Yesterday I received an interesting email regarding additional details about Mike Butler, someone I believe to be a person of interest in this case. (If you haven’t read the account of Dorothy Jane Scott, here is my previous post: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott.)

As it turns out, Mike Butler passed away from health complications in 2014. A memorial featured in the online news site Orcas Issues details how Mike was a deeply religious man, well-known throughout his community. Mike’s family settled in Southern California after his father, who served as an Army Captain for many years, retired. After graduating from Fullerton Union High School in the early 1960’s, Mike Butler attended California State University, majoring in English. At the age of twenty, he was drafted into the U.S. Army; finished Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training in Infantry; was then assigned overseas to Hohenfels, Germany in 1967 and became a writer who was often published in Stars and Stripes News.

When his time in the military came to an end, he worked as a roadie for several rock bands including the Beach Boys and his sister’s all-female band, Birtha. As mentioned in my previous post, Mike has a sister who is an accomplished musician and singer in Southern California and, at one time, worked at Swinger’s Psych Shop; the same shop where Dorothy worked and Dorothy’s father, Jacob, previously owned.

What this person who contacted me and I find of particular interest is this: In time, Mike settled down in Orange County, CA and took a job as a machine shop maintenance employee. Why is this of interest? In a 2016 article from Nightflight.com titled, Feed Your Head: Night Flight takes a trip back to the early 70s head shop, the author who frequented Swinger’s Head Shop describes his experience with it in detail including the location:

“Swinger’s was a 2400 sq. ft. store located at 517 S. Brookhurst Street, about a mile south of the Santa Freeway, next door or in close proximity to an auto mechanic or body shop or a muffler shop (something like that) on the corner of Orange Ave.

I believe it actually occupied a couple of rented-out retail spaces next door to each other, in a dull and otherwise unremarkable mini-mall that still looks pretty dull and unremarkable today (a quick look at Google’s street view shows that the space is currently occupied by two businesses: Zena’s Hair Salon and Ocean Breeze Cleaners).” I looked at the Google street view and noticed that there are an AAMCO Transmission Shop and a USA Auto Repair located in this same mini-mall. (Street view of 517 S. Brookhurst)

Could Mike Butler have worked at that “auto mechanic or body shop or muffler shop” that was in close proximity to Swingers? The person who stalked and harassed Dorothy prior to her kidnapping and murder was obsessed with her day-to-day activities including what she wore. Is it possible that her murderer worked at that shop, granting him the opportunity to keep such close tabs on her? Dorothy had told several people, including her parents, that she recognized the voice on the other end of the line but couldn’t place it. Could Dorothy have, at one time, brought her car in for some repairs, leading her killer to come face-to-face with and speak to her killer?

Feel free to share your thoughts.

References:

Nightflight.com article, Feed Your Head…

***Brenda Thornlow is a published author from Brooklyn, NY. Her work can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.***