unsolved murders in sonoma county ca
Lori Lee Kursa, Carolyn Davis, Maureen Sterling, Therese Walsh, Kim Wendy Allen and Yvonne Weber, the victims of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murderer. 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. The driver was a Caucasian man with an Afro-type hairstyle. The police did, however, conclude that the girls had been murdered elsewhere and that their killer had kept their clothes, possibly as trophies.[2]. A true crime magazine, Front Page Detective, published an article in September 1975 linking the Santa Rosa murders with the Zodiac Killer and witchcraft. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. The victim had been bound at the ankles and wrists, raped and slowly strangled with a cord for an estimated thirty minutes. At that time, Allen not only lived in Santa Rosa but was also supposedly studying chipmunks as a hobby. To this day, she has not been identified. 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. Revisit some of the most heinous crimes in local history. A reward of up to $2,500 is being. A single bird-shaped earring was found at the scene that Grahams sister later identified as one she had given to Graham. 2012 . She had been sexually assaulted, hogtied with clothesline and strangled. The helicopter spotted the bodies and notified the department. The press conference was held at the Sheriff's Office building at 2796 Ventura Avenue in Santa Rosa. 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. The strong support for us and for the case by the former sheriff, Sheriff Cogbill, and the current sheriff, Sheriff Freitas, has been outstanding. Dear Mom, it read. 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. 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. I'm grateful to the dozens of detectives, from all of the Sheriff's Office investigative units, who persistently and faithfully worked on this case for nearly 13 years. Graham had a habit of running away to stay with friends, as had her older siblings, and her parents were not overly concerned at first when she did not come home. Eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen Kursa in Santa Rosa told investigators that she had been thrown into a van on Parkhurst Drive by two unidentified men. Less than a month later, on December 14, Kursas partially frozen nude body was found by a couple out walking along Calistoga Road. In the 1970s the murder of eight young women, hitchhiking in rural parts of Sonoma County broke the hearts of thousands and continues to torment the community to this day. [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. Lori had a history of running away, and it was believed she initially left of her own volition to stay with friends in Santa Rosa. Maureen, 12, and Yvonne, 13, were friends and students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa. [7] An investigator said a witchcraft symbol meaning "carrier of spirits" was found by her body. [65], Fredric Manalli, a 41-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College creative writing instructor,[66] was suspected[67] when, after his August 24, 1976 death in a head-on collision on Highway 12,[68] sadomasochistic drawings he had created depicting a former student, Kim Wendy Allen, who was one of the victims, were discovered among his belongings. The Sheriff's Office has identified Shaun Gallon, a 38 year old resident of Forestville, California, as Jason and Lindsay's killer. Like all of the others, she had been unceremoniously dumped into a ravine. A little later, at around 9:00 PM, both girls were seen hitchhiking on Guerneville Road. Officially, however, the mystery remains unsolved. Los Angeles's most famous murder, The Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947. Based on what detectives have been able to learn, we feel confident that we have Jason and Lindsay's killer in custody. She is believed to have been between 16 and 21 when she was killed, had red, auburn or brown hair, was 5-foot-3 and wore hard contact lenses. Carolyn apparently lived with her grandmother in Garberville for a while before deciding to hitchhike to Modesto. She jumped out of the pickup, which was going about 55 miles per hour south of Novato, California. One tipster reported seeing two men with a girl on Calistoga Road. It was not clear whether this occurred on the day the girls went missing.[34][35]. 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. I loved her. 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. There are some close to the case, however, who think their man already got away with murder. At least seven women and girls were killed in the span of a few years, all dumped on the sides of roads in Sonoma County. Eureka/Humbold In early January, about 30 people attended a memorial walk in Petaluma for Georgia Lee Moses, who was murdered in 1997 when she was 12 years old. Michelle . Three days after Christmas 1972, their bones were found by two teenage hikers near Franz Valley Road. Moses was last seen getting into a car with a 25- to 30-year old man in Santa Rosa on Aug. 13, 1997. The cause of the plane's crash remains a mystery. She had also been bound in the same manner as Walsh.[2]. [7] Her partially submerged body was found six days later by kayakers in Mark West Creek. 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. This story was originally published Feb. 1, 2021. A map showing the locations of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders. Thanks for subscribing! [3] Allen was also carrying a soy barrel with red Chinese characters painted on the outside. Camping on a state beach is technically illegal, but the 20-something couple didn't have a lot of other options. According to acquaintances, Cutshall and Allen had left the camp on a road trip the day before they were killed. [7] It could not be determined whether the poison had been administered to Davis by needle or by pill. [1] Smiths disappearance was reported on March 28, 1971, and as of this writing, her body has never been found. In August of 2004, a young couple was shotin their tent while camping on Fish Head State Beach in Jenner, Sonoma County. The case remained unsolved at that time. No clothing was found, so it was assumed they had been nude when they were left about 66 feet from the road. Her body was found six days later by kayakers in Mark West Creek in Sonoma County. 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. [19] Police reported in 1975 that it was a rectangle connected to a square, with bars running along side constructed of twigs or sticks. Read More: Due to cold weather, her body was partially frozen and it appeared she had been killed one or two weeks prior. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. The . Some unsolved murders in Sacramento, California, and unsolved murders in Sacramento County, California, include the 2012 murder of . After her husband's death from tuberculosis in 1881, Sarah Winchester inherited more than $20.5 million. The detectives quickly eliminated murder-suicide as an explanation to the killings. "It's a horrible, senseless crime," said Margo Rohrbacher of the Central Marin Police. In August of 2004, a young couple. The killer had thrown the body at least 30 feet (9.1m) over an embankment. Sheriff's Office detectives are continuing to follow-up on leads and are working hard to complete the investigation. A witness to Jeannette Kamaheles possible kidnapping said they saw her get into a 1950s pickup truck pulling a faded wooden camper that looked homemade. Looking further into this, according to the same report, from 1965 to 2019 there were roughly 128,787 murders in California alone. 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. We praise the Lord for his capture and we trust in the due process of the law. The Violent Crimes Unit (VCI) is comprised of One Detective Sergeant, and Four Detectives who investigate felony crimes against persons. Her body was found the following day down an embankment in a creek bed 20 feet (6.1m) off Enterprise Road in Santa Rosa. Police thought it was suicide, but friends are sure it's murder, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The victims were both counselors at a Northern California Christian camp and hoped to rent a room nearby, but couldn't find one. We already have this email. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! [2][7] Davis was last seen hitchhiking that afternoon near the Highway 101 ramp,[4] southbound,[2][17] in Garberville. Classmates of the girls were questioned about their whereabouts at school the following )Source: Napa County Cold Case Investigation Unit. Investigators made the tragic match. If you haven't seen David Fincher's film Zodiac, you should. Based on the condition of the remains, she was likely killed about three years prior. 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. The rifle is uncommon, considered too high caliber for most ranchers, and most likely would have required hand loaded ammunition. Authorities later said she had traveled to Illinois and New Mexico. 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. Car with a 25- to 30-year old man in Santa Rosa seeing men. 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