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Cold Case Reunion

Written by KEY News Staff

Story Created: Jan 25, 2012 at 7:44 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 25, 2012 at 9:25 PM PDT

Goleta - It's a reunion four decades in the making, but as of yet, there is no happy ending. Two people, bonded by a brutal murder, reunited on Wednesday for the very first time.

Two people who wish only to be identified as Tom and Shelly met each other Wednesday morning in Goleta. It is the first time since July 4th, 1970, the night two of Tom's friends were brutally murder and Tom himself was left for dead.

Shelly and her friend, along with Tom and the two victims all met while hitchhiking from the Bay Area to UCSB. The girls were dropped off first and then the guys were dropped off and threw out their sleeping bags on the beach at Campus Point.

On the morning of July 5th, police found three men on the beach who they believed were all dead. 20- year-old Larry Hess of Indiana,17- year-old Thomas Dolan of Manhattan Beach and 'Tom', who miraculously survived.

They were attacked by three men wielding an axe and a knife. One of the suspects is believed to be the driver who picked up all of the hitchhikers. He is described only as an Asian man driving a VW van.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the case went cold.

Recently, UCSB police asked the Sintra Investigation Group of Ventura County to help out. Investigators believe with a new set of eyes and modern technology they can crack this case. Also, there is one witness they hope to find.

"There's a witness named Cindy that lived in Goleta back then and reported seeing these people and then disappeared. If she's out there, we could sure use her help," said Chuck Hookstra of the Sintra Investigation Group.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sintra Group at www.sintragroup.com or by calling (805) 658-5656

KEY News Reporter Scott Hurst has the story.
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