Arizona cold case involving Yellow Pages heiress from 1979 still not solved
MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona sheriff's office says the granddaughter and heiress of the Yellow Pages founder was found dead in 1979 and her death still hasn't been solved.
On Aug. 6, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office sent out a news release about the mysterious death of 25-year-old Marion Berry Ouma, asking for help solving the case.
January 1979
Ouma was an Ohio native who was found dead in an embankment near the Hoover Dam on Jan. 3, 1979. She died from a gunshot wound to the head and stomach by a suspect with a .38
caliber firearm, an autopsy determined.
Detectives spoke with the person who called to report a dead body. That person said he and his wife were driving along Highway 93 around 3 a.m. when they saw an SUV backed up to the guardrail near where Ouma was found.
"The witness described the vehicle as a 1976-1977 Chevrolet Blazer or Ford Bronco, powder blue in color, with a removable hard top. He told detectives that the front license plate was covered with a rag, which he thought was odd," the sheriff's office said. " The vehicle had front-end chrome push bars, all-terrain tires, and a tall CB antenna on the right rear."
All the SUV's doors were closed, and the witnesses didn't see anyone near the car.
At that point, Ouma hadn't been identified despite detectives looking for fingerprint matches.
Marion Berry Ouma (Photo from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office)
The victim was a Yellow Pages heiress
As investigators worked to identify Ouma, back in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio, journalists were covering the death of Loren Berry on Feb. 10, 1980.
He was the founder of the Yellow Pages telephone books and his estate was estimated at $500 million.
"Berry had left 40 million dollars to his granddaughter, who had been unidentified at the time of his death," the sheriff's office said.
That granddaughter was later identified as Ouma a year later.
Private investigator makes a break in the case
On Feb. 4, 1981, the Mohave County Sheriff's detectives were contacted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, saying a private investigator had possibly identified the victim.
"Detectives met with the investigator, who provided a picture of from Dayton, Ohio. They observed that she bore a striking resemblance to the victim. She had been married in Africa and had lived there for a few years where she was a physical education teacher," the sheriff's office said.
The stepfather and mother of Ouma, Robert and Elizabeth Gray, were contacted by detectives. When they saw the photo, they knew it was her.
"The identification was later confirmed through comparison of fingerprints lifted from objects at the mother’s residence and those of Jane Doe. Also, two dentists matched dental charts obtained from Ouma’s family and those from the victim," the sheriff's office said.
A little over a month later, detectives spoke with a Las Vegas bank employee who had helped Ouma a few months before her death. She had taken out money from her savings account.
While in Las Vegas, detectives also found out where Ouma had lived.
"An interview revealed that the victim had arrived in a cab on November 4, 1978, and rented an apartment. She was asked to vacate the property a month later for nonpayment of rent," the sheriff's office said.
There's no word on where Ouma was living leading up to her death.
This is where the details in the case stop.
How to help
Now, in 2024, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office is still working the cold case and needs help solving it.
It's looking for any information on Ouma's whereabouts between the time she was seen leaving the Las Vegas bank on Dec. 13, 1978, and when her body was found on Jan. 3, 1979.
"Ouma is described as a white female, 25 years old, approximately 5’5" and 106 lbs, with hazel eyes and brown hair that she often wore in a ponytail. At the time of her death, she was wearing green sweatpants and a dark blue short-sleeve blouse," detectives said.
As for the SUV that was seen backed up to the embankment where her body was found, detectives also need help with more information regarding it. It's believed to be a 1976-1977 powder blue Chevrolet Blazer or Ford Bronco.
"Despite the lapse of time, it is hoped that someone may still have valuable information that may lead to the identification of possible suspects," the sheriff's office said.
Information can be submitted to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408, reference DR# 79-022.