The Genesee River Killer: A tribute to the victims of Arthur Shawcross

We pause to remember the victims of Arthur Shawcross—individuals whose lives were taken too soon and whose stories deserve dignity and remembrance. They were more than victims; they were family members, friends, and members of their communities. Honoring their memory means acknowledging their humanity and ensuring they are never forgotten.

Jack Owen Blake

October 10, 1961 - May 7, 1972 (10 Years Old)

Jack Owen Blake was born October 18, 1961 at Mercy Hospital in Watertown NY, the son of Allen E and Mary Lawton Blake. Jack had blond hair and freckles, and was a typical, fun-loving 5th grader. He was the 7th of nine children and once saved his older sister from drowning in the Black River.

Jack left his family far too soon, on May 7, 1972, the first victim of serial killer Arthur Shawcross. He was missing for four months before being found and returned to his family.

He was buried in North Watertown cemetery in September 1972.

Karen Ann Hill

June 21, 1964 - September 2, 1972 (8 Years Old)

Karen Ann Hill was a blonde 8-year-old girl, sister to Thomas, Robert and little sister Christmas. She once taught her sister to dance to Joy To The World. She had dreams of becoming a movie star when she grew up, and wanted to marry singer Tom Jones. Her mother remembered her as a happy child.

Dorothy “Dotsie” Blackburn

June 18, 1960- March 18, 1988 (27 years old)

Burial

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA

Dotsie was a mother of three and came from a large, loving family with several siblings.

Anna Marie Daly Steffen

June 18, 1961- July 9, 1988 (28 years old)

Anna was formerly a caregiver to her sister Tina for several years, and she was a mother of two.

Dorothy Keeler

Born?- July 29, 1989 (59 years old)

Dorothy at one point worked as a waitress and lived in the Rochester, New York area.

Patricia “Patty” Schlicker Ives

March 31, 1964- September 29, 1989 (25 years old)

June Stott

June, 1958- October 23, 1989 (31 years old)

Maria A. Welch

September 26, 1968- November 5, 1989 (21 years old )

Frances “Frannie” Brown

July 1, 1967- November 11, 1989

Kimberly Logan

September 19, 1959–November 15, 1989 (30 years old)

Born in Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States, her father, Clyde Hubert Logan, was 40 and her mother, Jacqueline Louise Hokes, was 24.

Elizabeth “Liz” Gibson

August 30, 1960- November 27, 1989 (29 years old)

Burial

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USAShow Map

Mary Darlene Trippi

October 5, 1957- December 15, 1989 (32 years old)

Burial

Saint Patricks Cemetery

Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York, USA

She was loved by family and friends and is dearly missed.

June Cicero

June 3, 1955- December 17, 1989 (34 years old)

Burial

Riverside Cemetery

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA

June Cicero was born on June 3, 1955, in Queens, New York, her father, Pietro, was 44, and her mother, Anna Checkle, was 40. She had one son Tristan in 1981. She died as a young mother on December 17, 1989, at the age of 34.

Felecia Stephens

November 10, 1969- December 28, 1989 (20 years old)

New York, USA

Burial

Mount Hope Cemetery

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USAShow Map