Son Charged In Mother's Brutal 1994 Murder: OCDA

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — In 1994, Frances Marjorie Van Uden, a mother of three and grandmother of five, was found brutally murdered in Corona Del Mar. Her body was not discovered for two days, until concerned neighbors called police. With no leads, the case went cold. Though her son, John Henry Van Uden III was identified as a possible suspect in the death of his mother, he was never arrested for the crime.

That all changed on Thursday, when Van Uden III walked off of his boat in Newport Beach and was arrested by Newport Beach police officers on charges of special circumstances murder of his mother. He allegedly killed her for financial gain.

"He might have thought he got away with it, but he did not," Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas said.

According to police, he did not put up a fight, and was booked at NBPD Jail without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6.

At a press conference held Thursday, Rackauckas and Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis formally announced the arrest and charges filed in what the OCDA called a financially motivated murder.

The NBPD Detective Division conducted interviews, followed leads, and collected evidence in this case for 23 years, according to Lewis. The case file was reviewed, developed, and expanded by a number of detectives over the years whenever there was a chance to dedicate staff time to this cold case homicide investigation. In 2016, the Newport Beach City Council approved contracts to hire two part-time cold case homicide investigators.

Two retired homicide detectives were assigned to the Newport Beach Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit to assist in investigating the NBPD’s cold case homicides with no other case load. Over the next year, they continued to build on the strong foundation of evidence against Van Uden III.

On October 26, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) filed a special circumstances murder charge and an arrest warrant for Van Uden III for the murder of his mother.

“Last week would have marked Marjorie’s 100th birthday," Lewis addressed the members of Ms. Van Uden’s family at the press conference. "But we at the Newport Beach Police Department, along with you, have never forgotten what happened in March 1994."

Rackauckas expanded on the heinous way that Marjorie's life was ended, being struck with blunt force and left undiscovered for days.

“Through decades of old school detective work, this morning we are delivering justice to a son who is charged with ending the life of the very person who gave him life,”Rackauckas stated. “We will never forget, give up, or move on from investigations into the cold case homicides of Orange County.”

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it is released.

Photos, courtesy OCDA's Office & Newport Beach Police Department