Teen found dead by off-roaders 49 years ago is likely victim of serial killer, CA cops say
A 17-year-old boy who was found dead by off-roaders in California 49 years ago is likely an early victim of a notorious serial killer known as the “Scorecard Killer,” deputies said.
DNA testing recently helped identify the teen decades later as Michael Ray Schlicht of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a Nov. 28 news release.
Off-roaders found Schlicht’s unidentified body Sept. 14, 1974, along a trail in Aliso Viejo, deputies said. His body had been in the area for about three to five days.
At the time, investigators believed the he died from accidental alcohol and diazepam intoxication — a medication that treats anxiety and helps with alcohol withdrawal. Drinking alcohol with the drug increases the risks of life-threatening side effects, according to MedlinePlus.
Investigators asked the public for any help identifying the teen’s body and logged his fingerprints with the Criminal Identification and Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Identification.
But nothing turned up that pointed to his identify.
Then in 1980, authorities began investigating homicides that happened in 1978 as a result of alcohol and diazepam intoxication in Orange County and other parts of Southern California, deputies said.
More men were found dead over the years in these areas, deputies said, with some bodies being found miles from where Schlicht was found dead.
Teen’s death linked to serial killer
In 1983, Randy Steven Kraft was arrested during a traffic stop. The highway patrol officers found Terry Lee Gambrel dead in the passenger seat with empty beer bottles and a Lorazepam prescription bottle at his feet, according to the release.
Lorazepam is prescribed to “relieve anxiety,” according to MedlinePlus.
A coded list of about 67 victims was also found in Kraft’s vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. He was later convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to death in 1989, deputies said.
“(Schlicht) has long been thought to be an early victim of Randy Kraft,” authorities said in the release.
Kraft was called the “Scorecard Killer.” He is still alive serving his sentence at the San Quentin State Prison.
Gov. Gavin Newsom put a moratorium on the death penalty in the state in 2019, The Sacramento Bee reported. California’s last execution occurred in 2006.
Forensic genetic genealogy used to identify teen
Although Kraft was put behind bars, Schlicht’s body was left unidentified for decades.
Then in November 2022, investigators submitted the teen’s tissue samples to Othram, a lab in The Woodlands, Texas, that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy.
A DNA profile was created and received by the sheriff’s department in February. This profile was added to a “law enforcement-approved genealogy database” where investigators began working on a family tree, deputies said.
Potential grandparents were identified by investigators in October. They then went to Kansas City, Missouri, and took a DNA sample from someone they thought was Schlicht’s mother.
The sample confirmed the teen’s body belonged to Schlicht, deputies said.
Anyone with information about this homicide case can contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227 or crimestoppers.org.
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