Crime & Safety

Missing and Wanted: Cold Case Detectives Seek Justice for Murdered Cabbie

Taxi driver Larry Hargis was found shot to death in a Spring Valley field 43 years ago.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives would like to close the book on a 43-year-old case and put whoever killed Larry Hargis behind bars. The 27-year-old taxi driver was murdered in the early morning hours of June 25, 1970, taking a fare from downtown San Diego to Spring Valley.

Investigators say Hargis radioed the Yellow Cab dispatcher in the pre-dawn hours of June 25 to say he picked up a fare at 11th and C Streets and he was going to the Spring Valley area. That was the last he was heard from. 

Hours later, Hargis was found in a field in the 800 block of Galopago Street shot to death. His wallet and cab were missing. Detectives say robbery was a possible motive for the murder, but failed to identify any viable suspects during the investigation.

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Hargis’s cab was found abonded in the 1200 block of 16th Street in downtown San Diego that afternoon.

Cold Case detectives are seeking the public’s help to find the person or persons responsible for the murder of Larry Hargis.  Anyone with information about the case is urged to call authorities:

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—San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detail at 858-974-2321

—Sheriff’s Department communications division at 858-565-5200

—Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling CrimeStoppers at 888-580-8477. You may be eligible for a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

—Tips can also be submitted to CrimeStoppers through an online form.

About this series:

Scores of cases throughout San Diego County go unsolved by local law enforcement investigators each year. A teen thought to be a runaway has still not come home. A dangerous parolee goes missing. A parent in a custody dispute kidnaps the children. A family member who is homeless and mentally ill disappears off the street. A loved one is murdered and there are few clues or no suspect.

No matter what the circumstances, police and relatives continue to search for those who are missing and wanted. They want the son, sister, or husband home. They want justice for the victims of crimes. They want the bad guys behind bars.

Each day in October, our Patch sites will feature a different person who is missing and wanted in San Diego County. Look at their pictures. Have you seen them? Do you have information that might help them be located, or identify a suspect?

Each profile will have a phone number for you to call to provide information. Let’s help investigators close these cases!


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