Michael Ray Schlicht, Iowa Teen Believed to be Early Victim of California Serial Killer, Identified After 49 Years

An Iowa teenager, who is believed to be one of the earliest victims of a notorious California serial killer, has been identified after 49 years. The teen, previously known as “John Doe,” has been identified as Michael Ray Schlicht from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California announced the identification, stating that Schlicht was thought to be an early victim of Randy Kraft, also known as the “Scorecard Killer.”

Kraft, who is currently in prison at San Quentin State Prison, was convicted of murdering 16 men in Orange County during a decade-long killing spree that ended with his arrest in 1983. In addition to these murders, authorities suspect Kraft of killing others in California, Oregon, and Michigan.

Schlicht’s body was discovered on September 14, 1974, in Laguna Beach, California. Initially ruled as an accidental death due to alcohol and diazepam intoxication, investigators later reclassified the case as a homicide after noticing similar deaths in the area. Some of these deaths occurred near where Schlicht’s remains were found.

Kraft’s reign of terror came to an end when he was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol trooper for erratic driving. In the passenger seat of his vehicle was a strangled U.S. Marine. Kraft, a former computer programmer, was described by prosecutors as a fetishist who kept body parts of his victims in his freezer. Despite his conviction, Kraft maintained his innocence, claiming he had not murdered anyone.

The investigation into Schlicht’s identity gained momentum in November 2022 when the sheriff’s department submitted tissue samples for DNA profiling. Using a genealogy database, investigators were able to trace the victim’s family tree, leading them to a woman in Kansas City, Missouri, believed to be Schlicht’s mother.

The identification of Michael Ray Schlicht brings closure to a decades-old case and sheds light on the early victims of Randy Kraft’s killing spree. It serves as a reminder of the importance of continued efforts to solve cold cases and bring justice to the victims and their families.