Suspect in 1983 murders may be living as a woman in Los Angeles, authorities say

Left: A 1983 booking photo of fugitive murder suspect John Gentry. Right: An age-progressed artist's depiction of Gentry at present. (Monroe County Sheriff)

A man suspected of killing his male and female lovers in 1983 may be living as a woman in Los Angeles, Michigan investigators said Thursday.

John Kelly Gentry Jr. has not been heard from since May 1983, when he sent postcards from Southern California to a friend and his father, Monroe County Sheriff's Det. Jeff Smith told reporters.

Gentry, who would be 63, is the prime suspect in the murder of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Barbara Gerber. She was found stabbed to death at her Summerfield Township, Mich. on April 12, 1983. Her car was stolen and later recovered in Toledo, Ohio.

Six days after Gerber was found dead, investigators also discovered the body of William Veith, 52, in the basement of his rare coin shop in Toledo. Veith's car was also stolen and later found in South Bend, Ind.

Investigators believe that Gentry lived a double life, splitting time between Gerber's and Keith's homes, before killing them when they learned about each other.

On Thursday, Smith said investigators had received information suggesting Gentry had adopted his middle name, Kelly, as an alias and had frequented West Hollywood, a noted LGBT neighborhood in Los Angeles.

"The U.S. Marshals Service received information in the last five years that Gentry was possibly living in California as a woman, that dresses as a woman," said Smith, who added that the information was not a surprise to Gentry's family.

However, Smith said authorities did not know his current whereabouts. The detective also said that Gentry may be dead because his fingerprints, which are in the FBI's database due to a prior criminal record, have not been flagged anywhere else.

"If he's alive he's obviously living somewhat of a law-abiding life," Smith said, "because otherwise the prints should come back a match."

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