Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten

Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten, known as Dorothy Stratten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980)

Stratten was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979, Playmate of the Year in 1980 and was the second Playmate (after Lee Ann Michelle) born in the 1960s. Stratten appeared in three comedy films and in at least two episodes of shows broadcast on US network television. She was murdered by her estranged husband/manager Paul Snider, who committed suicide on the same day. Shortly after noon on August 14, 1980, Snider and Stratten met at Snider's house, where the two had once lived as a couple. Stratten had come to talk about an amicable divorce and brought along $1,000 to give to Snider. At approximately 11 p.m., Snider's private investigator called Dr. Stephen Cushner's (friend of Snider) private line, saying that he had been trying to telephone Snider for several hours, but Snider would not answer his phone. Cushner broke into Snider's room and found the bodies of Snider and Stratten, both dead from shotgun blasts from a 12 gauge Mossberg shotgun; both bodies were nude. Police believed that Snider raped and murdered Stratten, then killed himself with the same shotgun. Dorothy Stratten was 20 years old at the time of her death, and is buried at Westwood Memorial Park.