107: MURDER: The Florence Salon Murders

Detective Perspective

Derrick Levasseur

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

5 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At 11:00 a.m. on November 6, 2001, a customer arrived at the Hair Gallery salon in Florence, Montana, for her appointment with owner Dorothy Harris. As she walked up, she noticed a man in a dark suit and a hat - described as either a fedora or a stovepipe - in front of the salon.

She didn’t think much of it until she stepped inside and discovered a horrific scene. Dorothy, her employee Brenda Patch, and their customer Cynthia Paulus had all been brutally murdered.

When investigators heard about the man in the hat, they believed he was likely the killer. But despite multiple sketches and an intensive search, he has never been identified. More than 20 years later, the murders of Dorothy, Brenda, and Cynthia remain unsolved, and investigators are still searching for the person, or people, responsible.

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Research/Writing: Haley Gray

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Transcript

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0:22.0	Because I felt the best I've felt in a long time through therapy.
0:25.3	Learn more about online therapy at betterhelp.com.
0:44.1	At 11 a.m. on November 6, 2001, a customer arrived at the hair gallery salon in Florence,
0:47.4	Montana for her appointment with owner Dorothy Harris.
0:53.0	As she walked up to the business, she noticed the man in a dark suit with a hat in front of the salon.
0:58.2	She didn't think much of it until she stepped inside and discovered a horrific scene. Dorothy, her employee Brenda Patch, and their customer, Cynthia Paulus, had been brutally murdered.
1:04.6	When investigators heard about the man in the hat, they believed he was likely the killer.
1:09.3	But despite multiple sketches and an intensive search, he has never been identified.
1:14.9	More than 20 years later, the murders of Dorothy, Brenda, and Cynthia remain unsolved,
1:20.3	and investigators are still searching for the person or people responsible.
2:01.4	Music people responsible. The Hey, everyone, welcome back to Detective Perspective. My name is Derek Lavasser. I'm a licensed private investigator and former police detective.
2:06.2	Each week, I'll be covering an unsolved case and story format. I'll then give you my perspective on the investigation and provide contact information for the individuals or organizations
2:10.9	connected to the case so that if you have any tips, you can contact them directly, and maybe
2:15.8	you can help solve a case. So if you're someone who's interested in true crime, specifically unsolved cases, and you would like to hear my opinion on those investigations,
2:24.3	please consider subscribing whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever platform you use.
2:31.5	Okay, so tonight we're going to be talking about the Florence Salon
2:34.2	murders. And it reminds me a lot of the Lane Bryant murders as well if you've seen that
	...

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