Refusing to Give Up

Most reporters spend a day or two on a story. If it's a big one, maybe they'll spend a month. Larry Welborn of The Orange County Register deserves an award for sheer tenacity after spending 31 years investigating the mystery of Linda Louise Cummings, a shy young woman found dead in her Santa Ana apartment in 1974. The coroner originally ruled that Cummings killed herself, but Welborn soon grew suspicious. His "Murder by Suicide?" is an eight-part series that reads like a detective novel as Welborn tracks down her killer. Only six parts have been published so far, and I can't wait to read what happens in the other two. Of special interest is how Welborn tells the story in a smooth narrative style, leaving most of the attributions to an informational sidebar.
A tip of the hat to Brian Summers for suggesting this story.
www.ocregister.com/news/2005/linda/