Unsolved 1973 · Camp Lejeune
Rickey Bickerstaff
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His story
Rickey Bickerstaff was a Marine from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On Dec. 6, 1973, after he missed morning formation, fellow Marines found him in a storage closet on Camp Lejeune. The medical examiner listed his death as an apparent homicide caused by blows to the head.
His family has spent decades looking for answers. His parents have since died. In 2018 his brother and sister-in-law spoke publicly, saying that to their knowledge no suspect was ever named, and that a records request to NCIS came back "negative."
Key facts as reported
- Found Dec. 6, 1973, in a storage closet on Camp Lejeune after missing morning formation.
- The medical examiner's report listed the cause as "apparent homicide."
- His family's 2018 records request to NCIS came back "negative" for records, with an option to appeal.
- No reward was found. No later update was found after 2018.
Agency and status
Status reflects the latest public report we found and may be out of date.
Immediate family of someone killed after Jan. 1, 1970, in a case a federal agency investigated may be able to ask for an independent cold-case review under the Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021. Learn about HVFRA21 at NCIS.