Case closed in the 1970s death of a Corning woman
CORNING, Calif. - The Tehama County Sheriff's office has closed a case dating back to the 1970s. Linda Gannon, a 32-year-old woman from Corning disappeared in 1979.
And a recent chain of events led the Tehama County Sheriff's office to James Gannon's backyard. James was Linda's husband who committed suicide June 6, 2013.
The Tehama County Sheriff's office said they first got tips about the whereabouts of Linda Gannon's remains last April. Family members contacted the Sheriffs department saying James had a variety of different stories that didn't match up.
One of those stories was that she ran off to Mexico with some guy and didn't want to be bothered.
Tehama County Sherriff's office along with Chico State's forensic anthropologists started digging for evidence around the home. Two weeks before her remains were discovered in the backyard of the home, James Gannon committed suicide.
Linda's remains were found in a shallow unmarked grave on their property. Her skull showed a small caliber bullet entered the front of her skull.
"It was apparent that that person had been killed by a gunshot wound in front of the head," said Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston. "Not consistent with a suicide, consistent with a homicide and Mr. Gannon's inconsistent statement through the years is a caution of some guilt."
DNA samples from Linda's family helped confirm her identity.
