Beyond this highly circumstantial evidence, there was nothing to tie Manalli to any of the murders in Santa Rosa. [4] Two people later called in tips to the police about possible sightings of Kursa. 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." They also found a distinctive hat on a turnout above the beach on Hwy 1. A nurse at the hospital thought she looked about 21-years-old. No additional information will be released at this time.. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office at 707-565-2650. She had been strangled by her killer a week before her bodys discovery. Theresa Diane Smith Walsh, 23, of Miranda,[21] was last seen on December 22, 1973, at Zuma Beach in Malibu, intent on hitchhiking to Garberville and joining her family for Christmas. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Police thought two fingerprints on the checkbook might belong to the killer. On . This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in California, USA. One tipster reported seeing two men with a girl on Calistoga Road. The girl, who fit Kursas description, appeared to be physically impaired in some manner, as the two men were supporting her between them. In May 2006, 21 months after Cutshall and Allen were slain, Sonoma County Sheriff's detectives released new evidence in the case, which they hoped would generate new leads. Examinations of the remains found that both victims had been bound with duct tape and buried in plastic bags. On a summer day in July 1979, the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman were discovered by hikers in a ravine off Calistoga Road. All of the victims were found nude in rural areas near steep embankments or in creek beds near roads.[1]. Her biological parents then located her shortly afterwards and took her back to their home in Livermore, California, according to the article, which quoted a juvenile officer from the sheriffs office.[31]. Unsolved Murders SD Crime Stoppers. To the chagrin of homicide detectives, both suspects passed their polygraph examinations. It was never determined whether Kursas dislocated vertebrae injury had occurred before or after her death. 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. Juan Valencia told SFGATE in a statement. 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. In August of 2004, a young couple was shotin their tent while camping on Fish Head State Beach in Jenner, Sonoma County. [8][9] Initially believed to be a suspect,[10] Burgess's DNA was tested, and did not match that left at the Jenner crime scene.[11]. An SF man was found dead in his locked home. She told her grandmother that she planned to hitch hike to Modesto, California and stay there with friends. Police also did not question any of the girls classmates and many were not aware they were considered missing. All of the victims were found nude in rural areas near steep embankments or in creek beds near roads. However, we are still encouraging anyone with information about this case and/or Shaun Gallon to contact our detectives. A reward of up to $2,500 is being. [sic] Sheriff releases 'profile' of killer of hitchhikers", "Miranda woman said Sonoma murder victim", National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, "Zodiac Theory: Witchcraft in 30-40 Slayings", "She Wanted to Come to the City--Now She's Dead", "Brothers describe childhood horrors - Angela McAnulty's mother was killed, her father was abusive", "serial killer true crime library - California Occult Murders", "Child killer gets death - Angela McAnulty is sentenced to be executed for the torture murder of her 15-year-old daughter, Jeanette", "Angela McAnulty, Eugene woman who killed 15-year-old daughter, lands on new death row", "Zodiac Killer: The Letters - 01-29-1974", "Zodiac Killer: The Letters - 11-09-1969", "DNA seems to clear only Zodiac suspect / new-found evidence may allow genetic profile of '60s killer", "Affidavit For Search Warrant - 2963 Santa Rosa Avenue, space A-7 (14 September 1972)", "Former Calaveras teacher was 'Zodiac' suspect", "Sonoma County Sheriff's Office - Arthur Leigh Allen Arrest Report (30 September 1974)", "Ted Bundy Multiagency Investigative Team Report 1992", "Documentary series set to explore Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders", "The Secret Life of a Sexual Predator Crime Magazine", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santa_Rosa_hitchhiker_murders&oldid=1141301949. Lisa Michele Smith, 17, was last seen hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California and her disappearance was never solved. Neither caller was able to provide further details. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. [27][3][16] Her weight and eye color could not be ascertained, and no clothing was found. Revisit some of the most heinous crimes in local history. The unsolved San Francisco killing of one of the world's greatest chefs. The rifle is uncommon, considered too high caliber for most ranchers, and most likely would have required hand loaded ammunition. In August of 2004, a young couple. There are some close to the case, however, who think their man already got away with murder. She was a 19-year-old art student, described by friends as a "pure spirit," "innocent" and possessing a "child-like acceptance of people." I also want to thank the many men and women of the Sheriff's Office who have worked on this investigation over the years. No one has heard from the Zodiac Killer himself in decades. The Sonoma County Sheriff's department offered a $50,000 reward for information.[5]. ", With this statement, police believe that they have identified the perpetrator of the double homicide as 38 year old Shaun Gallon, a resident of Forestville, California. [2], The cause of her death was a broken neck with compression and hemorrhage of the spinal cord. [5] Their bodies were found on December 28, 1972, [6] 2.2 miles (3.5km) north of Porter Creek Road on Franz Valley Road, down a steep embankment approximately 66 feet (20m) off the east side of the roadway. She appeared to be heading north carrying two bags. 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. Police thought it was suicide, but friends are sure it's murder. The individual believed to have been Smith left the hospital before authorities could interview her and purportedly hitchhiked back to San Francisco. A pathologist determined her probable date of death was July 20, 1973, five days after her grandmother had last seen her. 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. A little later, at around 9:00 PM, both girls were seen hitchhiking on Guerneville Road. At 10:30 AM on May 5, 2017, Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freitas read the following statement regarding the 2004 Jenner double murder case: "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. 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. Sergeant Crum has that picture for those who want it and it will be posted at the end of this press conference. On that day, two middle school students, Maureen Sterling (left above) and Yvonne Weber (right above), went missing. Following Manallis death, police discovered several sadomasochistic drawings that Manalli had made featuring Allen, a former student. 200 150 100 50. . [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. . Read about more chilling unsolved murder sprees on 10 Horrific Facts About The Oakland County Child Killer and 10 Terrifying Facts Of The Honolulu Strangler. All cases are still active and under investigation, Sonoma County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. At least it should be. Despite an exhaustive effort by detectives, this avenue of the investigation never yielded any solid leads. There was one other odd clue left behind by the murderer: Kims body had traces of a greasy residue. I'd like to read a statement from Bob and Delores Allen and Chris and Kathy Cutshall: "We are extremely pleased that our children's murderer is in custody where he belongs. [7] Sterlings mother identified the cross necklace and earring as her daughters property. Almost four years later, investigators caught a break when Fredric Manalli died in a car accident on Highway 12 in August 1976. The Bay Area, while truly wonderful, is also the sad hometo our fare share of high-profile and terrifying crimes. In 2019 Shaun Gallon was sentenced to life in prison for the murders. She was carrying the barrel, which had red Chinese characters on it, when she was last seen hitchhiking near a ramp to northbound Highway 101 in San Rafael. In a strange turn of events, both girls would go missing on the same day but would be reported missing on different days. This location connected Walsh with Michelle Way, a road that intersected with Lorraine Way in Santa Rosa. 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. February 4, 1972, proved to be a tragic day in Sonoma County, California. She had been sexually assaulted, hogtied with clothesline and strangled. The views expressed here are the author's own. Our prayers continue to be for the Sheriff's Office as they build their case, for the families of the deputies, who have given them their undying support, for all the dear folks of Sonoma County who have prayed for us, and even for Shaun Gallon who heartlessly committed this senseless and wicked crime. They planned to marry in autumn of 2004. This unidentified victim had been hog-tied, with the killers rope looped around the womans throat. Dont worry too much about me, the only thing I'm gonna be doing is keeping myself alive. It was signed, Love, Carolyn.. Officially, however, the mystery remains unsolved. Officially, however, the mystery remains unsolved. 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. Kim went missing on March 4, 1972. Most Popular. Then someone killed him. To this day, Jeannette Kamahele has never been found. week. [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. Trimbles mother reported her missing to police within a few days when she had not returned home. 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. A number of high-profile 1970s serial killers were probed for links to the Bay Area murders. Eureka/Humbold The detectives quickly eliminated murder-suicide as an explanation to the killings. [7] The cause of death could not be determined[4] from the skeletal remains. Given that some eyewitnesses told police that Allen had gotten into a car containing two men, Sonoma County officials quickly brought both of those men in for questioning. The VCI unit is responsible for the investigation of a wide variety of serious incidents including assaults, robberies, kidnapping, weapons violations, missing persons and hate crimes. Looking further into this, according to the same report, from 1965 to 2019 there were roughly 128,787 murders in California alone. 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. Upon Gallon's arrest for the murder of his brother, Sheriff's Office Detectives took another opportunity to talk to him about the murders in Jenner. Los Angeles's most famous murder, The Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947. Jeannette was a 20-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College student; she was last seen trying to hitch a ride near the Cotati onramp of Highway 101 on April 25, 1972. Evidence at the crime scene proved that Walsh had been hog-tied by her assailant. No off-topic remarks. Camping on a state beach is technically illegal, but the 20-something couple didn't have a lot of other options. Want to post on Patch? 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. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. [10] The two men who gave her a ride, one of whom was given and passed a polygraph test, were ruled out as suspects. Almost an entire year would go by before Sterling and Webers bodies were found. 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. February 4, 1972, proved to be a tragic day in Sonoma County, California. He works as a freelance writer and has been published in The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, Listverse, and other publications. [16], It was determined that the unidentified victim was approximately 16- to 21-years-old, wore hard contact lenses (kept in a metal candy tin with a picture of cherries on it), had red, auburn, or brown hair, was about 5feet 3inches (1.60m) tall and at one time had broken a rib which was healed by the time of the murder. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Authorities later said she had traveled to Illinois and New Mexico. ", 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. It is . Most importantly I want to thank the Cutshall and Allen families, who have consistently been supportive and patient during this 13 year investigation. Hard contact lenses were not often sold in the United States and Canada after the mid-1970s, when soft contact lenses became available. All told, it had taken 30 minutes for Allen to expire. At that time, eyewitnesses saw Davis hitchhiking southbound on Highway 101. [20] The symbol was located on the roadway above the site where Davis was found. I'd like to make a brief statement and then I will take some questions. A California deputy stopped a van with 2 corpses inside. 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. 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]. [4] Both girls, like other young people in that era, often hitchhiked. Michelle . [23] High water marks contemporaneous with heavy rains in the area suggested the body could have drifted several miles. Walshs corpse was found six days later on December 28. In 1975, the FBI issued an official report entitled Unsolved Female HomicidesAn Analysis of a Series of Related Murders in California and Western America. The report asserted that 14 unsolved homicides between 1972 and 1974 had been committed by one 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. Her left earlobe had not been pierced. 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. Specifically, Trimbles mother filed a missing child report with the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office in mid-December, while the Graham family did not report their daughter missing until Christmas Eve. Her body has never been found. He had information about the killings that no other person could have known and we have located evidence that corroborates his information. Some of these unsolved cases include the murder of 20-year-old Rosa Vasquez, who had been strangled and dumped in some shrubs near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco; 15-year-old Yvonne Quilantang, who was strangled to death while she was seven months pregnant; 14-year-old Donna M. Braun, who had been strangled to death and dumped in the Salinas River; and 24-year-old Nancy Patricia Gidley, who had been strangled to death 24 hours before her body was found behind George Washington High School in San Francisco. 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. In 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a report stating that fourteen unsolved homicides between 1972 and 1974 were committed by the same perpetrator. She was treated at Novato General Hospital for a skull fracture and multiple, severe cuts and bruises. Crime app could shed new. A map showing the locations of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders. At least it should be. . But when their parents returned at 11 p.m., the girls werent waiting as theyd promised. The Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders remain some of the Bay Areas most baffling unsolved crimes. Police wanted to know how the hat and beer bottle came to be in the places they were found. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. One of the killers oldest victims, Theresa Walsh, died at the age of 23. Her body was found the following day down an embankment in a creek bed 20 feet (6.1m) off Enterprise Road in Santa Rosa. 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. We have appreciated your support for this case throughout our thirteen-year ordeal. The North Carolina native had just moved to Oakland and taken a job at a San Francisco coffee shop when she disappeared in 1997. The nature of this evidence has not been released by the authorities. [13], In June 2019 Gallon entered no-contest pleas and admitted guilt in the crimes. Although DNA analysis has helped investigators piece together many of the crimes, others still remain a mystery. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. Shell casings were not found at the scene of the crime, suggesting the killer retrieved them. That was my big sister., In February 1973, 15-year-old Carolyn left for school as usual; she never arrived. She had also been bound in the same manner as Walsh.[2]. [36] These consist of the six found victims as of 1975 and the following: The unapprehended Zodiac Killer is a suspect,[51] due to similarities between an unknown symbol on his January 29, 1974 "Exorcist letter" to the San Francisco Chronicle, in which he claims 37 victims,[52] and the Chinese characters on the missing soy barrel carried by Kim Allen,[53] as well as stating an intention to vary his modus operandi in an earlier November 9, 1969 letter to the San Francisco Chronicle: "I shall no longer announce to anyone. Investigators believed it was an oil used in a machine shop, such as one that had metal-cutting equipment. Homicide detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation into the deaths. In the decades since 1979, several high-profile names have been suggested as to the identity of the Santa Rosa murderer. Complicating matters even further is the fact police never found the murder sites. 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. 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. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Read More: No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. Gallon's motive for the killings of the couple and his brother have not yet been ascertained. However, a US Department of Justice report published in 1992 ruled out Bundys involvement due to gas receipts showing that Bundy had not been in the area on the dates in question. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. On July 8, 1979, skeletal remains were found in a shallow embankment inside the Jackson State Forest in Mendocino County, California. That witness believed the drive was a white male in his early 20s with Afro style hair.. 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. Maureen, 12, and Yvonne, 13, were friends and students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa. [13][2] Her frozen remains were located on December 14, 1972, in a ravine approximately 50 feet (15m) off Calistoga Road,[4] northeast of Rincon Valley in Santa Rosa. 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. [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. Shannon McAlvain, Lead Detective Joe Horsemen, Detectives Jeff Toney, Jayson Fowler and Jesse Hanshew. She visited her grandmother in Garberville, California in early July 1973 and spent about two weeks with her before she decided to leave again. Gallon was recently arrested for the murder of his brother in their Forestville home. It was also proven that Allens killer had bound her wrists and ankles prior to her death. 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. A true crime magazine, Front Page Detective, published an article in September 1975 linking the Santa Rosa murders with the Zodiac Killer and witchcraft. 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. [60] He pleaded guilty on March 14, 1975, and was imprisoned at Atascadero State Hospital until late 1977. Kims body was found the next day on Enterprise Road near Glen Ellen. The Sonoma County Coroner's Office estimated that the couple was slain on either the night of August 14, 2004 or in the early morning hours of August 15, 2004. The helicopter spotted the bodies and notified the department. The Violent Crimes Unit (VCI) is comprised of One Detective Sergeant, and Four Detectives who investigate felony crimes against persons. Twenty-year-old Jeannette Kamahele was a student at Santa Rosa Junior College when she disappeared for good on April 25, 1972. [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. Her captor or captors left her by the side of the road. BRUTAL CRIME MAY . Jeannette Kamahele, a 20-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College student,[33] was last seen on April 25, 1972, hitchhiking near the Cotati on-ramp of Highway 101. Before he died, he confessed to raping and killing at least 27 other women throughout the. The cause of death could not be determined. . Shockingly, Daviss corpse was left almost at the exact same place where the bodies of Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber had been found. However, it was reported in 2011 that the missing 17-year-old Smith was not actually found. [62] Allen was the main suspect in the Zodiac case from 1971 until his death in 1992. February 23, 2018. [55][57], After his capture for similar crimes in Washington, Colorado, Utah and Idaho,[63] Ted Bundy was suspected in the murders. Search continues for Bay Area serial killer who murdered at least 7 women and girls, Restaurant chain slated to close site at Bay Area mall, Grapevine closed indefinitely due to heavy snow and ice, Graupel falls on Disneyland, shocks guests, Plan to bring bullet train from LA to Vegas is underway, What it looks like inside Coit Towers former apartment, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, Hundreds of thousands of workers have abandoned downtown SF, Avalanche slams into Tahoe apartment building amid blizzard, Tahoe's snowfall totals are on track to break records, 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, Popular yet divisive fast food chain coming to this Bay Area town, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck. A mate to the earring was not found at the scene. The skeletal remains of a young woman were found off Calistoga Road, about 100 yards from where Lori was discovered, on July 2, 1979. Known collectively as the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders, this string of unsolved murders continues to haunt the minds of the Golden States cold case investigators. (sic)[54], Arthur Leigh Allen, of Vallejo,[55] owned a mobile home at Sunset Trailer Park in Santa Rosa[56] at the time of the murders. Strychnine was sometimes mixed with other drugs, but an autopsy showed no trace of either heroin or amphetamines in her system.[18]. Thirty-six passengers and eight crew are presumed dead, but only 15 shoeless bodies were found floating over 900 miles north of Honolulu. Also investigated were: Joseph Naso, the Hillside stranglers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr., and the Zodiac killer. [3], Kerry Ann Graham, 15, and Francine Marie Trimble, 14, of Forestville, disappeared in mid-December 1978. Detectives considered Gallon a suspect for 13 years before he was publicly named as the gunman. Her family, who still believed Carolyn was hitchhiking around the state, submitted her dental records when they learned an unidentified teenagers body was found in Sonoma County. I'd like to a take moment to thank the other law enforcement agencies who assisted on this investigation over the years: The Santa Rosa Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, California State Parks and the California Department of Justice.