By Robert Haugh
What do you get when you combine a Bay Area true crime and the passionate energy of Santa Clara native and acclaimed artist Sonya Paz?
You get a compelling story of a little-known Mission City triple homicide.
At eight years old, Paz lost touch with her childhood friend in 1969. The small quaint Santa Clara neighborhood was perplexed when a local family vanished, seemingly disappearing into thin air.
Fast forward 4-½ years later, the Santa Clara Police Department was notified that three bodies were found under the house by a termite inspector. After decades of wondering what happened to her childhood friend, it all became evident what happened to the family.
Paz has been researching the case for several years, having created a chronological roadmap about the case, creating a story that’s never been told through a new podcast, “Investigated.”
Paz and Private Investigator co-host Marek Kasprzyk are providing details keeping listeners gripped to the edge of their seat. They detail the chronicles of Paz’s childhood friends, Marianne, her sister Paula, and their mother Pauline who were murdered at the hands of the father, James Arthur Pearson.
Telling the story from her perspective and on behalf of the victims, “I feel that they never have a voice throughout this and I want to keep their memory alive,” Paz says.
Based on real-life interviews with detectives who led the case, along with key witnesses who testified, the story is not your average neighborhood homicide; there are many twists and turns to the story including an interstate flight, child abduction, embezzlement, and more, all ultimately leading to the apprehension of James Arthur Pearson.
“I was glad to hear from Sonya and that she was investing time to tell this story after many years,” said retired Santa Clara Police Detective Monte “Rex” Macer.
Macer was one of the detectives on the case in 1978 who traveled to Mississippi to bring Pearson back to California after he was identified by a post office patron who saw his face on an FBI poster.
Along with hundreds of hours of research, Paz connected with the Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society and worked with researcher Mary Boyle to locate articles that helped fill the time gaps.
“I am grateful to have had so much support during this research process … everyone has been amazing to assist in preserving these memories of my friends,” said Paz.
“Investigated” launched on February 15. Visit InvestigatedPod.com for more information.
To share memories of the Pearson family or to contact Paz, visit www.sonyapaz.com.
@Ida Kasper I would love to talk to you, can you contact me at cases@investigatedpod.com
THANKS!!!
That’s about my grandpa my step dad’s dad 😮 he died in prison but my dad has his ashes now.
Kayla Grubin (:
Thank you Kayla for sharing. Wishing your family the best.
@Kathleen M Wolgamot, thank you for sharing your story of the Pearson women, I am happy to learn that you have experienced some healing from our story. Sincerely, Sonya Paz
Sonya,
I press you to draft a manuscript or a story/book to ensure they are not forgotten.
You raised this to our consciousness and it would be a shame to let this go. I’ve been below my floorboards and can only guess what the termite dude encountered.
Go forward.
Please.
No Spoilers…
Sonya. I have no idea how the gliztz and glam of ‘Hollywood’ works, yet there is a screenplay here for a movie–indie (independent) or otherwise.
Green shower curtain.
Biloxi.
Dunno why but after 3 episodes in, I am intrigued and obligated to learn what happened.
Thank you and to this forum to allow us citizens to learn about the past.
Thank you so much! This definitely would make a great mini series!
Was the house where the victims were found on Cabrillo?
I do not believe so. Listen to the podcasts. I am thru 2 podcasts and can only say that Claremont and Woodams are streets known to us in Santa Clara that live, walk, and work around here.
Take a listen. Sad, diabolical, and perhaps is unseen life around us.
The pod-caster offers a perspective as a friend of a victim. That wounds me greatly. Like I said, I appreciate Sonya for sharing this story.
No. This is the house!
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/62-Claremont-Ave-Santa-Clara-CA-95051/19602030_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
The house was on Claremont, not Cabrillo.
No it was on Claremont Ave
No, this was on Claremont Drive in Santa Clara. The podcast is finished now it’s 14 episodes. It is free and it is on stitcher, iTunes, and other places you can listen to your podcast. If you go to https://investigatedpod.com you will be able to see a media player on there so you can listen to each episode to your phone. :-). Thank you!
Sonya,
Listened to the first podcast. I’ve lived in Santa Clara since the 90s.
You are educating us Santa Clarans! Thank you.
Wow. Incredible and sad. Sorry for any trauma. Thanks to have the strength to inform us Santa Clarans. Yes, you are tenacious. Pearson victims must be remembered!
I’ll listen to the other podcasts in honor of Mary Ann.
Thank you so much!
Thank everyone, I hope you can remember the Pearson women who were murdered. If anyone remembers them, please comment and share your memorable story about them. ~Sonya Paz
I knew Marryanne, Paula, and Pauline. They lived in Salem, Oregon before moving to Santa Clara. My family and I visited them on a trip at their home in Santa Clara. Then after 6 months…didn’t hear anymore til a police officer came to talk to me in junior high.
I so very often wondered if he was caught. I never will forget them. I am so grateful to you for investigating and reporting the outcome. Sincerely, Kathleen Wolgamot
I don’t remember them as I was too young, we purchased the house in 2004 and weren’t aware of what happened at the time. My husband was born and raised in Santa Clara he was 14 when all this happened. One of his friends from the city was turning the power on and told him. I’ve listened to your pod and you mentioned that there were 2 crawl spaces, with us living there for all those years and I asked my husband that there was only one. do you happen to have a diagram of where the second space was? The more research on Pearson (which I had as soon as we moved in) he has lived every place that I have family living Cedar City, Utah, Biloxi Mississippi, crazy. So if you know of where the other crawl space was please let me know. It’s driving me crazy. Thanks
Actually longtime POA members solved the Quigley case. I helped get the plaque. Lisa Gilllmor helped appoint the commissioners that approved it.
Thank you.
That means a lot to me. My kids played flag football on that very field and I was so unaware of the memorial during those days–but did learn about this later. I can emote more, but there is not enough petabytes to do so.
Again, thank you. Remembrances are very important.
It would be great if images could be imported into this blog.
I have yet to listen to Sonya’s podcast. But will do.
can substantiate the content. so much evil that us santa clarans need to deal with.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/64735729/?clipping_id=47570809&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjY0NzM1NzI5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDk5MTQwMTEsImV4cCI6MTcxMDAwMDQxMX0.FBOpQlQCk4pu4fGhYjXIQ3XcpJF7Jmk066RF7IPXReE
Thank you! I have this article along with about 50 articles that spread throughout the news in the US regarding Pearson and the trail of Chaos he left that affected many people in a 9.5 year flight.
I hope that you were able to listen to my podcast at investigated pod.com also available on Apple, iTunes, stitcher, and wherever you listen to your podcasts. 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
I’ll definitely take a listen!
I wish to direct Santa Clarans to another tragedy, too. I visited this area and the victim ought to be remembered… The monument still exists I believe. God Bless.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Mary_Quigley
I am breaking my promise not to post. But this matter with Mary Quigley as a Santa Claran is WHY measures A and B were passed.
Truth sickens me. But as Suds says “it is what it is.”
Review this and internalize whether an Appointed or an Elected police officer would make a difference. At a higher level, probably yes. At a lower level, crime and murder happens if it is allowed to happen.
This event breaks my heart.
https://casetext.com/case/people-v-archibeque-1
Let’s Santa Clara safe for our daughters and its citizens.