Burglars Hit Jackpot, Find O’Hair Family Gold Coins
by John MacCormack
San Antonio Express-News, 7-27-99

SAN ANTONIO – There is a weird twist in the case of missing atheist figure Madalyn Murray O’Hair: A gang of burglars apparently ended up with most of the $500,000 in gold coins that vanished along with Mrs. O’Hair and her two adult children in late 1995.

”They were out breaking into storage warehouses, which was their livelihood, and they just happened to hit the right one at the right time,’ said Roderick Beverly, the FBI agent in charge of the San Antonio office.

However, he said, “As best we can tell, these people did not keep records, and they have very little to show for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Agent Beverly said the thieves apparently made the score of a lifetime in late 1995 when they found a heavy suitcase during a break-in at the Burnet Road Self Storage in Austin. It contained an estimated $420,000 in Krugerrands, Canadian Maple Leaf and American Eagle coins, he said.

However, in spending the windfall , the San Antonio thieves eventually caught the attention of federal authorities. ”We have about three primary suspects in the theft, and another eight or 10 who were involved in the aftermath,” Agent Beverly said. ”But based on their cooperation and candid comments to us, none have been charged.”

He declined to say who put the coins in the storage locker, and he never mentioned Mrs. O’Hair at a news conference last Tuesday. The news conference was called to encourage anyone with knowledge of unusual activity involving gold coins to contact police.

Details in an FBI news release, as well as information in other court documents, made it clear that these were the coins that Mrs. O’Hair’s son, Jon Murray, bought in San Antonio in September 1995.

Mr. Murray, Mrs. O’Hair and her daughter, Robin Murray O’Hair, disappeared. shortly after the coin purchase. They are. presumed to be dead, although their bodies have not been found.

In May, three men were named in a federal affidavit as the abductors and killers. Two, David Waters and Gary Karr, are behind bars on weapons charges. The third man, Danny Fry, was killed and his head and hands cut off by Mr. Waters and Mr. Karr, shortly after the O’Hair family members vanished.

No one, however, has been charged with any crimes relating to the O’Hair or Fry cases.

Madalyn Murray O’Hair gained prominence more than 30 years 1 ago for her efforts to remove reli- : gion from schools and later led a ; worldwide atheist organization.