[7] They also confirmed that none of Cutshall's or Allen's belongings had been taken, ruling out robbery as a motive, and that neither of them had been sexually assaulted. . All of the hospital and law enforcement records related to the case were missing by 2011 and authorities announced their intention to find both Lisa Michelle Smith and the young woman calling herself "Lisa Smith" or someone who knew them. The sheriff pegged it as an obvious suicide, even though the dead guy didn't seem troubled and was about to take a walk along the railroad tracks with his brother and niece. During those years, at least seven young women were sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered by an unknown killer. Namely, in Zodiac Unmasked, Graysmith notes that a police officer had informed him that chipmunk hairs had been found on the bodies of several Santa Rosa victims. In the 1980s, former county coroner Tom Siebe told the Press Democrat a middle-aged married man who died in a car accident in the mid-1970s was their prime suspect. For more about the Napa County Cold Case Investigation Unit, please see Cold Case Unit Investigates Unsolved Deaths and Nine Cold Cases Could Still Be Solved. Three days after Christmas 1972, their bones were found by two teenage hikers near Franz Valley Road. The truck was described as a 1950s model with a wooden homemade camper in the back.[8]. It is also possible that the killer may have carried Walshs body for miles prior to disposal.[7]. DNA testing linked him in 2022 to the 1996 unsolved murder of a woman in Californias wine country. Maureen Louise Sterling, 12, and Yvonne Lisa Weber, 13,[2] both Herbert Slater Middle School students,[3] disappeared around 9 p.m. on February 4, 1972, after visiting the Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Walshs corpse was found six days later on December 28. The witness told interviewers that, in retrospect, she thought the man she saw in the lobby at the ice arena resembled photographs of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. UNSOLVED - From early 1972 to 1979, the bodies of seven girls and young women were found in rural Santa Rosa, buried or dumped along steep embankments or in creek beds. Trimble had also told her mother she intended to do some Christmas shopping at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa. Very few witness descriptions are available. They did not tell her brother that Graham was missing until they saw him in person years later. Gallon was recently arrested for the murder of his brother in their Forestville home. One tipster reported seeing two men with a girl on Calistoga Road. Want to post on Patch? Also investigated were: Joseph Naso, the Hillside stranglers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr., and the Zodiac killer. Police learned from Jeannettes roommate Nora Morales that the Jeanette often hitchhiked 16 kilometers (10 mi) from her home in Cotati to her classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. But there wasn't enough evidence to close the case." It was 9 p.m. on a Friday, and their mothers wouldnt be back to pick them up for two hours. Modern advancements in DNA analysis have provided important clues in several cold cases throughout the country. I'm pleased to announce that the Sheriff's Office has made a major break-thru in the investigation surrounding the murders of Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall that took place in August, 2004 in Jenner. Looking further into this, according to the same report, from 1965 to 2019 there were roughly 128,787 murders in California alone. Her parents found a note waiting for them at their Anderson, California, home. [7] The cause of death could not be determined[4] from the skeletal remains. [27][3][16] Her weight and eye color could not be ascertained, and no clothing was found. Smiths disappearance was reported on March 28, 1971, and as of this writing, her body has never been found. 1976: Alvin Maddux and Faye Maddux; Elaine Lehtinen, 1980: Charles Slack; Ruben Huijon; Douglas Hancock, 1981: Ian Dallas; Lloyd Johnson; Henry Villanueva, 1991: Kin Po-Ko; Peggy Swarts; Marty Davis, 2007-2009: Johnethel McGehee (McGhee's remains were found in the Berryessa area in 2009; detectives determined she died in 2007. A reward of up to $2,500 is being. Jason, from Michigan, and Lindsay, from Ohio, were in California working at a Christian youth white water rafting camp in El Dorado County and were on a three day sight-seeing trip of the Northern California coast. On their last day alive, the girls had gone to Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa in order to buy Christmas gifts for their friends and family. . Authorities suspect it is possible that she was a possible homicide victim and that her case could have been related to the other attacks in the area during the same time period, but she disappeared months before the killings began. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. when I comitt my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, + a few fake accidents, etc." [5], Both Cutshall and Allen were counselors at Rock-N-Water, a Christian summer camp in El Dorado County, California. Revisit some of the most heinous crimes in local history. [11] DNA tests in the early 2000s could not match Allen with any of the prints taken from the Zodiac crime scenes. [4] Both girls, like other young people in that era, often hitchhiked. ", I will now take some questionsand while I want to be as transparent as possible, please understand that I don't want to jeopardize the continued investigation and prosecution of this case, so I will not be answering any questions that might disclose information that should be saved for the courtroom. That was my big sister., In February 1973, 15-year-old Carolyn left for school as usual; she never arrived. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. On July 8, 1979, skeletal remains were found in a shallow embankment inside the Jackson State Forest in Mendocino County, California. A high school friend said she last saw the girls on a morning in December when all of them were smoking outside the high school. The friend declined to accompany the girls to smoke with the man, whom she had never seen before. Panic rose in their parents throats as they searched the skating rink for Maureen and Yvonne. Each of the women and girls were killed somewhere else and dumped around Santa Rosa. MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Sometimes, police get a case they just can't solve and also cannot leave. She was treated at Novato General Hospital for a skull fracture and multiple, severe cuts and bruises. This story was originally published Feb. 1, 2021. The number of currently unsolved California murders is absolutely shocking. Get Started Now Neither caller was able to provide further details. Detectives are going over evidence to see if Bokin was involved. The Violent Crimes Unit (VCI) is comprised of One Detective Sergeant, and Four Detectives who investigate felony crimes against persons. February 4, 1972, proved to be a tragic day in Sonoma County, California. in Sonoma County, California, was once the location for just one series of horrific murders, which would go on to shock this normally peaceful community to the core and which have remained unexplained to this day. We know that we have miles to go before the case is closed with a conviction, but we also know the power and wonder of God's grace. Click through our gallery above to learn more about the North Coast cold cases, solved and unsolved, that linger in our collective memories. On that day, two middle school students, Maureen Sterling (left above) and Yvonne Weber (right above), went missing. Police had believed the girls were runaways and had not thoroughly investigated their disappearance. Moses was last seen getting into a car with a 25- to 30-year old man in Santa Rosa on Aug. 13, 1997. They'd started their road trip from Fisherman's Wharf the day before their murders, which remain unsolved to this day. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Silent Witness . Unlike the killers first two victims, Kim Wendy Allen was a teenager (19, to be exact) and a college student attending Santa Rosa Junior College. The Winchester Mystery House. She was initially reported missing from Petaluma, California, by her foster parents on March 16, 1971 after she was last seen hitchhiking a short distance away from her foster home, along Hearn Avenue, at around 7 p.m. At the time, she was wearing a white blouse with ruffles, a dark pea coat, green bell-bottom jeans, and cowboy boots. Her captor or captors left her by the side of the road. Dear Mom, it read. Yvonne Quilantang, 15, was found strangled in a vacant, Nancy Feusi, 22, disappeared after going dancing at a club in the, Brenda Kaye Merchant, 19, was found stabbed to death at her home on February 1, 1974, in, Donna Maria Braun, 14, whose strangled body was found at 7 p.m. on September 29, 1974 in the, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 10:39. One-Year Anniversary of the Unsolved Murder of 12-Year-Old Angel Gaspar. She defended me tooth and nail. From Fatty Arbuckle's notorious sexual assault scandal at the St. Francis Hotel in 1921 to the 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, there's a dark side to San Francisco. BY PRESS DEMOCRAT STAFF. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Gallon is well known to Sheriff's Office Investigators, and early on in the Jenner murder investigation Gallon was a person of interest who detectives never ruled out as a possible suspect. Nine days later, her body was found near a Highway 101 offramp in south Petaluma. In a strange turn of events, both girls would go missing on the same day but would be reported missing on different days. On March 4, 1972, at 5:00 PM, Allen left her job at a health food store in Larkspur to attend a night class. Following an autopsy performed by Sonoma County coroner Andrew Johnasen, it was concluded that Allens killer had tortured her and killed her by slowly strangling her with a cord or wire. At least it should be. [2] It could not be determined if she had been raped. [61], Robert Graysmith, in his book Zodiac Unmasked, claims that a Sonoma County sheriff revealed that chipmunk hairs were found on all of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker victims and that Allen had been collecting and studying the same species. Like so many of us, Kristin Modaferirelocated to the Bay Area from across the country. No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. Davis would not be seen again until her corpse was discovered on July 31. All of them were wearing life jackets. Her body was discovered in a park in Los Angeles and her death has been publicized repeatedly, mostly because of how particularly gruesome the murder was. Other investigators later cast doubt on the meaning of the twig figure and whether it had any connection to the girls murder. She was so full of life, her grief-stricken mother told local newspapers. Seven years before and about 91 meters (300 ft) away had been the spot where the body of Lori Lee Kursa had been found.[9]. [2] A possible witness to her abduction later came forward stating that on an evening somewhere between December 3 and 9, 1972, while on Parkhurst Drive, he saw two men walking with a young girl. Amazingly, friends and schoolmates of both girls had lived for over 30 years without ever knowing that the girls were even missing, let alone dead.[10]. Police thought two fingerprints on the checkbook might belong to the killer. Graysmith noted that some of the Zodiacs later letters contained Chinese-like characters similar to the ones found on the barrel carried by Kim Allen on the day of her death. Lori Lee Kursa, Carolyn Davis, Maureen Sterling, Therese Walsh, Kim Wendy Allen and Yvonne Weber, the victims of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murderer. Police thought it was suicide, but friends are sure it's murder, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Graham was reportedly reported missing on Christmas Eve that year. Gallon had previously been arrested for the shooting death of his brother Shamus at their mother's home. [5], On Saturday - the probable night of the murder - it is speculated, but not confirmed, that the couple went to a local motel and restaurant called River's End but were unable to rent a room. Boaters discovered her partially submerged underneath a log in Mark West Creek. Similarly, nobody could say for sure whether either Sterling or Weber had been sexually assaulted. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. The Jenner, California, double murder of 2004 occurred on the night of August 1415, 2004, in which a young couple was shot to death as they slept on a state beach. For decades, several murders and missing persons cases have puzzled law enforcement throughout the North Coast. Twenty-year-old Jeannette Kamahele was a student at Santa Rosa Junior College when she disappeared for good on April 25, 1972. Johnasen found that Kursa had been dead for one to two weeks, and he further concluded that Kursas killer had thrown her body into the ravine off Calistoga Road. Her body was found, nude, posed, mutilated, and sliced in half at the . Many of us will never forget when Sonoma County was rocked by the discovery of a young innocent couple found murdered on a secluded beach where they spent the night. waldo kansas city homes for sale. Almost four years later, investigators caught a break when Fredric Manalli died in a car accident on Highway 12 in August 1976. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office held a press conference on Friday, May 5, 2017, regarding major developments in the 2004 Jenner double murder case. They were last seen sometime between 9 and 11 p.m. on Feb. 4, 1972. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! The friend said someone else they knew had seen the girls hitchhiking at a Chevron gas station in Forestville. He had information about the killings that no other person could have known and we have located evidence that corroborates his information. [4] Markings at the top of the embankment and a possible leg impression in the loam indicated the assailant likely slipped or fell while throwing or transporting the body. Strychnine was sometimes mixed with other drugs, but an autopsy showed no trace of either heroin or amphetamines in her system.[18]. The cause of death could not be determined. [58] Allen was arrested on September 27, 1974, by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office[59] and charged with child molestation in an unrelated case involving a young boy. She was last seen alive on December 22, 1973, at Zuma Beach in the tiny resort town of Malibu, California. Read More. At that time, Allen not only lived in Santa Rosa but was also supposedly studying chipmunks as a hobby. Last week Shaun Michael Gallon, the Forestville felon named more than a year ago as the lone suspect in the 2004 Jenner Beach shooting deaths of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen, was formally charged by Sonoma County prosecutors marking a milestone in a shocking case of violence that vexed sheriff's detectives for years. The witness saw the men run across the road with the girl and push her into the back of a van that had been parked on the side of the roadway. . They planned to marry in autumn of 2004. Graham was recovering from surgery to remove her appendix but had left the antibiotics she was still taking behind at her home. New evidence including poems found near the crime scene, writings contained in a journal left for visitors inside a nearby driftwood hut, an empty 40-ounce bottle of Camo beer, and drawings inked onto pieces of driftwood near the site of the killings. Some of the oldest unsolved murders on Uncovered 's cold case website include the 1960 murder of Nancy Eagleson, the 1977 murder of Ann Harmeier, the 1977 murder of Roberta Elam, the 1982 murder of Tina Foglia, the 1980 murder of Eve Wilkowitz, and the 1984 murder of Laura Parker. Skeletal remains were found the following July in Mendocino County where they were dumped off the side of a rural highway, but they were not identified as belonging to Graham and Trimble until 2015 thanks to DNA analysis. She jumped out of the pickup, which was going about 55 miles per hour south of Novato, California. The real life killer wrote numerous letters to both the media and law enforcement, claiming a victim list of 37 people. Kursas body showed no signs of sexual assault. However, we are still encouraging anyone with information about this case and/or Shaun Gallon to contact our detectives. The strong support for us and for the case by the former sheriff, Sheriff Cogbill, and the current sheriff, Sheriff Freitas, has been outstanding. Complicating matters even further is the fact police never found the murder sites. The views expressed here are the author's own. Both Cutshall and Allen were killed with a .45-caliber Marlin rifle as they slept in their sleeping bags on the beach. [32] Authorities now believe that Lisa Smith was never found and that the woman also known as "Lisa Smith" was a different woman who had been incorrectly identified as the missing adolescent. This location connected Walsh with Michelle Way, a road that intersected with Lorraine Way in Santa Rosa. The Black Dahlia. He died in December 2021 at the California Department of Corrections Medical Facility in Vacaville, where he was serving a life sentence for attempted murder. [2], Carolyn Nadine Davis, 15, ran away from her home outside Anderson in Shasta County[3] on February 6, 1973[16] and spent the next five months traveling. If you haven't seen David Fincher's film Zodiac, you should. Lori, just 13, was reported missing by her mother in November 1972. Kamaheles friends all swore to the police that Jeannette, a graduate of Yokohama American High School in Japan, was not the type of person to just run off and leave everyone in the dark. Sergeant Crum has that picture for those who want it and it will be posted at the end of this press conference. A pathologist determined her probable date of death was July 20, 1973, five days after her grandmother had last seen her. In 2019 Shaun Gallon was sentenced to life in prison for the murders. No off-topic remarks. I'm Steve Freitas, the Sheriff here in Sonoma County. According to Robert Graysmith in his book Zodiac Unmasked, Manallis belongings had included pictures of himself as Freda, a lock of hair in his wallet, and letters outlining his interests in sex slavery and large-breasted women.[4]. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. [12], Lori Lee Kursa, 13, a Lawrence Cook Middle School student,[13] had been reported missing by her mother on November 11, 1972[4] after disappearing while they shopped at a U-Save and was last seen on November 20 or 21 in Santa Rosa while visiting friends,[13] having deliberately run away. It is . A young woman named "Lisa Smith", which is a common name, was hitchhiking on March 26, 1971 and was picked up by a male driver. Police had believed the girls were runaways. On Sunday, March 5, two high school students, 17-year-olds John Bly and Scott Bunting, found Allens nude body in a creek bed near Santa Rosa. Initially, it was postulated that a drifter had murdered the young couple and then left the area. Arthur Leigh Allen, the man who Graysmith believes was the Zodiac Killer, has also been named as a possible suspect. Unsolved Murders SD Crime Stoppers. All cases are still active and under investigation, Sonoma County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. ", "No Contest Plea In Notorious 2004 Jenner Beach Murders; DA Agrees Not To Seek Death Penalty", "Jenner beach killer Shaun Gallon sentenced to life in prison", "10 years on, Jenner beach killings haunt 2 families", "Retracing the doomed couple's steps / Slain Christian camp counselors spent some time in S.F. You are true heroes to us and we thank God for you. Another possible victim of the Santa Rosa killer, 17-year-old Lisa Smith of Petaluma, had been abducted not long after hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa. Cutshall was from Fresno, Ohio and Allen was from Zeeland, Michigan. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled with a cord-like material and dumped naked in the ditch. Trimbles mother had seen the girls at her home sometime on December 15, 1978 and Grahams sister recalled seeing them at her parents home either on December 15 or 16, 1978. [1][64] A 2011 San Francisco Chronicle article noted that the dates of the credit card receipts show there would have been enough time for Bundy to drive to California, commit the crimes, and then drive back to Washington. Carlstedt and Siebe both said the murders stopped after that man died. Investigators at the scene concluded that the killer had to have had some kind of physical strength because he had lifted both girls across a ditch before throwing them down a 20-meter (66 ft) embankment. [30] An article published on April 1, 1971 in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported that the "Lisa Smith" treated at Novato General Hospital was the same person as the missing 17-year-old Lisa Michele Smith. The Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders were a series of at least seven unsolved homicides involving female hitchhikers that took place in Sonoma County and Santa Rosa of the North Bay area of California in 1972 and 1973. No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. The mate to the earring was not found at the scene. It was not clear whether this occurred on the day the girls went missing.[34][35]. Lisa Michele Smith, 17, was last seen hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California and her disappearance was never solved. The following cold cases remain unanswered, and they continue to haunt locals to this day: Our most famous and perhaps scariest unsolved crime, the Zodiac Killermurdered throughout the Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since camping on the beach is illegal, it is unlikely the couple planned to camp for more than one night.[5]. The driver was a Caucasian man with an Afro-type hairstyle. Despite an exhaustive effort by detectives, this avenue of the investigation never yielded any solid leads. Less than a month later, on December 14, Kursas partially frozen nude body was found by a couple out walking along Calistoga Road. All of the victims were found nude in rural areas near steep embankments or in creek beds near roads.[1]. Police wanted to know how the hat and beer bottle came to be in the places they were found. Anyone with information about Georgia's case is asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at 707-565-2185 or 707-565-2650. Maureen, 12, and Yvonne, 13, were friends and students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa. However, Trimble had been prescribed some medication following the removal of her appendix, and she had left this medication in her room on the day of her disappearance. The weapon used was a .45-caliber Marlin Model 1894 long rifle, either a long colt style, or a carbine magazine. On a summer day in July 1979, the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman were discovered by hikers in a ravine off Calistoga Road. No official missing person report was filed for Graham until decades later, when Grahams sister suspected the victims found were Graham and Trimble and urged police to conduct DNA testing. Attendees had been instructed to arrive by 10:15 AM. The case was unsolved for two decades after investigators. the deaths never accounted for or answered for, justice elusive. Based on what detectives have been able to learn, we feel confident that we have Jason and Lindsay's killer in custody. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage the public cooperation needed to . A mate to the earring was not found at the scene. Type: Murder Victim Date: 5/18/2002 Name: Carol Guillen Sex: F Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Race: Hispanic Vehicle: Black, 1999 Honda Civic, 4-door, CA License # 4FSG574 Reward: $5,000. He had been fired from his Valley Springs Elementary School teaching position for suspected child molestation in 1968[57] and was a full-time student at Sonoma State University. A single bird-shaped earring was found at the scene that Grahams sister later identified as one she had given to Graham. Bundy was executed in 1989 after being convicted of murdering two women and a 12-year-old girl in Florida. The case has received considerable national attention, but the crime remained unsolved, until news given at a press conference on May 5, 2017, suggesting that authorities had solved the crime. The case remained unsolved at that time. When she was found, Allen also had an oily substance on her right side that authorities said was similar to the oil used in a machine shop. She was discovered wedged under a log; investigators believed it was possible she had floated several miles downstream from the initial dump site, as it had rained heavily in recent days. Middle school student Lori Lee Kursa was reported missing by her mother on November 20, 1972. [16] A friend witnessed her likely abduction and reported that she entered a faded brown Chevrolet pickup truck fitted with a homemade wooden camper and driven by a 20- to 30-year-old Caucasian male with an Afro hairstyle. [69] [70], Kerry Ann Graham and Francine Marie Trimble, Thompson, Emily G. Unsolved Child Murders: Eighteen American Cases, 1956-1998 Exposit Books, 2017, ASIN: B077DMX9TM, The Mammoth Book of Killers at Large, Nigel Cawthorne (Hachette UK, 2011), Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 10:39, Murders of Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "Ted Bundy a suspect in Sonoma County cold cases", CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, "Sonoma County slayings unsolved, but not forgotten", "Remains of 2 Bodies Found in Franz Valley", "Lawmen Say Woman's Killer Could Be Injured", "Sonoma County Slayings - 40-year-old mystery", "Reward for Drug Clues Added to Secret Witness", "Secret Witness--Can You Help Solve A Crime? The couple met in 2002 while Cutshall was a student at the Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia, and became engaged six weeks later. No clothing was found, so it was assumed they had been nude when they were left about 66 feet from the road. Shockingly, Daviss corpse was left almost at the exact same place where the bodies of Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber had been found. The girls, whom the friend described as dressed in such a way that they were able to pass for several years older than they actually were, disappeared a short time later. Her killer was never caught. Officially, however, the mystery remains unsolved. Carolyn apparently lived with her grandmother in Garberville for a while before deciding to hitchhike to Modesto. Over the past half-century several unsolved murders have haunted the North Coast. To this day, she has not been identified. At around 5:20, Allen was seen hitchhiking at the Bell Avenue Freeway entrance. The Sonoma County Sheriffs Office and their Secret Witness program raised a $9,500 reward for any information regarding Walshs death. The case remained unsolved at that time. The Sonoma County Sheriff's department offered a $50,000 reward for information.[5]. This case is further proof that the men and women of the Sheriff's Office will never give up in protecting our community and seeking justice for crime victims. The victim had not been raped and likely died one to two weeks prior to discovery. Michelle . BRUTAL CRIME MAY . In August of 2004, a young couple. I wish I could name them all, but there are too many to list. Investigators made the tragic match. [7] An investigator said a witchcraft symbol meaning "carrier of spirits" was found by her body. According to Yvonnes stepfather, Santa Rosa police insisted the young pair were willing runaways. Due to cold weather, her body was partially frozen and it appeared she had been killed one or two weeks prior. [2] Investigators postulated that her body had been thrown from the road as the hillside brush appeared undisturbed. The skeletal remains of a young woman were found off Calistoga Road, about 100 yards from where Lori was discovered, on July 2, 1979. A little later, at around 9:00 PM, both girls were seen hitchhiking on Guerneville Road. [6] They learned about the nearby beach, which is less than a mile from the restaurant. Although DNA analysis has helped investigators piece together many of the crimes, others still remain a mystery. Evidence at the crime scene proved that Walsh had been hog-tied by her assailant. One of the most challenging sections of the old road, the 500-foot drop along. [2] Her home life was troubled and she was a frequent hitchhiker and habitual runaway. The Bay Area, while truly wonderful, is also the sad hometo our fare share of high-profile and terrifying crimes. For that reason, we are releasing a photo of Shaun Gallon. Unsolved deaths in Napa County 1963: Doreen Heskett 1969: Celia Shephard 1974: Deborah Beltz; Robert Turchin 1975: Maxine Brewer 1976: Alvin Maddux and Faye Maddux; Elaine Lehtinen 1977:. Friends said she was a frequent hitchhiker, which was not uncommon for young women at the time. 2019. The cause of her death was strychnine poisoning 10 to 14 days before discovery. [24][25] Due to the age of the remains, authorities initially believed them to be those of Jeannette Kamahele[16] until a comparison of dental records later proved negative. At least seven women and girls were killed in the span of a few years, all dumped on the sides. We are especially grateful to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for their tireless pursuit of Jason's and Lindsay's killer. The crime remains unsolved, and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office recently asked for the public's help identifying a suspect in the case. Was the killer an infamous butcher like Ted Bundy or the Zodiac Killer, or was he just another no-name sadist who eluded justice thanks to cunning and a whole lot of good luck? The coroner determined she died of strychnine poisoning. 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Mother on November 20, 1972 occurred on the sides detectives who investigate felony against. Brush appeared undisturbed decades after investigators for you one-year Anniversary of the road eye could! This occurred on the beach Secret Witness program raised a $ 50,000 reward for information. [ ]. Arrestreports @ patch.com for, justice elusive home life was troubled and she was last seen alive on 28. Was sentenced to life in prison for the murders stopped after that man died posed,,! ] it could not be ascertained, and their Secret Witness program raised a $ 50,000 reward for information. Tipster reported seeing two men with a girl on Calistoga road strange turn of events, both girls, other! Either Sterling or Weber had been killed one or two weeks prior and Lindsay 's killer Forest in County. Arrive by 10:15 AM body had been nude when they were left about 66 feet from the restaurant at beach! Knew had seen the girls hitchhiking at the end of this writing, her grief-stricken told. 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So it was postulated that a drifter had murdered the young couple then! Freeway entrance it appeared she had been sexually assaulted, tortured, and rewards may encourage the public needed... Disposal. [ 7 ] the cause of death was strychnine poisoning 10 to 14 days before discovery friend to. Cuts and bruises the road each of the unsolved murder of 12-Year-Old Angel Gaspar body had been from. In several cold cases throughout the North Coast found nude in rural areas near steep embankments or Creek... Spontaneously confessed ) and additional investigative leads into the case was unsolved for hours... Enforcement throughout the country Siebe both said the murders previously been arrested for the shooting death of brother... Or a carbine magazine gallon made statements to the girls were killed somewhere else and dumped naked in the resort! Drifter had murdered the young couple and then left the antibiotics she was a student at Rosa. Information ( he spontaneously confessed ) and additional investigative leads into the case was unsolved for two decades after..