Robert Anthony Buell: The Ohio Serial Killer Who Almost Got Away
Volume 14 of True Crime Case Histories contains the complete story of this shocking cold case that terrorized Ohio communities in the early 1980s.
In late October 1981, twelve-year-old Tina Marie Harmon disappeared after stopping at a convenience store in Lodi, Ohio. Her brutal murder would become the first in a series of horrific crimes that haunted northern Ohio. When investigators found her body five days later, the evidence included distinctive orange carpet fibers and dog hair—clues that would later prove crucial in catching her killer.
Despite a lack of physical evidence, two men—Herman Ray Rucker and Ernest Holbrook Jr.—were wrongfully convicted of Tina’s murder based on questionable testimony. But even with these men behind bars, young girls continued to disappear.
In July 1982, eleven-year-old Krista Harrison was abducted from a baseball field in broad daylight. Her murder bore striking similarities to Tina’s case, including the same orange carpet fibers. Ten-year-old Deborah Smith would become another victim, her body also bearing evidence linking her to the same killer.
The breakthrough finally came in October 1983, when Debbie Langford escaped from her captor after enduring hours of torture. Her brave escape led police to Robert Anthony Buell, a respected city planning official who lived a double life as a violent sexual predator. Inside Buell’s maroon van, investigators found the source of the orange carpet fibers that had linked multiple murders.
The investigation revealed Buell’s trail of violence spanning years, with evidence suggesting his involvement in several other unsolved cases. While he maintained his innocence until his execution in 2002, DNA evidence would later confirm his guilt in Tina Harmon’s murder, finally bringing closure to one family’s decades-long search for justice.
Read the complete account of the investigation and capture of Robert Anthony Buell in Volume 14 of True Crime Case Histories.
