Dorothea Puente is known as one of Sacramento’s most infamous murderers.
She was so harmless-looking
that authorities often let her slip through their fingers, even after they found seven bodies buried
in her backyard in 1988... Continue reading here ▶
Puente, a grandmother who ran a boarding house, was convicted of three murders in the 1980s, though
she was suspected of committing nine in total. She died in prison in 2011.
Despite her friendly
appearance — she handed out homemade tamales, took care of her garden, and was known as the
“white-haired landlady” — she was hiding a dark secret.
A Safe Haven Turned Deadly
Throughout the 1980s, Puente opened her home to people struggling with mental health or substance
abuse issues. Social workers often referred people to her, and she built a positive reputation in
the community.
But, as it turned out, Puente was using her boarding house to hide her crimes.
She murdered several tenants and continued to collect their social security checks. To cover her
tracks, she even wrote letters to her victims’ families, pretending everything was fine for months
after their deaths.
How Puente Was Caught
In February 1988, Puente took in a man named Alvaro “Bert” Montoya, who had been recommended by a
social worker. When Montoya stopped showing up to his meetings, the social worker, Judy Moise,
grew suspicious.
Puente gave inconsistent answers about Montoya’s whereabouts, which led Moise
to call the police. Investigators eventually dug up Montoya’s body, along with the remains of
six other people, from Puente’s backyard.
At first, police didn’t arrest Puente, but after she fled to Los Angeles, they began to suspect her.
A four-day manhunt followed, reaching as far as Mexico.
Puente was eventually recognized by an elderly
man in a Los Angeles bar, leading to her capture. In 1993, she was found guilty of three murders after
a 24-day trial.
Puente’s Legacy
Puente died in prison in 2011. Before her death, she agreed to several interviews, where she
maintained her innocence. She described herself as routine-oriented and claimed to be deeply
religious.
When asked what she missed most about the outside world, she said,
“Going to church every day. Cooking what I want. Working in my yard.”
Puente’s old boarding house is now owned by Barbara Holmes and Tom Williams, who bought the
property in 2010. The house has become a grim tourist spot, with a mannequin dressed like Puente
on the porch and framed photos of her history on the walls. Williams described her as
“an awful, horrible person” and said that people visit the house every day to see where some of
Sacramento’s most notorious crimes happened.
