A Murder Near Auburn, Two Suspects Freed, and a Sheriff Still Waiting for Someone to Talk
Zenga Maseda was killed near Auburn. Two Japanese men were arrested, then released for lack of evidence, while deputies kept hunting the murderer.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The two Japanese men, “Joe” and “Andy,” who were arrested on suspicion of being implicated in the murder of Zenga Maseda near Auburn, were released from the county jail yesterday. Sheriff Woolery and Prosecuting Attorney Miller think that “Joe” might throw some light on the case if he would talk, but the evidence in the hands of the state did not warrant further detention. Deputy Sheriff Jack McDonald is still at work on the case, and the county officials do not give up hope of capturing the murderer.
“Sheriff Woolery and Prosecuting Attorney Miller think that “Joe” might throw some light on the case if he would talk, but the evidence in the hands of the state did not warrant further detention.”
The item shows how quickly a local killing could become entangled with racialized suspicion and then fade from the record when evidence failed. Unsolved violence in outlying communities still tests whether victims and their families receive equal attention.
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