Flat-Tire murders

The Flat-Tire murders were a series of unsolved murders in Broward and Dade (now Miami-Dade) County, Florida, occurring between February 1975 and January 1976. The name originated from investigators' belief that offender deflated the tires of the victims' cars when committing two of the murders. The list of suspected victims ultimately included twelve girls and women whose bodies were discovered in or near South Florida canals.

Crimes

The suspected perpetrator was described as a white male, aged between 20 and 25, well-dressed, physically athletic and attractive, possibly married, likely very intelligent with an above-average IQ and a sexual sadist. Using his charm, he won the trust of potential victims whom he would lure to his car. A reward of $1,000 was announced for any information that would lead to his capture. Law enforcement postulated that the perpetrator possibly committed other murders across several states since the early-1970s, starting in California. In most cases, the victims, who physically resembled each other, were beaten and raped before death, with the killer stripping the bodies and throwing them in canals, streams, or leaving them near embankments. A total of thirty-five such murders were recorded.

Victims

19-year-old Judith Ann “Judy” Oesterling, from Indiana, went missing on February 1, 1975, from Dade County after returning home from her job at a massage parlor.