Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

And the story I have for you today is one that left investigators stumped for decades

as they pursued numerous leads and suspects, including one of the most prolific serial killers

in US history. But that was before discovering the truth was a lot closer to home than they

ever could have predicted. This is the story of Ruby Jean Doss.

A little after 10.30pm on Thursday, January 30, 1986, police in Spokane, Washington

receive a call that a passerby has discovered a body in an open field not far from the East

Sprig area of town. Investigators are sent to the scene when they arrive they discover

the body of a young woman. They can tell right away that this is a fresh crime scene.

In fact, the murder happened so recently that they can see steam coming off the body in the

cold January air. Now, obviously, investigators at the scene can't officially rule a cause of death

then and there, but they do notice that she has been struck in the head by what appears to have

been some sort of blunt object. The woman is fully clothed so investigators don't initially suspect

any sexual assault. Now, quickly, they identify her as 27-year-old Ruby Jean Doss. There aren't

many details around how they make this identification so quickly, but I think the simplest explanation

would be that she probably had some kind of identification on her at the time, though I don't

know that for sure. So while processing the scene, police span out looking for any evidence

related to her murder and about a block away at a newer pet police discover a straight piece of

wood. They find earrings, a steak knife, a $50 bill, and a used condom. Now, in the manure pit,

they also discover a few items of clothing that they believe Ruby had been wearing, specifically

a fur coat, a lighter jacket, and a black collar-length wig. They collect all of these items along with

shoe impressions found on the ground. And to them, it looks like there was some sort of struggle

...