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Richard Hanchett had spent years searching for his birth mother when he suddenly received a call from the FBI.
“The first thing they said to me was ‘Have you ever heard about the Lady of the Dunes?’” he recalled to Fox News Digital. “I had never heard anything about it… Ever since then, it’s been an unbelievable journey,”
In 1974, a 37-year-old woman was killed by what authorities concluded was blunt force trauma to the skull. Her mutilated body was discovered on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a vacation hot spot. The unidentified woman became known as the “Lady of the Dunes.”
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Richard Hanchett, the son of the “Lady of the Dunes,” is speaking out in a new true-crime docuseries about the case. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
The case, which went cold for nearly 50 years, is the subject of a new true-crime docuseries on Oxygen, “The Lady of the Dunes: Hunting the Cape Cod Killer.” Hanchett also wrote a memoir, “Through His Eyes,” which is being published in December.
It was in October 2022 when police made a breakthrough in the decades-old investigation – the woman who was found in the dunes of Provincetown was Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee. She was Hanchett’s biological mother.
“Lady of the Dunes: Hunting the Cape Cod Killer” explores the decades-long case that has rocked Massachusetts. (Oxygen)
Hanchett said that for about three weeks before he got a call from the FBI, he was having recurring nightmares about his mother.
Richard Hanchett as a child growing up in Michigan. (Richard Hanchett & Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
“I kept dreaming about a man who hit a woman from behind in the head and crushed her skull,” he said. “When the police gave me the news, I put two and two together… I just felt in my heart that she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see… The nightmare just kept repeating.”
“I didn’t want to see the pictures because I knew it would be my nightmare,” he added.
Retired Provincetown Police Detective Meredith Lobur discussed her frustrations in investigating the cold case. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
Terry was struggling with financial difficulties when she gave up her son to the Hanchett family in Michigan soon after his birth in 1958. For years, he yearned to be reunited with her. In 2018, he took a DNA test, which connected him to the Terry family. Through them, he learned that she had vanished and was still missing.
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Family photo of Ruth Marie Terrry, who was brutally killed in July 1974. She became known as the “Lady of the Dunes.” (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
Terry married Guy Muldavin in 1974 – months before her remains were discovered.
“When Mr. Muldavin returned from that trip, he was driving what was believed to be Ms. Terry’s vehicle and indicated to witnesses that Ms. Terry had passed away,” Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois previously said in a statement. “Ms. Terry was never seen by her family again.”
Hanchett said that Terry’s family had their suspicions about Muldavin.
Ruth Marie Terrry married Guy Muldavin months before she was killed. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
“When I first met my family, my cousin told me about this guy – I later learned he was a sick person,” said Hanchett.
According to the docuseries, Muldavin had written a book, “Cooking with Rump Oil,” which featured disturbing illustrations. One of its so-called recipes, “Cape Cod Shid,” appeared to hint at the crime. It also included a character with auburn hair, similar to Terry’s.
The book was published two years after Terry’s murder.
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Massachusetts Police Chief James Meads with the skull of the unidentified murder victim and a drawing made by forensic artist Mary Mize of Texas. Meads dedicated much of his career to finding out who killed the Lady of the Dunes. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
Once Terry was identified by police, the focus turned to Muldavin, an antiques dealer. He was also the prime suspect in the death of another one of his wives and a stepdaughter in Seattle in the 1960s. According to newspaper reports at the time, human remains were found in the septic tank of his home. He was caught in New York City and charged with “unlawful flight.”
“Everywhere he lived, someone died,” said Hanchett.
Muldavin died in 2002. He was 78.
When Terry’s body was discovered decades ago, she was lying naked on a beach blanket with her hands severed. She was nearly decapitated. Authorities believed she was killed several weeks before her body was found.
Color composite of the Lady of the Dunes. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
Previously, authorities tried to identify her by exhuming her remains, performing clay model facial reconstruction, and releasing age-regression drawings of her face. She was identified using investigative genealogy, the use of DNA analysis in combination with traditional genealogy research and historical records. Investigators also learned that Terry had ties to Michigan and California, where Muldavin resided.
In 2023, authorities in Massachusetts concluded that Terry was killed by her husband. The case was closed.
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Investigative genealogy was used to determine Ruth Marie Terry’s identity. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“The only question I did not get answered was the why,” Hanchett explained. “A lot of times, I feel she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see… She was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And everything I learned about Guy told me that he was not a good person. He was a criminal. He killed before my mom. This was not new to him. This was who he was.”
Hanchett said he’s speaking out today because he wanted to clear some misconceptions about his late mother, which he said continue to linger.
“It’s been said she was a hooker – she was not a hooker,” Hanchett stressed. “She was a mother, a sister and an aunt. She was a beautiful person. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was poor and worked hard her whole life to try to get ahead. It took me a long time to understand that she made the right decision for me. She was years ahead, stronger than I ever would’ve been at that age to do the right thing.”
Authorities in Massachusetts concluded that Ruth Marie Terry was murdered by her husband, Guy Muldavin. Her son Richard Hanchett (pictured here) wished that Muldavin was still alive to “feel justice.” (Oxygen)
“I wish I could have met her,” he quietly said. “I wanted to give her respect and dignity back.”
When asked if justice was served, Hanchett replied, “It will be.”
“What I mean by that is it could have been solved a long time ago – it should have been solved a long time ago,” he said. “That’s what bothers me. My life would’ve been completely different. It wouldn’t have changed what happened to her, but for years I didn’t know if she was still alive. My dad, uncles, aunts, grandfather – they all wondered what happened to her.”
Retired Provincetown Chief of Police Warren Tobias, who also tried to solve the crime. (Left/Right Productions/Oxygen)
“I am thankful that the case was able to be closed in the end, but deep down I’m upset because… this case could have been solved a long time ago. Do I feel justice was served? I never heard of someone being convicted after they died. Have you? I wish he was still alive to feel justice.”
About two weeks ago, Hanchett traveled to Provincetown to lay a stone on his mother’s grave.
Ruth Marie Terry’s grave in Massachusetts. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“For close to 50 years, I wondered who my mom was,” he said. “It was surreal to be standing there, right by her grave. I couldn’t believe that I was finally there, with her.”
“Lady of the Dunes: Hunting the Cape Cod Killer” concludes Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. on Oxygen. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A Harvard University dean has been removed after a student-run news outlet exposed social media posts slamming Whiteness, police and advocating for looting and rioting.
Gregory Davis, the former Dunster House Allston Burr resident dean, found himself in the hot seat after a Harvard student-run news outlet called Yard Report resurfaced the problematic posts. Davis was on leave last semester for reasons unrelated to the controversy.
While Harvard did not confirm that Davis was removed for the inflammatory posts, Fox News Digital obtained the text from an email sent by the faculty deans of Dunster House confirming Davis’ removal.
“We are writing to confirm that Gregory Davis is no longer serving as the Allston Burr Resident Dean of Dunster House, effective today,” the email said. “We thank Gregory for serving in this role and wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
Dunster House along the Charles River on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The email message also announced that Emilie Raymer, who served as interim dean during Davis’ absence, would take over the role full time.
“We look forward to seeing everyone again in the coming weeks,” the email said. “As always, we welcome hearing from you on any issues affecting the Dunster community.”
The posts in question were made between 2019 and 2024, mostly on X but also on Instagram. Davis became the dean of the dormitory in 2024.
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“It’s almost like Whiteness is a self-destructive ideology that annihilates everyone around it. By design,” he said on X in 2019.
During 2020, when tensions between police and left-wing rioters reached a fever pitch after George Floyd was killed, Davis slammed police.
An AutoZone store burns as protesters gather outside of the Third Precinct in Minneapolis on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in the days after George Floyd’s death. (Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via AP)
“You should ask your cop friends to resign since they’re racist and evil,” he said on X at the time.
As rioters and looters wreaked havoc in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Davis defended the chaos.
“Something to keep in mind: rioting and looting are parts of democracy just like voting and marching,” he said on X. “The people WILL be heard.”
In the same year, around the time President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19, Davis said on X that he didn’t blame people who wished Trump ill. He followed that post with a second, captioned “But also, f— that guy,” attaching a meme that said “If he dies, he dies.”
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Just before Davis accepted his role as dean of the Dunster House in 2024, he made a post about Pride Month on Instagram.
“Wishing everyone a great Pride. Remember to love each other and hate the police,” the post said.
When confronted with the posts, Davis wrote to Dunster House residents in an email about the scandal, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
Demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common to protest Harvard’s stance on the war in Gaza and show support for the Palestinian people, outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 25, 2025. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Recently, some media organizations have inquired regarding comments that I made on my personal social media accounts prior to my start in the Resident Dean role,” he wrote. “These posts do not reflect my current thinking or beliefs. I deeply appreciate the responsibility inherent in the Resident Dean role and I value the trust that individuals have placed in me. I regret if my statements have any negative impact on the Dunster community.”
“Since becoming the Allston Burr Resident Dean, I have worked hard to ensure that Dunster House is a welcoming, warm and supportive space for all of its members,” the message continued. “That continues to be the guiding force of my work today. As events outside of Harvard have affected our House and me personally, my commitment to each of you, our students, has not wavered. In my role, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with members of HUPD and other colleagues across campus. I respect the work they do to support our community.”
Davis did not return a request for comment.
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new video loaded: Hochul and Mamdani Announce Plan for Universal Child Care
transcript
transcript
“Today, we’re working together with the mayor at this incredible place to announce the first major steps to make child care universal — truly universal — here in New York City, transforming the lives of children and parents all across the state.” “We will build on the city’s existing three-K program, and say, no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that seat is in Astoria. We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met. This will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens of thousands of additional families. It will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year, and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child.” “And today, I’m proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch 2-care. For the first time — universal daycare for 2-year-olds, as proposed by Mayor Mamdani. We’re not just paying for one year of the program. We don’t usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are, we’re taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I’m working on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we’re in this for the long haul.”
By Meg Felling
January 8, 2026
Local News
A Boston nightclub where a woman collapsed on the dance floor and died last month will have its entertainment license reinstated after the Boston Licensing Board found no violations Thursday.
Anastaiya Colon, 27, was at ICON, a nightclub in Boston’s Theater District, in the early hours of Dec. 21 when she suffered a fatal medical episode. Following the incident, her loved ones insisted that the club’s staff did not respond professionally and failed to control crowds.
City regulators suspended ICON’s entertainment license pending an assessment of any potential violations. During a hearing Tuesday, they heard from attorneys representing the club and people who were with Colon the night she died.
As EMTs attempted to respond, crowds inside the club failed to comply with demands to give them space, prompting police to shut down the club, according to a police report of the incident. However, the club and its representatives were adamant that staff handled their response and crowd control efforts properly.
Kevin Montgomery, the club’s head of security, testified that the crowd did not impede police or EMTs and that he waited to evacuate the club because doing so would have created a bottleneck at the entrance. Additionally, a bouncer and a bartender both testified that they interacted with Colon, who ordered one drink before collapsing, and did not see any signs of intoxication.
Angelica Morales, Colon’s sister, submitted a video taken on her phone to the board for them to review. Morales testified Tuesday that the video disproves some of the board’s claims and shows that ICON did not immediately respond to the emergency.
“I ran to the DJ booth, literally bombarded everybody that was in my way to get to the DJ booth, told them to cut the music off,” Morales said. “On my way back, the music was cut off for a minute or two, maybe less, and they cut the music back on.”
Shanice Monteiro, a friend who was with Colon and Morales, said she went outside to flag down police officers. She testified that their response, along with the crowd’s, was inadequate.
“I struggled to get outside,” Monteiro said. “Once I got outside, everybody was still partying, there was no type of urgency. Nobody stopped.”
These factors, along with video evidence provided by ICON, did not substantiate any violations on the club’s part, prompting the licensing board to reinstate their entertainment license at a subsequent hearing Thursday.
“Based on the evidence presented at the hearing from the licensed premise and the spoken testimony and video evidence shared with us from Ms. Colon’s family, I’m not able to find a violation in this case,” Kathleen Joyce, the board’s chairwoman, said at the hearing.
However, Joyce further stated that she “was not able to resolve certain questions” about exactly when or why the club turned off the music or turned on the lights. As a result, the board will require ICON to submit an emergency management plan to prevent future incidents and put organized safety measures in place.
“This plan should outline detailed operational procedures in the event of a medical or any other emergency, including protocols for police and ambulance notification, crowd control and dispersal, and procedures regarding lighting and music during an emergency response,” Joyce said.
Though the club will reopen without facing any violations, Joyce noted that there were “lessons left to be learned” from the incident.
“This tragedy has shaken the public confidence in nightlife in this area, and restoring that confidence is a shared obligation,” she said. “People should feel safe going out at night. They should feel safe going to a club in this area, and they should feel safe getting home.”
Keeana Saxon, one of three commissioners on the licensing board, further emphasized the distinction Joyce made between entertainment-related matters and those that pertained to licensing. Essentially, the deciding factor in the board’s decision was the separation of the club’s response from any accountability they may have had by serving Colon liquor.
“I hope that the family does understand that there are separate procedures for both the entertainment and the licensing, just to make sure that on the licensing side, that we understand that she was only served one drink and that it was absolutely unforeseeable for that one drink to then lead to some kind of emergency such as this one,” Saxon said.
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