Dorothea Gray Puente grew up in an orphanage after her abusive, suicidal, alcoholic father abandoned the family and her abusive alcoholic mother died in a motorcycle accident. While at the orphanage, Dorothea claimed abuse of herself and her siblings — numbering either 6 or 17. The actual amount is unclear because Dorothea was a pathological liar.

Dorothea married several times and assumed a variety of aliases and personas. She used the name “Sharon Johansson” and operated a bookkeeping service which was actually a front for a brothel. She invited men to her home while her second husband traveled and fleeced them for gambling money. She was also arrested for forgery.

In the 60s, Dorothea adopted the surname “Puente” of her third estranged husband and set up a legitimate sanctuary for young women fleeing abuse in their own lives. Later, she operated a boarding house in Sacramento, catering to abused women and offering aid the the homeless. However, in 1978, she was accused and convicted of cashing 34 federal benefits checks belonging to her tenants. She was given a five-year prison sentence and ordered to pay restitution.

Between 1982 and 1988, Dorothea murdered nine of her tenants and stole their benefits checks, credit cards, and Social Security checks. Many of the victims had been drugged and later dismembered and buried on Dorothea’s property.

In November 1988, a former resident contacted police regarding another resident who hadn’t been seen for a period of time. During a police search of her property, Dorothea fled, only to be arrested in Los Angeles six days later. After some delays, trial began in 1993. Jurors heard the testimony of 156 witnesses and saw over 3000 separate pieces of evidence. The trial lasted months and the jury deliberated for over a week only to report to the judge they were deadlocked. They reexamined the transcripts and the evidence and deliberated for another 35 days, remaining deadlocked on six murder charges. They finally convicted Dorothea of three counts of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Dorothea died in prison in March 2011 at the age of 82.

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Jean Willes appeared in several Three Stooges shorts, as she became a favorite of director Edward Bernds. She later landed roles opposite Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth, Bing Crosby and Paulette Goddard. She played a nurse in the original sci-fi classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In the 50s and 60s, she made a smooth transition to the budding medium of television, taking guest roles in numerous TV series like Bonanza, Hazel, The Munsters, Perry Mason, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bat Masterson, The Beverly Hillbillies, McHale’s Navy and many others. She played the “memorable” bus patron in the Twilight Zone episode “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” She continued appearing in films, including uncredited roles in “Elmer Gantry” and “From Here to Eternity.” She was part of the star-studded ensemble in the original “Ocean’s 11.” Jean appeared in guest roles on television into the 70s with roles in Kojak and Here’s Lucy.

Jean was married to NFL player Gerard Cowhig until her death in 1989 at the age of 65.

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After stints as a nanny and a horseback riding trainer, 21 year-old Mercedes Grabowski entered the lucrative adult film industry, using the screen name “August Ames.” She began associations with some of the top distributors of pornography and was featured in some 270 films with titles like Dirty Talk, Don’t Tell Hubby, Flesh Hunter and Naturally Delicious. August was nominated for four AVN Awards, the porn industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.

On December 3, 2017, August tweeted her anger and dismay over her claim that she was being forced to perform a sex scene with an actor who had appeared in gay pornographic films. She expressed anger towards her agent and offered a “warning” to her replacement on the film-in-progress, as August had been fired for her refusal to perform. She received a wave of backlash from her contemporaries. Most labeled her statements and attitude as homophobic. August denied the allegations, saying she loved and supported the gay community.

Two days later, on December 5, 2017, August was found hanged in a public park near her home in Southern California. An investigation by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that she was driven to suicide by, what was ruled, cyberbullying. August had also battled depression for most of her life, according to her husband, pornographic film director Kevin Moore. August was 23 years old.

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Bertha Ricketts was born in Mississippi, where her mother and grandmother provided a homeschooled education. They also provided a nickname — “Cid” — based on her calm and “placid” nature. She furthered her education at Columbia University, where she earned a Masters Degree. Cid enrolled in nursing school, but dropped out after a year when she married one of her professors. She had four children and after they had grown, she embarked on a new career as an author.

Her first novel was not well received. But her second, “Quality” published in 1946, was very popular. It took on racial segregation and  address themes that were controversial at the time. The novel provided the basis for the 1949 film Pinky starring Jeanne Crain.

Her next novel, “Tammy Out of Time,” became her most well know. It was filmed as Tammy and the Bachelor starring Debbie Reynolds. It spawned several more books in a series, as well as more movies and a television series.

Cid published more novels and short story collections, as well as non-fiction accounts of her adventures on the Colorado River as the only woman in the 1955 Eggert-Hatch river expedition.

Later in her life, Cid moved to Massachusetts to be closer to her extended family. On October 15, 1970, Cid, in a robe and slippers, answered a knock at her front door. It was her sixteen-year old grandson. The boy bludgeoned Cid to death with a hammer. Cid was 80 years-old. Her grandson took his own life while incarcerated.

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