The outcome of a badly tainted police department, a sequence of disappearing children, and a gruesome discovery on a small farm during the prohibition era lead the city of Wineville to change its name to Mira Loma on November 1, 1930, due to negative publicity surrounding the murders being a huge factor. Unbeknownst to anyone until September, 1928 The Los Angeles Police Department’s lack of competence consequently condemned the lives of those missing children. During the course of three years between 1926 and 1928 a sequence of child disappearances was on the rise revolving the Los Angeles and Riverside counties. On March 10, 1928 in Lincoln Heights, California the disappearance of nine year old Walter Collins evoked the city that remained …show more content…
However due to errors in the extradition paperwork, they were not returned to Los Angeles until November 30, 1928. During the time period awaiting extradition back to California, Sarah Louise Northcott confessed to the murders, including nine year old Walter Collins. Prior to being extradited to California, Sarah Northcott retracted her statement, as did Gordon Northcott, who had confessed to killing more than five boys. Once Sarah Louise Northcott and her son, Gordon Northcott, were extradited from Canada to California, Sarah Louise Northcott, once again, pled guilty to killing Walter Collins. There was no trial. Upon her plea of guilty, Superior Court Judge Morton sentenced her to life imprisonment on December 31, 1928, sparing her the death penalty because she was a woman. Sarah Louise Northcott served her sentence at Tehachapi State Prison, with a parole that followed after fewer than 12 years. Mrs. Northcott claimed her son was innocent and made a variety of bizarre claims about his parentage, including that he was an illegitimate son by an English nobleman, that she was Gordon's grandmother, and that he was the result of incest between her husband, George Cyrus Northcott, and their daughter. She also stated that as a child, Gordon was sexually abused by the entire family. Sarah Louise Northcott died in