In 1995, a rising actress and model named Linda Sobek mysteriously vanished after leaving her home in Los Angeles for a photo shoot.
She was never seen or heard from again. At the time of her disappearance, Linda was 27 years old and had landed a small role in the sitcom Married…with Children.
One Thursday morning in November 1995, the former cheerleader for the Los Angeles Raiders called her mom, Elaine, to inform her that she was running late for a photo shoot.
When Elaine hadn’t heard from Linda after the shoot, she called one of Linda’s close friends the next morning. That was when she found out that Linda had not shown up for three scheduled appointments, including a fitting for Married…with Children.
Elaine called the police, but they weren’t able to do much since no one knew where Linda’s shoot had taken place or with whom.
By the weekend, family and friends began reaching out to newspapers and television stations for help with finding Linda. The media picked up on the story right away.
The investigation took a turn when a road-crew worker in the Angeles National Forest discovered pictures of Linda in a trash can next to the highway, along with a date book and a receipt for the loan of a Lexus SUV.
Once he saw the news about Linda, he called the police to report that he had found photos of her. They examined the items from the trash and noted that the receipt was signed by a man named Charles Rathbun.
Police went to his home and found him in a drunken state. He was wielding a pistol and threatened to take his own life. He had slightly wounded a female companion just before the police arrived.
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After he was taken into custody, he confessed that he had killed Linda Sobek, only the whole thing had been a freak accident.
Charles claimed that the photo shoot had been for an advertisement for the new Lexus. He was teaching Linda how to drive the car when he accidentally struck and killed her.
He then led authorities to a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest, where her body was buried.
A medical examiner found no evidence of Linda being hit by a vehicle. Charles Rathbun was charged with murder and held on $1 million bail. About a year later, the 39-year-old was convicted of assaulting and strangling Linda.
It is believed that he may have committed other crimes, but before his trial, a judge ruled that the testimony of four women could not be introduced.
The women claimed to have been assaulted or nearly strangled by Charles. In the end, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. His appeal in 1999 was denied.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
