11h 7min, aug 2, 1976 y - David Hobbs Body found

Description:

"The decomposed body of a man has been found about 10 feet off California 67 near Lakeside, the San Diego County coroner's office says" (SBNP 8/4/76).

"His partially decomposed body was found Monday [8/2/76] at 11:07am. [...] The youth was found by Deputy Rim Rogers in brush about three miles south of the junction of Poway Road and Highway 67. [...] Rogers, who was returning to Poway from Ramona after a court appearance, stopped at a rural driveway to check out the possibility that an automobile parked there may have been stolen. The deputy found the corpse about 30 yards from the car. The boy appeared to have been dead about three weeks, the [police] department spokesman said" (EDTA 8/5/76).

"On Monday, Aug. 2, 1976, a sheriff's deputy spotted the partially decomposed corpse of [David Clinton Hobbs] when he stopped his car to check whether a car parked near the junction of Highway 67 and Poway Road might be stolen. The body was lying in brush about 30 feet from the car, which, it was found, had nothing to do with the case. David Clinton Hobbs had been stabbed repeatedly and bludgeoned about the head. Deputies said he had been dead for two weeks or more. He was reported missing on Saturday, July 17" (EDTA 8/22/76).

"July 17, 1976: David Clinton Hobbs, 14, of Golden Hill, was reported missing by his mother when he failed to return from a trip to the store. His body was found Aug. 2 off State 67, south of Poway Road. He had been beaten and stabbed 15 times in the chest" (SDUT 3/7/10, 8/30/16).

"David Clinton Hobbs was reported missing from his Golden Hill home on July 17, 1976. [...] Weeks later, on Aug. 2, Hobbs was found off of State 67 South of Poway Road. The 14-year-old had been beaten with an iron rod and stabbed 15 times" (2024 CBS8 article).


Proposed by: me
Reasons proposed: Demographics, time period, SoCal; found off highway, stabbed & bludgeoned, body dumped, last seen walking near intersection of 30th St & EUCLID

Reasons against: County (to an extent), distance from epicenter of dump sites, possibility of connection to other child murders (including that of (a) girl(s)) in the area at the time


*** Additional information is likely available in the only SDUT archive, which requires a subscription; I plan to check it out eventually. ***

SBNP 8/4/76: https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-barbara-news-press-david-clinton-h/199583941/
EDTA 8/5/76: https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-david-clinton-hobbs/181544504/
EDTA 8/22/76: https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-david-clinton-hobbs/181544645/
LMLN 10/6/76: https://www.newspapers.com/article/life-news-donald-miles-whaley-david-cli/181544679/

NCT 7/10/99: https://www.newspapers.com/article/north-county-times-david-clinton-hobbs-i/181544734/
SDUT 3/7/10: https://cacoldcases.blogspot.com/p/the-san-diego-union-tribune-mar-7-2010.html
SDUT 8/30/16: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2016/08/30/past-child-abduction-and-murder-cases-in-san-diego-county/
2024 CBS8 article: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/48-years-later-san-diegos-summer-of-terror-unsolved/509-25166a07-2728-406a-a3eb-8e260ef643f3
FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113942663/david-clinton-hobbs

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