Mother in Slain Girl Tragedy Faces Drug Count

A woman whose plight gained statewide attention last year after her 7-year-old daughter disappeared and was later found sexually molested and strangled in a neighbor’s house was charged today with drug possession, authorities said.

Linda Hodges, 43, of Apple Valley, and two others were arrested Tuesday night when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies raided a Newhall house and seized a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, a gun and $5,000 in cash, Deputy Gabe Ramirez said. Arrested with Hodges were Don Hall, 38, and his sister, Mary Alexander, 39, who live in the home.

Hodges formerly lived in the home in the 24900 block of Alderbrook Drive and was doing yardwork at the time deputies arrived Tuesday night. Deputies said they found a small quantity of methamphetamine in Hodges’ purse and she was charged with possession of methamphetamine, a drug commonly referred to as speed. Hall and Alexander were charged with sales of methamphetamine.

When Hodges was renting a room from Alexander in the Alderbrook Drive house in 1989, her daughter, Sara Nan, disappeared and was the subject of a massive search by deputies and community volunteers for three days. Her body was found March 26, 1989, in a neighbor’s home.

The girl had been sexually molested and strangled and her body was stuffed behind the headboard of a water bed in the bedroom of 14-year-old Curtiss Cooper. The boy was arrested, later pleaded guilty to killing the girl and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

The disappearance and slaying of the girl touched a nerve in the community and dozens of strangers attended her funeral and contributed to a fund to pay her funeral costs.

The tragedy was followed by another four months later when Sara Nan’s father, Wallace S. Mann, who was separated from Linda Hodges, committed suicide on his daughter’s grave. Investigators concluded that Mann, 36, was distraught over his daughter’s slaying and the breakup of his marriage.

Deputies said today that Linda Hodges’ arrest came following a two-month investigation of activities at the house on Alderbrook Drive. A narcotics investigator said the investigation was begun after deputies received numerous complaints from neighbors that drugs were being sold there.

An investigator, who asked not to be identified, said Hodges was often seen at the house and was believed to be close friends with the two other suspects. He said Hodges was previously known to narcotics investigators as a drug user and had been arrested at least once before. He said there was no evidence she was involved in the sales of drugs at the house.

“She might have just been there as a customer,” he said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Brad Stone said deputies who raided the house found three-tenths of a gram of methamphetamine and bag containing cotton balls soaked with liquid methamphetamine in Hodges’ purse.

“She had a good usable quantity but not enough to imply sales,” Stone said, explaining why she was not charged with selling the drug as were Hall and Alexander.

The quarter-pound of the drug found in the house could be worth as much as $3,750 if sold on the street, deputies said.

Hodges, who has one other daughter, was being held at the sheriff’s station jail in Valencia in lieu of $5,000 bail. Alexander was being held in lieu of $15,000 and Hall had no bail because his arrest violated his parole from a previous conviction of possession of narcotics for sale, deputies said.