Dwaine Little

Case record: Dwaine Little (Dwain Lee Little)

Personal details

• Name: Dwaine Little (Dwain Lee Little)
• Birth year: 1948

The offence

• Little raped and killed a teenage girl in Oregon in 1964.
• The motive was recorded as “Sex”.
• The modus operandi was recorded as “Raped/stabbed 16-year-old girl; shot family of four”.
• He shot a family of four (as described in the Cowden family murders context).

Investigation

The Cowden family murders, Oregon

• The Cowden family murders involved the disappearance and horrifying murder of Richard Cowden, his wife Belinda Cowden, and their two children.
• The disappearance was recorded as September 1, 1974.
• The bodies were found about seven miles from their campsite.
• The bodies were found by prospectors on April 12 (year not repeated in the record excerpt), about 7 1/2 months after the family vanished.
• The investigation centered on paroled murderer Dwain Lee Little.
• The police said Little was seen buying gas in Ruch the day the Cowdens went missing.

Investigation details and quotes

• Lt. Mark Kezar of the Oregon State Police coordinated the investigation.
• Lt. Mark Kezar said: “The whole nature of the thing smacks of a weirdo,”
• Lt. Mark Kezar added that the police “know alot they don't feel free to discuss at this point.”
• The record stated that the four bodies were found by prospectors last April 12, 7 1/2 months after the family vanished.
• The record stated that a massive search for miles around the campsite turned up nothing, although it was “as near as 100 feet from the small cave into which the bodies of the family had been crammed.”
• The record stated that the family went swimming in adjacent Carberry Creek later that morning.
• Lt. Kezar surmised that “the family was abducted, probably at gunpoint, and most likely probably by someone they did not know.”
• Lt. Kezar surmised the family were “probably driven some distance away, forced up the steep slope where they were found, and at least three of them were shot.”
• Dr. William Brady, state medical examiner, said: “It's a presumed homicide,” and added: “I'm sure he was shot, even though we can't prove it.”
• The skeletal remains of Richard Cowden were found on a steep hillside.
• The bodies of the other three were placed in the small cave, and the entrance was sealed with rocks to disguise it and hide the bodies.
• Lt. Kezar said: “We're sort of settled on our own ideas”
• Lt. Kezar said: “Whether it's enough to go to grand jury with is another matter.”
• Lt. Kezar said: “You have to remember, it was summer and there were all sorts of people in that area--- so-called hippie types, a motorcycle group and so on.”
• Lt. Kezar said the time lapse between the murders and discovery of the bodies had “hobbled the investigation” but that some evidence still was being evaluated by his office, the FBI and others.
• Lt. Kezar said: “The file on the case long ago outgrew it's folder and now overflows a large cardboard box.”
• The record stated that the file included “hundreds of letters, some from mystics, some from people who solved the mystery in a dream,” and “many more from people with a hunch or an idea that might have been overlooked.”
• Lt. Kezar said: “none have shed any light on the case, which, he hints, may be but a small, but vital link from being solved.”

Arrest

• The record did not provide arrest details beyond the investigation centering on Little and his parole status.

Trial

• Little was convicted of the rape and murder of a Tigard woman in 1980.

Sentencing

• Little was sentenced to life in 1966 for the rape and killing of a teenage girl in Oregon in 1964.
• The record recorded a disposition: “Life term, 1966 (paroled 1974); returned as parole violator, 1975 (released 1977); three consecutive life terms for rape + attempted murder, 1980.”
• The record also stated: “Received 3 consecutive life terms in 1980.”
• The case status field stated that he was “Sentenced to three consecutive life terms on November 20, 1980”.

Appeals

• The record excerpt did not provide appeal details.

Outcome

• Little was convicted and received life terms for rape and later received three consecutive life terms for “rape + attempted murder” in 1980.
• His parole was later described as having been revoked.

Aftermath

Cowden case status

• The record stated: “The Cowden case remains open until Little confesses, OSP officials said.”
• The record also stated: “Little was convicted of the rape and murder of a Tigard woman.”
• The record stated: “His parole has since been revoked, and he likely will never leave the Oregon State Prison.”

Other details

• Cowden was described as 28 at the time of the September 1, 1974 disappearance.
• Cowden’s son David was described as 5.
• The record described Richard Cowden as a “log truck driver from White City, Ore.”
• The record stated that Cowden planned “to work around his house,” but “plans to borrow a truck he needed had fallen through.”
• The record stated that they went camping over Labor Day.
• The record stated that on Sunday, September 1, Cowden and son David went from the camp to Copper to buy milk at 9 a.m.
• The record stated that none of the family was reported alive again.
• The record stated that Richard Cowden and son David went to Copper to buy milk, and later the family went swimming in Carberry Creek.
• The record included a line item “DISPOSITION: Life term, 1966 (paroled 1974); returned as parole violator, 1975 (released 1977); three consecutive life terms for rape + attempted murder, 1980.”
• The record included “Michael Newton - An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers” as part of the scraped content, without additional case-specific facts beyond the provided narrative.