The Skinwalker Defense: The Murder of Sarah Saganitso and the Trial that Shocked Flagstaff, Arizona.

KRIS CALVERT
21 hours ago
8 min read

Skinwalker in the desert under a blood moon. The murder of Sarah Saganitso and the Skinwalker Defense

The Skinwalker Defense: The Murder of Sarah Saganitso and the Trial that Shocked Flagstaff

Victim & Setting

On the morning of June 17, 1987, searchers found the body of Sarah L. Saganitso, a 40-year-old Navajo mother and longtime housekeeper at Flagstaff Medical Center, in a wooded, rocky area just behind the hospital. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office lists her as “found beaten to death behind Flagstaff Medical Center on June 17, 1987.” (Coconino County)

The Crime

Sarah had worked a late shift the previous night and never made it home. When family and hospital staff began looking for her, they discovered her nude, brutally assaulted body in the tree line near the employee parking area. Contemporary reporting and later retellings describe asphyxiation as the cause of death and note bite marks among the injuries. (Apple Podcasts)

A Suspect Emerges

That summer, investigators focused on George Abney, a 35-year-old Northern Arizona University English instructor who had been at the hospital that night. Abney ultimately confessed—in part via statements to a clergyman and police—then later recanted, saying he’d been coerced and emotionally unstable. Multiple sources recount details of his confession, including a bizarre effort to “explain” the bite marks, which prosecutors matched to his dentition. (The Cinemaholic)

The Trial—and a Strategy No One Saw Coming

Abney was tried for first-degree murder in 1988. In open court, his defense advanced an argument almost unheard of in American criminal law: that a Navajo “Skinwalker”—a malevolent witch in certain Diné traditions—had killed Sarah, and that elements at the scene were hallmarks of witchcraft rather than evidence of Abney’s guilt. Contemporary coverage notes the defense pointed to a broken stick placed across Sarah’s throat and a clump of “graveyard grass” found near her vehicle as “ritual” indicators. The defense also called an anthropologist who testified about “Skinwalkers,” implying a ritualistic killing linked to Navajo witchcraft. (Atlas Obscura)

In July 1988, after this extraordinary presentation—and despite the confession and bite-mark evidence—a jury acquitted Abney. Newspapers at the time reported the not-guilty verdict; subsequent summaries highlight that the “Skinwalker” theory helped create reasonable doubt. (Newspapers)

Why the “Skinwalker Defense” Landed

From a trial-craft perspective, here’s what likely moved the needle:

Narrative substitution: The defense offered a competing story that recontextualized physically odd details, converting them from incriminating to “ritual.” That gives jurors a psychologically satisfying alternate culprit. (Atlas Obscura)
Cultural mystification: Jurors unfamiliar with Diné beliefs heard esoteric testimony from an academic “expert,” which may have felt authoritative—even as Navajo community members objected to the portrayal. (Critics later blasted the testimony as culturally inaccurate and exploitative.) (LAST SEEN ALIVE)
Confession reframed: Once the defense undermined physical evidence, they only had to convince jurors that Abney’s confession was unreliable—coerced, unstable, symbolic—rather than a straightforward admission. (The Cinemaholic)

Cultural Context—Handled with Respect

Within Diné (Navajo) communities, Skinwalker (Yee Naaldlooshii) lore is complex, often private, and not the pop-horror creature the word has become online. The 1988 trial effectively weaponized a caricature of that belief system, using it to sow doubt. A number of Native voices and later commentators criticized the courtroom use of “Skinwalker” claims as racist and sensational, and Sarah’s family has consistently rejected the idea that a Skinwalker killed her. (LAST SEEN ALIVE)

What We Know—and Don’t

Known

Date found: June 17, 1987; location: woods behind Flagstaff Medical Center. (Coconino County)
Abney was arrested that fall and brought to trial in 1988. He had admitted involvement before recanting. (The Cinemaholic)
The defense advanced Skinwalker/witchcraft theories, citing scene elements (stick across the throat; “grave grass”). (Atlas Obscura)
Verdict: Not guilty (July 1988). (Newspapers)

Unknown / Disputed

Whether the confession was truly coerced or contaminated by suggestion. (Apple Podcasts)
The forensic strength of the bite-mark comparison in hindsight (bite-mark analysis has since been widely challenged in courts). (Inference based on broader forensic literature; case sources simply note the state offered a match.) (The Cinemaholic)
The exact evidentiary weight jurors assigned to the “ritual” theory versus their doubts about police procedures and confession reliability.

Aftermath & Media

The case has echoed for decades as perhaps the only U.S. murder trial where a defense explicitly blamed a “Skinwalker.” It has been explored by podcasters and documentarians, including The Trail Went Cold and Last Seen Alive, and most recently in the 2024 Hulu docuseries Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal (episode: “The Shape-Shifting Defense”). (Trail Went Cold)

Abney himself has kept a low profile since the acquittal, surfacing only in media references tied to the case’s renewed coverage. (The Cinemaholic)

Why This Case Matters

Victim-centric truth: Sarah Saganitso was a mother, sister, and pillar of a large family. Any retelling should start with her humanity, not with folklore. (LAST SEEN ALIVE)
Courts & culture: When courts admit exoticized cultural claims, they risk distorting both justice and tradition. Here, a non-Navajo “expert” was used to interpret Navajo beliefs for a non-Native jury. (LAST SEEN ALIVE)
Evidence standards: The case sits at the crossroads of confession reliability, forensic controversies (e.g., bite marks), and narrative persuasion—a study in how “reasonable doubt” gets built.

Call for Information

Officially, Sarah’s homicide remains unresolved in local cold-case lists. If you know anything about the death of Sarah Saganitso, contact Flagstaff Police at (928) 774-1414.

*Writer’s Note (paranormal & true-crime lens)

As a paranormal motif, “Skinwalkers” are often mishandled in mainstream storytelling—flattened into a monster trope divorced from Diné context. In the Sarah Saganitso case, that misrepresentation leapt from legend to litigation. The result wasn’t just a sensational headline—it was a real family listening as their loved one’s murder was reframed through a lens that many Navajo people themselves reject in this context. That’s why any responsible account—podcast, blog, or doc—must keep Sarah centered, treat Diné traditions with respect, and insist on evidence-driven analysis.

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Sources used for this podcast:

Web & Podcast Sources

Kauffman, K. (2024). Secrets of a psychic medium: Dead sight. Dead right [Kindle edition]. Kathryn M. Kauffman. https://amzn.to/4hsgAVE

The Trail Went Cold. (2021, Aug. 18). Episode 249: Sarah Saganitso [Podcast episode]. The Trail Went Cold. https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-249-sarah-saganitso/

The Cinemaholic. (n.d.). Sarah Saganitso: Where is George Abney now? https://thecinemaholic.com/sarah-saganitsos/

Once Upon the Weird. (n.d.). It’s a strange, strange world out there [Blog post]. https://www.onceupontheweird.com/its-a-strange-strange-world-out-there/

Hulu. (n.d.). Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal [TV series]. https://www.hulu.com/series/out-there-crimes-of-the-paranormal

Reddit. (2019, Dec.). Did anyone hear about the mutilated woman behind… [Online forum post]. https://www.reddit.com/r/skinwalkers/comments/eo2gf4/did_anyone_hear_about_the_mutilated_woman_behind/

Reddit. (2024). Native American murder case [Online forum post]. https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmycrime/comments/1jrpql3/native_american_murder_case/

Reddit. (2024). Anyone know the backstory behind this supposed… [Online forum post]. https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptids/comments/1f3v544/anyone_know_the_backstory_behind_this_supposed/

Flagstaff Stargazing. (n.d.). General information [Web page]. https://www.flagstaffstargazing.com/general-1

ResearchGate. (n.d.). Map of the Navajo Nation with agency councils and border towns [Figure]. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-the-Navajo-nation-with-agency-councils-and-certain-border-towns-adopted-with_fig1_375872405

William-Branham.org. (n.d.). Floyd Patterson [Research note]. https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/floyd_patterson

Northern Arizona University. (n.d.). NAU homepage [University website]. https://nau.edu/

Alchetron. (n.d.). Richard Ofshe [Web profile]. https://alchetron.com/Richard-Ofshe

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Navajo [Encyclopedia article]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo

Aaland, M. (n.d.). The Native American sweat lodge [Web page]. http://mikkelaaland.com/the-native-american-sweat-lodge.html

YouTube. (n.d.). [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R29g0AwI3YI

The Law Offices of Bruce S. Griffen. (n.d.). Bruce S. Griffen—Attorney bio [Profile]. https://www.flagstaff-lawyer.com/bio/bruce-s-griffen-flagstaff-criminal-dui-attorneys.cfm

Arizona Republic/azcentral. (2019, July 23). Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Jon Thompson dies at 65 [News article]. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/07/23/arizona-court-of-appeals-judge-jon-thompson-dies-65/1806302001/

Aspey Watkins & Diesel, PLLC. (n.d.). Donald H. Bayles, Jr. [Attorney profile]. https://awdlaw.com/professionals/donald-h-bayles-jr/

Utah State University. (2018, Nov. 12). Barre Toelken, renowned folklorist and beloved professor, dies at 83 [News release]. https://www.usu.edu/today/story/barre-toelken-renowned-folklorist-and-beloved-professor-dies-at-age-83

AlternateHistory (Reddit). (2024). Battle of Skinwalker Ranch—Navajo Wars [Online forum post]. https://www.reddit.com/r/AlternateHistory/comments/1dp1ls3/battle_of_skinwalker_ranch_navajo_wars/

Tomecek Studio. (n.d.). Watchers Lodge—Skinwalker Ranch [Project page]. https://www.tomecekstudio.com/watchers-lodge-skinwalker-ranch

JEADV (Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology). (2018, Feb. 21). Skinwalker (Yee naaldlooshii) – “Butterfly Boy,” chapter 24 [Blog post/ancillary content]. https://www.jeadvm.com/single-post/2018/02/21/skinwalker-yee-naldlooshii-butterfly-boy-chapter-24

Amazon. (2023). Secrets of a Psychic: Medium—Sight Right [Streaming video]. https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Psychic-Medium-Sight-Right/dp/B0DQH9BN4K

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Cold cases in Coconino County [PDF]. https://www.coconino.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/451/Cold-Cases-in-Coconino-County

Newspapers, Archives, & Local Media

Arizona Daily Sun. (n.d.). [Articles on Sarah Saganitso/related coverage] [Newspaper articles]. https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-sun/64880623/ ; https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-sun/136756538/

The Arizona Republic. (n.d.). Tompkins—skinwalker [Newspaper article]. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-tompkins-skinwalker/128233368/

The Arizona Republic. (n.d.). Acquittal… [Newspaper article]. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-republic-acquitta/129161955/

Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. (1988). The Lumberjack [Student newspaper; digital item ID 15678]. https://archive.library.nau.edu/digital/collection/p16748coll1/id/15678/

“Skinwalker” / Cultural Context (General)

Yee naaldlooshii (skinwalker). (n.d.). In Wikipedia / general web sources listed above.

(See also: JEADV blog entry; ResearchGate Navajo Nation map; NAU homepage; sweat lodge overview.)

Film & Television (Selected References)

When creators/companies aren’t provided, APA permits a simplified entry (title, year, medium). Add distributors/directors later if desired.

Grumpy Old Men. (1993). [Film].

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. (2004). [Film].

The Grand Budapest Hotel. (2014). [Film].

It’s a Boy Thing. (2006). [Film].

The Exorcist III: Legion. (1990). [Film].

Another Me. (2013). [Film].

Doctor Who. (2011). The Impossible Astronaut (Season 6, Episode 1) [TV series episode].

Dead to Me. (2022). Look What We Have Here (Season 3, Episode 3) [TV series episode].

Peep Show. (2012). Jeremy Therapized (Season 8, Episode 10) [TV series episode].

South Park. (2000). Something You Can Do with Your Finger (Season 4, Episode 8) [TV series episode].

Family Guy. (2007). Padre de Familia (Season 6, Episode 6) [TV series episode].

Better Call Saul. AMC Marco (Season 1, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. (2015, April 6). Sony Pictures Television.

Scream 2 Craven, W. (Director). (1997). [Film]. Dimension Films.

Late Show with David Letterman episode aired November 18, 1998 [TV series episode]. (1998, November 18). CBS; Worldwide Pants.

Workaholics TAC in the Day (Season 5, Episode 13) [TV series episode]. (2015). In. Comedy Central/Viacom Media Networks.

Never Have I Ever piss off everyone I know (Season 1, Episode 8)

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