WARNING: This episode contains details involving child sexual abuse as well as some graphic details involving animal cruelty and may be difficult to listen to. Some of the names have been redacted or changed in order to protect the privacy of those involved. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

The story I am sharing with you today was told to me by a listener who wishes to remain anonymous, she is not in our Facebook group, and I will refer to her as Dee Dee. She was related by marriage to a piece of human garbage named Melvin Just, a convicted child sex abuser and possible murder. A social worker and nurse named Josephine Spegel was assigned to his family and was to conduct home visits as a result of suspected abuse and neglect. She was murdered on March 10, 1969 and Just’s home was her last stop for the day. She was raped, strangled and buried in a shallow grave in Eureka, California. Her body was discovered the next day by a dog walker.

While Just was suspected by nearly all of his family, he was never really fully investigated for the crime. 9 years later, he was convicted of sexual abuse, but still, he was never connected to Josephine’s murder and her case remains unsolved to this day. This episode is an effort to get some information about where Josephine’s case today, and if there is any hope of identifying her killer using modern science, technology, and of course, DNA. We also hope to bring a measure of closure to this for Dee Dee who had long buried these haunting memories, which only recently had been brought to the surface.

Please listen to this carefully. Please take notes if you need to and write down any questions you may have for Dee Dee because I do want to follow up with an addendum to this. I have emailed the Humboldt County Sheriff’s about this case and am waiting for a reply. I also would like you to watch the documentary, AND if you happen to have lived or grew up near the “Emerald Triangle” of Northern California and have any insight to share, I would love to hear more about that from you as well. All links and email addresses are below.

Find a grave:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36370377/josephine-barbara-spegel

Websleuths:  https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ca-melvin-just-poi-in-humboldt-homicide.474479/

Documentary:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY4eHaiVK9s&t=476s

Email for Humboldt Co. Sheriff:  hso@co.humboldt.ca.us

My email:  killaforniapod@gmail.com