Hicks was found bludgeoned and sexually assaulted in her Newark home in 1972; Pica was discovered in similar circumstances in her Hayward home in 1979.
A law enforcement photograph of Fred Farnham from Nov. 14, 1977 is shown during a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Hayward, Calif. Law enforcement officials announced Fred Bernard Farnham as the suspect in the 1972 rape and murder of Nellie Hicks in Newark, and the 1979 rape and murder of Theresa Pica in Hayward, California.
The remains of one potential suspect, identified through the same process that found Farnham, were exhumed two years ago and later excluded through DNA comparison to the crime-scene evidence. That man, however, was on the same genealogical tree, police said. “The search for answers is not over,” Hayward Police Chief Bryan Matthews said at a news conference at Hayward City Hall. “We believe Farnham may be responsible for additional sexual assaults and murders in other communities.”
Evidence at the scene indicated that her killer entered the home through an unlocked sliding glass door and used manicure scissors to cut her dress and bra. The only forensic evidence that police recovered were fingerprints that, for decades, were never tied to a specific person. About four hours later, Hicks’ son discovered her lifeless body in the same room. Hicks’ wallet was missing, though it was later found a few blocks away next to a pair of blood-stained panties.
Pica, 48, was discovered slumped over her couch, face down, by one of her twin 10-year-old daughters on May 15, 1979 at their home on Edloe Drive in Hayward. Her nightgown had been pulled up, exposing her legs; her hands were bound behind her back with rope, and a blood-stained rock was found next to her. A shirt had been used to gag her, police found.