California police spark new look at 1974 Coughlin disappearance

YOUNGSTOWN

It has been more than 35 years since Joanne Coughlin vanished from friends and family, but photos found in the possession of a convicted California killer may shed some light on what happened to the North Side woman.

Coughlin went to the European Health Spa on Boardman-Canfield Road on Dec. 27, 1974, wearing a pair of blue jeans, black top and a green leather jacket. The 21-year-old aspiring actress also had plans to meet her boyfriend later that night, but has not been seen since the health spa visit.

Funds were left untouched in Coughlin’s bank account, and no clothes were taken from her Ohio Avenue home, leading family members to suspect foul play.

Youngstown police began a search for the woman that would span decades, but a call from police in California has given a new spark to the case.

Police in Huntington Beach, Calif., recently released more than 100 photos of unidentified women found in the storage locker of a man convicted of killing four women and a 12-year-old girl. To view the photos, click here. Officers in Huntington Beach have called YPD saying they have reason to believe a photo of Coughlin is among them.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.