Casepin
Back to cases

Case file

Wineville Chicken Coop Murders

SOLVED1920Wineville (now Mira Loma), Riverside County, California3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Nortcott house
Nortcott house — Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain

Between 1926 and 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott, a Canadian who had moved with his parents to Los Angeles in 1924, abducted and murdered boys in Los Angeles and Riverside County, California. He built a chicken ranch in Wineville (now Mira Loma), Riverside County, with help from his father and his 14-year-old nephew, Sanford Clark, whom he brought from Saskatchewan under the pretext of work and subsequently physically and sexually abused.

In August 1928, Clark's older sister Jessie visited the ranch and Clark told her he feared for his life and that Northcott had murdered four boys. Jessie reported this to a U.S. consul in Canada, who alerted the Los Angeles Police Department. Immigration Service inspectors visited the ranch on August 31, 1928; Northcott fled, and Clark eventually told the inspectors what had happened. Northcott and his mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, fled to Canada and were arrested near Vernon, British Columbia, on September 19, 1928.

Clark testified that Northcott, with the help of Sarah Louise and Clark himself, had kidnapped, molested, beaten, and killed three boys at the ranch, and described the murder of a fourth boy — an unidentified Mexican national, near La Puente — whom Northcott beheaded. Clark said quicklime was used to help dispose of remains from the ranch murders. Authorities found three shallow graves at the ranch matching Clark's description, containing partial remains; testimony indicated the bodies had been exhumed and likely burned shortly before Clark was taken into protective custody, and were never recovered.

While held in British Columbia awaiting extradition, Sarah Northcott confessed to multiple murders, including that of nine-year-old Walter Collins, then retracted the confession, as did Gordon Northcott. After extradition to Los Angeles on November 30, 1928, Sarah again confessed and pleaded guilty to killing Collins; she was sentenced to life imprisonment on December 31, 1928, was paroled in 1940, and died in 1944. Because his mother had already been sentenced for the Collins killing, the state did not separately prosecute Gordon Northcott for that murder, though he was implicated in it.

Gordon Northcott was indicted for the murders of brothers Lewis Winslow (12) and Nelson Winslow (10), who had disappeared from Pomona on May 16, 1928, and of the unidentified "headless Mexican" victim. His trial before Judge George R. Freeman in Riverside County ended on February 8, 1929, with a guilty verdict; he was sentenced to death on February 13, 1929, and was hanged at San Quentin State Prison on October 2, 1930, at age 23.

Sanford Clark was not prosecuted for murder; the assistant district attorney concluded he had been a victim of Northcott's threats and abuse rather than a willing participant, and Clark was instead sent to Whittier State School. Walter Collins's disappearance became separately notorious after a boy who was later identified as runaway Arthur J. Hutchens Jr. falsely claimed to be Collins, and Collins's mother, Christine Collins, was briefly committed to a psychiatric ward by LAPD after disputing the boy's identity. Wineville was renamed Mira Loma in 1930 due to the case's negative publicity.

Key facts

Victims
Lewis Winslow, Alvin Gothea, Nelson Winslow, Walter Collins, Sanford Clark
Date
1920
Location
Wineville (now Mira Loma), Riverside County, California
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1924

    Gordon Stewart Northcott moves to Los Angeles, California, with his parents from Canada.

  2. 1926

    Northcott, then 19, establishes a chicken ranch in Wineville, Riverside County, bringing his 14-year-old nephew Sanford Clark from Canada to help build it.

  3. 1928-03-10

    Nine-year-old Walter Collins disappears after going to a movie theater in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles.

  4. 1928-05-16

    Brothers Lewis Winslow (12) and Nelson Winslow (10) are abducted from Pomona, California.

  5. 1928-08

    Jessie Clark visits the Wineville ranch; her brother Sanford Clark tells her he fears for his life and that Northcott has murdered four boys. Jessie later reports this to a U.S. consul in Canada.

  6. 1928-08-31

    Immigration Service inspectors visit the Wineville ranch; Northcott flees, and Sanford Clark eventually discloses what has occurred.

  7. 1928-09-19

    Gordon and Sarah Louise Northcott are arrested near Vernon, British Columbia.

  8. 1928-11-30

    Gordon and Sarah Northcott are extradited to Los Angeles.

  9. 1928-12-31

    Sarah Northcott pleads guilty to the murder of Walter Collins and is sentenced to life imprisonment.

  10. 1929-02-08

    Gordon Northcott is convicted of the murders of the Winslow brothers and the unidentified 'headless Mexican' victim after a 27-day trial.

  11. 1929-02-13

    Judge George R. Freeman sentences Gordon Northcott to death.

  12. 1930

    Wineville is renamed Mira Loma, largely due to negative publicity from the case.

  13. 1930-10-02

    Gordon Northcott is executed by hanging at San Quentin State Prison.

  14. 1940

    Sarah Northcott is paroled from Tehachapi State Prison.

  15. 1944

    Sarah Northcott dies.

  16. 1991-06-20

    Sanford Clark dies in Saskatoon, Canada.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Lewis Winslow

    VICTIM

    12-year-old abducted with his brother Nelson from Pomona, California, on May 16, 1928; Gordon Northcott was convicted of his murder.

  • Alvin Gothea

    VICTIM

    Referred to in some accounts as one of the murder victims (the unidentified 'headless Mexican' national) for whom Gordon Northcott was convicted; killed near La Puente.

  • Nelson Winslow

    VICTIM

    10-year-old abducted with his brother Lewis from Pomona, California, on May 16, 1928; Gordon Northcott was convicted of his murder.

  • Walter Collins

    VICTIM

    Nine-year-old boy who disappeared in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, on March 10, 1928; his mother's case pursued the killing as part of the Wineville investigation, for which Sarah Northcott pleaded guilty.

  • Sarah Louise Northcott

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to the murder of Walter Collins on December 31, 1928, and was sentenced to life imprisonment; paroled in 1940.

  • Gordon Stewart Northcott

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in February 1929 of the murders of brothers Lewis and Nelson Winslow and an unidentified Mexican national; implicated but not tried for the murder of Walter Collins. Executed at San Quentin State Prison on October 2, 1930.

  • Sanford Clark

    VICTIM

    Nephew of Gordon Northcott, brought from Canada at age 14 and subjected to physical and sexual abuse; not prosecuted for the murders, which the assistant district attorney concluded he participated in only under threat.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • California State Reform School at Whittier, ca.1901 (CHS-1157)

    archival location

    California State Reform School at Whittier, ca.1901 (CHS-1157)

    Credit: C. C. Pierce · Public domain · Source

  • Nortcott house

    archival location

    Nortcott house

    Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source

Places

Wineville (now Mira Loma), Riverside County, California

33.9733, -117.5400

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Between 1926 and 1928, Gordon Stewart Northcott abducted and murdered boys in Los Angeles and Riverside County, California, burying remains on his Wineville chicken ranch; he was convicted of three murders and executed in 1930, while his mother Sarah Northcott pleaded guilty to the murder of Walter Collins.
Where did the murders happen?
Wineville (now Mira Loma), Riverside County, California.
Who was convicted?
Sarah Louise Northcott (Pleaded guilty to the murder of Walter Collins on December 31, 1928, and was sentenced to life imprisonment; paroled in 1940.) and Gordon Stewart Northcott (Convicted in February 1929 of the murders of brothers Lewis and Nelson Winslow and an unidentified Mexican national; implicated but not tried for the murder of Walter Collins. Executed at San Quentin State Prison on October 2, 1930.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in California

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICWineville Chicken Coop murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — riversideca.govriversideca.gov · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 07, 2026