A Father Gunned Down in His Kitchen. Four Years Later, His 6-Year-Old Daughter Was Found in a Dumpster

Sacramento, California — 1971 to 1975

Harold Riley was a decorated U.S. Air Force technical sergeant who had served his country for 13 years.

On September 27, 1971, Harold returned home from work at McClellan Air Force Base. He was tired and ready to settle in for the night.

He walked into the kitchen of his home at 215 Olmstead Drive to get his wife, Mamie, a drink.

Then a shotgun blast exploded through the window.

Harold was struck in the back.

By the time Mamie reached her husband, he was dying on the kitchen floor.

Harold Riley’s Murder Goes Unsolved

Harold was a husband, a father and a veteran.

But his murder quickly faded from public attention and remained unsolved.

Many members of Sacramento’s Black community believed racial bias played a role in how little sustained attention the killing received.

Mamie was left to raise the couple’s 3 children alone.

Eventually, she moved her family to North Highlands. It was a rougher area, but one where she still felt her children could be safe.

Four years after losing her husband, another tragedy struck the Riley family.

This time, it was her 6-year-old daughter.

Harriet Riley Disappears

On January 9, 1975, Harriet Riley asked her mother for permission to walk to a nearby park.

Mamie agreed and told her daughter to be home within a couple of hours.

Harriet never returned.

A frantic search began.

The following morning, a cleaning woman at the Terry Crest Highlands Apartments made a devastating discovery.

Harriet’s body was inside a dumpster.

The 6-year-old had been wrapped in a plastic sheet, and her head was covered with a plastic bag.

The coroner determined that Harriet died from suffocation.

There were no signs of physical or sexual assault.

Authorities Focus on Two Boys

One week after Harriet’s death, the Sheriff’s Department announced that 2 boys had supposedly been “playing a game” with Harriet when she accidentally suffocated.

But questions immediately surrounded that account.

Even detectives reportedly acknowledged that parts of the story did not make sense.

The boys said they had left Harriet at the park.

Her body, however, was discovered miles away at an apartment complex.

When the boys’ families hired attorneys, they denied involvement.

The Sheriff’s Department attempted to pursue charges, but the case ultimately collapsed.

The families later sued the department, although the outcome of that lawsuit was never made public.

Two Deaths Devastated One Family

For many members of Sacramento’s Black community, the handling of Harriet’s case deepened concerns already surrounding Harold’s unsolved murder.

A Black father had been shot through the window of his own home.

Four years later, his 6-year-old daughter disappeared from a park and was found suffocated inside a dumpster.

Both cases generated questions about the investigative attention, resources and press coverage given to the Riley family.

Decades later, there has been no established evidence showing that Harold’s murder and Harriet’s death were connected.

But neither case brought the Riley family the answers they needed.

Who fired the shotgun through Harold Riley’s kitchen window remains unknown.

How Harriet went from a neighborhood park to a dumpster miles away — and who was responsible for putting her there — has never been fully resolved.

Mamie Riley lost her husband.

Then she lost her little girl.

More than 50 years later, the Riley family is still without complete answers about two devastating deaths that occurred only 4 years apart.

Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Harold Riley or Harriet Riley is asked to contact Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-AA-CRIME (222-7463).

© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished