Buried Bones – "The Lady of the Dunes"

Podcast: Buried Bones | Hosts: Kate Winkler Dawson & Paul Holes
Date: November 19, 2025
Episode Focus: The identification and investigation of the "Lady of the Dunes," a 1974 Provincetown, MA, cold case—a story unraveled decades later, revealing the actions of a likely serial killer.

Episode Overview

In this episode, journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and retired cold case investigator Paul Holes delve into the famous unsolved case known as the "Lady of the Dunes," discovered in Cape Cod in 1974. They dissect the investigation through modern forensic perspectives, highlighting the difficulties of victim identification, the evolution of forensic science, and the patterns of a suspected serial killer. The pair explore how genealogy and new technologies played a crucial role in finally giving a name—and a suspect—to one of America’s most mysterious cold cases.

1. Setting the Scene: Cape Cod & The Crime

[03:33–10:44]

• Kate sets the scene with personal memories of Cape Cod, discussing how some landscapes inspire thoughts of concealment and crime.
• Kate and Paul analyze a photo of a kettle pond, debating its suitability as a body dump site—Paul deems it less practical than it looks due to water clarity and shallow depth.
  • Quote: “People really underestimate the buoyancy of dead bodies… they have a tendency to want to come up.” – Paul Holes [07:54]
• Transition to the focus of the episode: a true-crime case set in Cape Cod dunes, emphasizing the isolated environment.

2. Discovery of the Body

[10:44–24:14]

• July 26, 1974: A nine-year-old girl and, separately, a 12/13-year-old girl both stumble upon a naked, mutilated body in the scrub pines near Race Point Beach, Cape Cod.
• The body is in a state of decomposition; hands are severed, and the head nearly decapitated.
• Kate and Paul review a crime scene photo and discuss whether the victim was deliberately positioned.
  • Quote: “This looks in all likelihood that she was put here versus… there had been like a big fight and then… she was killed.” – Paul Holes [14:06]
• The scene suggests an attempt to obscure or delay the body’s discovery but not particularly well-hidden.

3. Crime Scene Details and Initial Investigation

[18:46–30:22]

• Provincetown Police Chief Jimmy Meads arrives. The victim is a woman, 25–35, athletic build, red/auburn hair, wearing a barrette, painted toenails, and found on a beach blanket beside folded jeans and a bandana.
• The scene is staged, possibly to mimic sleep or relaxation.
• Key details: Strangulation, throat slashed to the spine, bludgeoning (likely by an entrenching tool/collapsible shovel), hands severed, left arm severed to the elbow, pine needles arranged in place of limbs, and footprints/tire tracks nearby.
  • Quote: “The severing of the hands is obvious to prevent identification… the head may also be to prevent identification because of the face…” – Paul Holes [26:36]

4. Forensic Analysis and the Problem of Identification

[30:22–38:54]

• No one locally identifies her. Theories circulate, including the possibility of her being a “Jaws” movie extra (debunked).
• The autopsy reveals sexual assault post-mortem (object insertion), and, significantly, eight expensive “New York style” gold dental crowns, some damaged—possibly to thwart identification.
• Paul notes the dental work implies she was not impoverished; the killer’s mutilations likely aimed at frustrating identification rather than theft.
  • Quote: “The expense of that dental work suggests that the victim came from… some financial means… The offender knew that teeth are often used to identify victims.” – Paul Holes [34:27]

5. The Case Goes Cold

[38:54–41:55]

• Investigators follow extensive leads—canvassing, records searches, dental records distribution, using bloodhounds, even consulting psychics—but to no avail.
• The Lady of the Dunes is buried unnamed (“Jane Doe”) in Provincetown.
• The case stalls as the lack of identity keeps investigators from making progress.
  • Quote: “He’s S.O.L. without her identification. It’s so critical to get these victims identified as fast as possible if you really want to make progress… These bodies are just almost… not discarded, but… not putting a lot of resources…” – Paul Holes [38:54]

6. Advances in Forensics and Multiple Exhumations

[41:55–47:35]

• Body exhumed in 1980 for facial reconstruction, then again in 2000 for DNA sampling (blood, later bone/tissue)—but DNA yield limited due to decomposition.
• In 2013, jawbone and teeth samples are finally obtained for more robust DNA analysis.
  • Quote: “Generally, you don’t want to keep your victim’s head on your desk—that needs to be repatriated to the rest of the body.” – Paul Holes [44:10]

7. Genetic Genealogy Cracks the Case

[47:35–51:01]

• 2018: Othram and the FBI use advanced forensic genealogy, matching the Lady of the Dunes’ DNA to a living relative.
• The victim is identified as Ruth Marie Terry, missing since 1974, originally from Tennessee, with prior connections in Michigan and California.
• Ruth’s son, adopted out as an infant, had submitted DNA for ancestry reasons, eventually leading investigators to her true identity.

8. The Suspect: Guy Rockwell Muldevin

[51:01–64:04]

• Ruth’s last known companion: Guy Rockwell Muldevin, whom she married in 1973.
• Guy is tied to disappearances and/or murders of prior wives, stepdaughter, and a young couple from 1950:
  • 1960: His second wife and her daughter vanish; home contains blood, septic tank holds human remains, but insufficient evidence for charges.
  • 1950: Connected as a cook at a restaurant where two victims worked; discovered clothing folding pattern echoes staging in Lady of the Dunes case.
  • Quote: “I think he is a serial killer… preying on people that are either in a relationship with him or are close enough to him. He possibly has other cases…” – Paul Holes [59:29]
• Kate and Paul discuss the psychological and practical reasons for Muldevin’s pattern of staging, mutilation, and possible overkill.

9. Resolution and Reflections

[64:04–67:47]

• By 2022, authorities declare Guy Muldevin responsible—he died in 2002, apparently of natural causes, and was cremated.
  • Modern genealogy provided Ruth Terry’s name but not direct forensic links to the killer.
• The episode highlights the importance of identification in cold cases:
  • Quote: “So important about victimology… it does ultimately end up leading… to her killer and probably the killer of… at least four other people… But the conclusions… are so important. And that’s why this is a good case.” – Kate Winkler Dawson [62:57]
  • Quote: “Genetic genealogy… it’s turned out to be revolutionary. But it doesn’t stand alone… Once Ruth is identified now there’s a domino effect.” – Paul Holes [67:35]

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “People really underestimate the buoyancy of dead bodies… they have a tendency to want to come up.” – Paul Holes [07:54]
• “This looks in all likelihood that she was put here…” – Paul Holes [14:06]
• “The severing of the hands is obvious to prevent identification…” – Paul Holes [26:36]
• “The expense of that dental work suggests that the victim came from… some financial means…” – Paul Holes [34:27]
• “He’s S.O.L. without her identification.” – Paul Holes [38:54]
• “Generally, you don’t want to keep your victim’s head on your desk…” – Paul Holes [44:10]
• “I think he is a serial killer… He possibly has other cases…” – Paul Holes [59:29]
• “So important about victimology… it does ultimately end up leading… to her killer…” – Kate Winkler Dawson [62:57]
• “Genetic genealogy… it’s turned out to be revolutionary. But it doesn’t stand alone…” – Paul Holes [67:35]

Key Takeaways

• The identification of victims via genetic genealogy can reopen and resolve decades-old cases, leading to new insights and connecting seemingly isolated crimes.
• The Lady of the Dunes’ case is a testament to perseverance—in both traditional policework and the application of new scientific tools.
• The suspect, Guy Muldevin, fits the modern definition of a serial killer: his staging, escalation, and patterns of targeting women close to him were revealed only through compiling historical cases and finally identifying Ruth Terry.

For more photos, evidence, and diagrams, visit @buriedbonespod on Instagram.