Kerry Ann Cummings (1972 - 1997, known as "Torso Girl" while unidentified), was a woman whose torso was discovered in Ryan Slough, north of Eureka, California. She was the first victim of serial killer Wayne Adam Ford and the only to be formerly unidentified. The first of her remains were found in Eureka, California on October 26, 1997.
She was identified with assistance from Othram Inc. in June 2023.
Case[]
Additional photo
The victim's torso was found by a duck hunter on a muddy bank of a tidal slough. Her left arm and hand was found on the ocean beach near McKinleyville, California and her breasts and thighs were found in a wooded area near Trinidad, California in 1998. All the recovered parts were confirmed via DNA as belonging to the same woman. Other body parts, such as her head, were not recovered.
After surrendering to authorities in November of 1998, Wayne Adam Ford confessed to her murder. He told police she was a hitchhiker he picked up. She told him she was from either Arizona, Colorado, or New Mexico and left because she was upset over either a child custody case or a relationship issue. Ford’s statements on this victim have not been verified. Between October 1997 and November 1998, Ford killed four female sex workers or hitchhikers and was sentenced to death for his crimes.
Background[]
Cummings last had contact with her family in 1997. At that time, she had been suffering from mental illness for around 2 years and told family she was couch surfing in the area of Eugene, Oregon.
Her family attempted to report her missing in Oregon and Arizona, but as she was an adult and had left of her own accord, police did not enter her into any missing persons databases.
Characteristics[]
- Small, dark-colored dot, possibly a well-healed pencil puncture from childhood, that is poorly defined on high upper right thigh
- Ring/chain of small flowers around an unspecified ankle according to Ford, but this cannot be confirmed.
- Gave birth to at least one child.
Clothing[]
No clothing was ever recovered. However, Ford remembered she wore the following:
- Blue-green pants with a wild pattern.
- Small tennis shoes.
Sources[]
- Kerry Cummings at the Doe Network
- Murderpedia
- Wayne Adam Ford on Wikipedia
- Lake County News
- DNASolves
- KRCR