at about 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, she added. Grasso, Linda M. Equal under the Sky: Georgia OKeeffe and Twentieth-Century Feminism, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2017. There was semen collected from Lindas body that was preserved, but at the time, the technology to test for DNA was quite a few years away. The U.S. has brought the sister of an American imprisoned in Russia to the U.N. Security Council for a session being chaired by the Russian foreign minister, urging him to look into her eyes and see her suffering. U.S. She was kidnapped, killed, and dumped in a ditch, leaving the girls family distraught. Newport Beach police last July mounted a Twitter campaign, releasing information about the killing to try to spur new leads in the case, which had stymied investigators for more than four decades. James Alan Neal, who was 73, was taken to an area hospital on May 25 due to an undisclosed illness, said Jaimee Blashaw of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 1973 Newport Beach child murder dies in custody Wasted, you could ask, but by whom? Neal, who was arrested in March 2019, was living in Colorado at the time. Even so, more than a little sympathy is in order. Our thoughts and prayers are with the O'Keefe family. }Customer Service, Ida Ten Eyck OKeeffe/The Clark Art Institute/The Clar, Ida and Georgia O'Keeffe (1924), by Alfred Stieglitz. sister You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Linda then called her mother from the school office, and her mother told her she was busy sewing and should walk home, police said. Linda OKeefe was a Girl Scout who loved the outdoors. She had a wonderful smile and great sense of humor ~ and that will be missed by all of us. That was Feb. 1. Linda loved her family and friends, travel, fly fishing (catch and release), birdwatching and music. Stieglitz was a titan of American Modernism whose New York gallery gave Georgia a solo exhibition almost every year; the implication that Georgia had not succeeded on her own merits stung more than any other. So, lets find out what happened then, shall we. The morning of the day she vanishes, Linda recounts: I walk out my front door and have no idea that it will be my last time. The tweets include information on her summer school, everything known about what she did that day, what she was wearing and where she was found. Today, Im going to tell you my story. #LindasStory pic.twitter.com/G25n2IppZb Newport Beach Police (@NewportBeachPD) The sister of 11-year-old Linda Cindy talked about how their father would chase down every van that matched the description in hopes of catching Lindas killer. I was murdered and my body was found in the Back Bay. Post-Prom Fight in Palmdale Ends in Gunfire, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day', How SNL Star Ego Nwodim Brought Lisa From Temecula' to Life, Hollywood Braces for Possible Writers Strike as Talks Continue, Women Found Dead Near Railroad in Carson Identified. "It was not if, but when we would find the killer of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, and when that day finally came in 2019 as a result of advances in investigative genetic genealogy, we thought we were one step closer to justice for Linda and her family. Anyone with information on Linda's killing is urged to contact the police department's Cold Case Tip Line at 949-644-3669. Theyre jubilant meticulously ordered, with hard shafts of light streaming from the windows or curling into water and mist in jazzy blues, yellows, and grays. sister He would have been in his mid-20s when the crime occurred and resided in Orange County, California. But close by, showing Idas little painting Black Lilies, from 1945, feels almost cruel, given how much of big sisters fame is built on the big, bold pictures of flowers of every kind. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. I was murdered and my body was found in the Back Bay. A friend of hers later told police that a turquoise van stopped next to Linda a few times as she walked. They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. The tweets were also posted now because DNA apparently found at the murder scene has allowed authorities to create an image of what the killer may have looked like, both at the time of Lindas death and today.