Editorial

The Glenn Reitz Murder: An Introduction

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 1

MADERA - In 1977, I entered junior high school in the small Central California town of Madera. While I thought I knew everything and had experienced things that other twelve-year-old boys had not, it would be many years before my eyes would be opened to the big picture and the truth about people: We should all be treated equally no matter what the differences.

I was an only child of conservative Republican parents with country club memberships. Dad was an accountant and a member of the Elk's and Masonic Lodges. Mom was also involved in community service clubs. Being an only child, I had my parents' full attention most times. I sometimes forgot that I was only a lad and my mouth occasionally landed me in some real trouble.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Crime Scene

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 2

MADERA - On Tuesday, March 19, 1985, Thomas Jefferson Junior High English teacher Glenn Reitz failed to show up for school. This was something school Principal Ben Barsotti thought was very unusual for the teacher he had hired thirteen years earlier.

Phone calls were made to Reitz's home, but there was no answer. Being that Reitz only lived half a block from the Sunset Avenue school on Rotan Street, Barsotti decided to walk over to the teacher's home. He found something no one had expected to see in the little town of Madera.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Time Line

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 3

MADERA - In 1985, Glenn Reitz was living a full life. At the time of his death, he was helping form a drum and bugle corps for the Boy Scouts of America. He was in great physical shape from working out six days a week. He was water skiing one day and snow skiing the next. He had friends who cared for him. He had students who remember fondly how he would offer his help in and out of the classroom. And he had his secret life.

Once the Madera Police got this case, Detectives Dale Padgett and David Foster did a great job piecing together the last 48 hours of the Thomas Jefferson teacher's life. Through phone records, interviews, and good police work, almost every hour of Reitz's last 48 hours was accounted for in the police reports. Of course, we do not know for sure who was in the house with Reitz when he was killed, but we do know who he came in contact with shortly before.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Missing Car & Police Sketch

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 4

MADERA - As the local leads were drying up on the March 19, 1985, murder of Thomas Jefferson Junior High teacher Glenn Reitz, the Madera Police got a big break in the case. A partial license plate belonging to Reitz was found near a burned-out car in a gravel pit in Louisiana.

On April 7, 1985, Barry Culpepper, owner of a gravel pit near Arcadia, Louisiana, reported to the Bienville Parish Sheriff's Department that he had found a burned car on his property approximately 150 yards west of the intersections of Parish Roads 402 & 446.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Serial Killer Theory

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 5

MADERA - The Madera Police Department looked into several theories of what happened that March night in 1985. All to explain the death of Glenn Reitz, the head of the Thomas Jefferson Junior High English Department.

Local bars and truck stops were descended on by detectives seeking out information. Local people were interviewed as to their possible involvement in the killing. There were even moments when it seemed plausible that Reitz could belong with the lists of other victims killed by murderers that some may identify as serial killers.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Local Killer(s)

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 6

MADERA - Since the death of Glenn Reitz, rumors have spread like wildfire. Such is human nature when a man dies in such a way. While the evidence indicates that the murderer was a transient, some folks believe that Reitz's murderer still lives in Madera. The investigation into a transient killer and the moving of Reitz's car to Louisiana is nothing more than a massive cover-up to protect a local man or men responsible for the death of the teacher.

The local theory is broken down into two camps. Reitz was involved with a local married man and wanted him to leave his wife. Two, Reitz was part of a group of men that, in secret, led a gay lifestyle and shared the company of men from gay bars in the area or hitchhikers coming through the area.

The Glenn Reitz Murder: Gay Bar Theory

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 7

MADERA - After the death of Glenn Reitz, Madera Police Captain Andrew Moore went through all of the murdered teacher’s papers and personal effects. In this search, the secret life of the victim was revealed. A private side that, even today, some of his family members question and doubt. However, after what Captain Moore uncovered, there is no question that Reitz kept a dangerous secret. One that could potentially put his life at risk every time he brought some stranger back to his house for company.

Upon finding receipts for video rentals, Captain Moore drove to a Fresno adult video store that specialized in "gay porn" called the “Video Box.” The store was part of a larger complex with two gay bars, The Express and The Backroom. Moore showed employees a photo of the victim, who recognized Reitz as a customer in both the video store and bars.