Richard Cowden (born October 9, 1946), his wife Belinda June Cowden (born May 24, 1952), and their children, David James Phillips (born June 30, 1969) and Melissa Dawn Cowden (born March 19, 1974), disappeared from their campground in the Siskiyou Mountains near Copper, Oregon, United States, on September 1, 1974. Seven months later, in April 1975, their bodies were discovered approximately from their campsite. While law enforcement has suspected convicted killer Dwain Lee Little in their murders, their case remains unsolved. The family's disappearance resulted in one of the largest search efforts in Oregon history, and their murders have been described as one of the state's most "haunting and baffling" mysteries. The case received nationwide attention at the time of its occurrence, and their murders have been profiled in numerous national media such as the New York Post and others. The murders were also the subject of a chapter in the book But I Trusted You (2009) by crime writer Ann Rule. Background Richard Cowden (age 28), his wife Belinda (age 22), and their children David (age 5) and Melissa (age 5 months) were residents of White City, Oregon. Richard supported the family working as a logging truck driver. The Cowden family made last-minute plans to camp near Carberry Creek in Copper, Oregon, over the Labor Day weekend, 1974. On August 30, the family, along with their pet Basset Hound, Droopy, arrived at a campground near the creek, an area they had frequented in the past. They parked their 1956 Ford pickup truck on Carberry Creek Road, a short distance from the campsite. Disappearance September 1, 1974 On September 1, 1974, Richard Cowden and his son, David, arrived at the Copper General Store at approximately 9:00 am, where Richard purchased milk. The two then departed the store on foot, heading toward their campsite. This was the last sighting of any of the Cowden family. Later that evening, Belinda's mother, who lived less than from the campground, was expecting the family to come over for dinner on their way home. When they failed to arrive, she went to their campsite near the creek, but found nobody there; the family's belongings, however, were all present: A plastic dishpan full of cold water lay on the ground, while the keys to the family's truck as well as Belinda's purse were in plain sight on a picnic table. A diaper bag as well as