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- [00:07]
Vanessa Richardson
This is Crime House. During the week of June 30, 1969, waitress Darlene Farren was shot dead by a notorious serial killer known only as the Zodiac. A Decade later, on July 2, 1979, the last note of known victim of a mysterious assassin called the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer was discovered. Neither murderer has ever been identified, making this week's theme Unidentified Killers. Welcome to Crime House the show. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Every Monday, we'll be revisiting notorious crimes from this week in history. From serial killers to mysterious disappearances or murders, every episode will explore stories that share a common theme. Each week we'll cover two stories, one further in the past and one more rooted in the present. Here at Crime House, we know none of this would be possible without you, our community. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show wherever you get your podcasts and for ad free and early access to Crime House the show, plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. This week's theme is Unidentified Killers. First, we'll start just after midnight on July 5, 1969, when the Zodiac Killer targeted Darlene Farren near Vallejo, California. Then we'll jump forward 10 years to July 2, 1979, when the final victim of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer was found, deepening the mystery around the killer's identity. One of today's killers has been the subject of countless books, movies and investigations. The other has received far less attention for their crimes. Despite their varying degrees of notoriety, neither murderer has faced justice for the many lives they shattered. All that and more coming up foreign.
- [02:34]
Nicole Lapin
Hey there, it's Nicole Lapman. This week on Crime House, it's a brand new episode of Scams, Money and murder. Diving into the wolf of Wall street himself. Want to get deeper into these unbelievable stories? Catch our recent episode with journalist Jessica Pressler, the reporter who uncovered the real story of Anna Delvey. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:59]
Vanessa Richardson
Buying a car in Carvana was so.
- [03:00]
Nicole Lapin
Easy, I was able to finance it through them.
- [03:02]
Vanessa Richardson
I just. Whoa, wait.
- [03:03]
Nicole Lapin
You mean finance? Yeah, Finance got pre qualified for a Carvana auto loan, entered my terms and shot from thousands of great car options, all within my budget. That's cool. But financing through Carvana was so easy.
- [03:14]
Vanessa Richardson
Financed, done.
- [03:15]
Nicole Lapin
And I get to pick up my car from their Carvana vending machine tomorrow. Financed, right? That's what they said. You can spend time trying to pronounce financing, or you can actually finance and buy your car today on Carvana financing, subject to credit approval. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.
- [04:06]
Vanessa Richardson
It was laid on the 4th of July 1969 and 19 year old Mike Mageau was spending it with 22 year old Darlene Farren, a popular waitress at a local restaurant in Vallejo, California, who also happened to be married to to someone else. Around 11:30pm, after the fireworks had died down, Darlene arrived at Mike's house. She drove them to Blue Rock Springs Park, a well known hangout spot in the nearby town of Benicia. Darlene pulled into the parking lot just before midnight and she and Mike sat there for a few minutes listening to the radio. Just then, a brown sedan came to a stop beside them, its engine still running. Before Mike could get a look at the driver, the sedan suddenly backed up and sped out of the lot. A few minutes later it returned, only this time it pulled up right behind Darlene's car. The driver got out and walked over to Darlene and Mike, shining a bright flashlight directly into their eyes. Because of the flashlight, Mike assumed the man was a police officer. But just as Mike was reaching for his id, the shadowy figure approached the passenger side of Darlene's vehicle and started shoot. He fired five rounds into the car, striking Mike in the face and torso. Some of the bullets passed directly through his body and hit Darlene. Badly injured but still alive, Mike scrambled into the back seat, hoping to put some distance between himself and the attacker. Even so, the man managed to fire several more shots at Darlene and Mike. Then he hopped into his car and sped out of the lot, leaving Darlene and Mike to die. Thankfully, a group of teenagers arrived just a few minutes later. After discovering the grisly scene, they called 911. Mike and Darlene were transported to an ambulance, and while Mike survived, Darlene sadly passed away en route to the hospital. At that very same moment, the Vallejo Police Department received an anonymous phone call. The Male caller said, I want to report a double murder. If you go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park you will find kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 millimeter Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Goodbye. By the time police made it to the phone booth the killer was nowhere to be seen. But the authorities dug into his claims and realized he he was referring to 16 year old Betty Lou Jensen and her boyfriend, 17 year old David Faraday. About six months earlier, on December 20, 1968, the young couple was shot to death in Benicia, right near Blue Rock Springs park where Michael and Darlene had been. Beyond the location, the 1968 murder shared a lot of similarities to the attack on Darlene and Mike. Like them, Betty and David had gone to an isolated lover's lane that evening. They were sitting in a turnout when someone began shooting at their car. The teens had scrambled out of the passenger side door and tried to escape but they didn't get far. Shortly after the attack a passing driver found David lying near the car with a single bullet in his head. Betty was found roughly 30ft away, shot five times in the back. The police had launched an aggressive investigation but came up empty. The killer hadn't left any clues at the crime scene and witnesses couldn't recall what kind of car they were driving or a license plate number. It seemed like the authorities would never get any additional information until July 1969 when the killer called to say he'd murdered Darlene Farren. While Mike Mageau was at the hospital recovering from his near death experience, police questioned him about the shooter. Because of the flashlight, Michael hadn't gotten a good look at him but from what he could remember the killer was a Heavyset man, around 5 foot 8 and weighing roughly 200 pounds. It was a pretty vague description but police did what they could with it. They were just a few weeks into their investigation when the killer resurfaced on July 31, 1969. The San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco examiner and the Vallejo Times Herald each received identical handwritten letters. In them the author took credit for killing Betty and David as well as shooting Darlene. The implication was clear. This was the same person who'd called the Vallejo police right after the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park. While the letters were riddled with spelling mistakes, they also included several facts about the crimes that only the killer would know. Like what kind of ammo was used in the shootings and how the victims bodies were positioned. They also each included one third of a Cryptogram, A block of strange symbols and letters containing a coded message. According to the author, if someone could unscramble that cryptogram, they would learn his identity. And it seemed like the killer wanted to be found because he wrote, quote, I want you to print this cipher on your front page. If you do not do this, I will go on a kill rampage for Friday night that will last the whole weekend. The newspapers didn't want to risk any more deaths, so they did as they were told. And soon it seemed like everyone in the Bay Area was trying to crack the killer's code. At the same time, the Vallejo PD put out their own public message. They asked the killer to send another letter to prove he was actually the murderer. It was strategic. Detectives hadn't been able to find any usable prints on those first letters. They hoped that if the killer wrote again, he would make a mistake and leave a clue to his identity. Sure enough, just four days later, on August 4th, the San Francisco examiner received a second letter. It began with a phrase that would soon become, this is the Zodiac speaking. The Zodiac went on to list more details about the crime scenes that only the killer would know. But beyond that, there were no additional fingerprints or clues the police could use to find him. Luckily, a break in the case was coming. On August 5, someone was able to decode the cipher from the Zodiac's first letter. It wasn't the police or the CIA cryptographers who'd been called in to study the message. And it was high school teacher Donald Hardin and his wife Betty, a pair of amateur code breakers in Salinas, California. A few days later, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Vallejo Times Herald printed the Hardin's translated message. It read, in part, I like killing people because it is so much fun. When I die, I will be reborn in paradise and all I have killed will become my slaves. I will not give my name because you will try to slow down or stop my collecting of slaves. It was absolutely terrifying. Based on his letter, it was clear the Zodiac was deeply unhinged and he had no intention of stopping his killing spree. Even worse, the police weren't any closer to learning his real identity. The Zodiac Killer was holding all the cards. And in just a few weeks, he would strike again.
- [12:28]
Nicole Lapin
DSW's semi annual sale is fast. Take 40% off all clearance shoes in stores for a limited time. Literally every single clearance item at your DSW store is on sale right now. Sneakers, sandals, any style. If they're on the clearance racks, they're 40% off. So what are you waiting for? Don't sleep on these savings. Get to DSW asap. It's haul or nothing, people. Shop the DSW semi annual sale today. She's made up her mind to live pretty smart. Learn to budget responsibly right from the start. She spends a little less and puts more into savings. Keeps the blood pressure low and credit score raises. She's gotten debt right out of her life. She tracks her cash.
- [13:21]
Vanessa Richardson
Boring money moves.
- [13:22]
Nicole Lapin
Make kind of lame songs but they sound pretty sweet to your wallet.
- [13:25]
Vanessa Richardson
The NC bank brilliantly boring since 1865. In December 1968, a killer known only as the Zodiac began hunting throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He started his spree that month when he shot and killed two teens in Benicia. Seven months later, just after midnight on July 5, 1969, he ambushed another young couple at Blue Rock Springs Park. In that instance, he killed Darlene Farren and badly injured her companion, Mike Mageau. In the weeks after the murders, the killer wrote to several local newspapers and took credit for the crimes. He also warned the public that he was just getting started. And nearly three months later, he continued his terrifying spree. On September 27, 1969, 20 year old Brian Hartnell and 22 year old Cecilia Shepard were having a picnic in Napa County. They were at the edge of Lake Berryessa, about 60 miles north of San Francisco. Around twilight, they spotted a heavyset man approaching them from a distance. Before they could get a good look at his face, the man ducked behind a tree. A moment later, he re emerged wearing a black executioner style hood. Embroidered on it was a circle and cross symbol which had become the Zodiac killer's calling card. As he began walking toward Brian and Cecelia, they could see he was holding a long knife and a pistol. Brian and Cecelia knew they were in trouble, but there was no one around and the Zodiac was blocking their only path off the peninsula. They were trapped. Once the Zodiac reached them, he spoke in a monotone voice. He claimed to be an escaped convict from Montana who was trying to make it to Mexico. So when he demanded their money and car keys, Brian and Cecilia handed them over. After that, the Zodiac pulled out a rope and ordered Cecelia to tie Brian up. Once he was tied, the Zodiac did the same to Cecilia. Then he turned them both on their stomachs. With Brian and Cecelia bound and lying in the dirt, the Zodiac stood over them and said, I'm going to have to stab you people. Moments later, he attacked Brian and Cecilia with his knife. Then he walked over to their car. Using a felt tip marker, he wrote the dates of all of his murders as well as the Zodiac symbol on one of the doors. And then he vanished. Although Brian and Cecilia were badly injured and losing a lot of blood, they were still alive. Brian managed to untie Cecilia using his teeth, and once she was free, she returned the favor. Luckily, some fishermen had heard their screams during the attack and alerted the park rangers. They rushed over and waited with Brian and Cecilia while the paramedics arrived. Sadly, Cecilia slipped into a coma on the way to the hospital and died of her injuries two days later. But Brian survived, and he was able to give the police a detailed description of their attacker. Like Mike Mageau a couple of months earlier, Brian said the killer was a large brown haired man, between 5 foot 8 and 5 foot 10 and around 225 to 250 pounds. And like his last attack, the Zodiac didn't wait long to take credit for the crime. Just an hour after the attack, he called the Napa Police Department from a phone booth near the station. He wanted them to know he was responsible for what had happened to Cecilia and Mike. Once again, he was gone by the time police arrived at the phone booth, which left them to search the crime scene for clues. Detectives spoke to other people who'd been at Lake Berryessa that day. Several visitors reported seeing a strange man lurking around the area. And three women said a heavyset man in a black sweatshirt had pulled up next to them in the parking lot. He spent a few minutes watching them from his car. Later, they noticed him spying while they were sunbathing. But after observing them for 20 minutes, he disappeared. While it seemed suspicious, police never confirmed he was the Zodiac. And besides a few footprints near the crime scene, there wasn't any other evidence to point the authorities in the right direction. But the next time he struck, the Zodiac wouldn't make such a clean getaway. Two weeks later, on October 11, 1969, 29 year old Paul Stein was driving through the streets of San Francisco. When he wasn't in class, the doctoral student worked as a taxi driver to help pay for his schooling. That night, at around 9:40, he picked up a male passenger near Union Square. The man asked Paul to take him to the Presidio Heights neighborhood. Fifteen minutes later, Paul pulled up to the corner of Washington and Cherry streets. But instead of getting out, the man whipped out a gun and shot Paul in the head, instantly killing him. Two days later, the San Francisco Chronicle received another letter from the Zodiac Killer. In it, he took credit for murdering Paul Stine and included a small, bloody piece of Paul's shirt to prove it. Unlike the Zodiac's other killings, which had taken place in isolated, quiet areas, Paul had been shot in the middle of a major city on a Saturday evening, which meant there were a lot of witnesses. On the night of the murder, three teenagers across the street heard a gunshot. When they looked out the second floor window, they saw a man getting out of a cab. They watched as he reached into the front seat and stole Paul's wallet and keys and ripped off a piece of his shirt. Before fleeing the scene, the man wiped down several parts of the taxi, presumably getting rid of any prints he might have left behind. As soon as he started walking away, the teenagers called the police. Although the witnesses specified the killer was white, the police dispatcher incorrectly identified him as a black man. So when two officers en route to the crime scene passed a heavyset white man walking in the opposite direction, they didn't stop him. A minute or two later, the dispatcher corrected his mistake and reported that the suspect was white. The police rushed back towards the heavyset man, but he was already gone. In his letter to the Chronicle two days later, the Zodiac taunted the police for failing to capture him. It seemed like his successful escape emboldened him because he went on to speculate about future targets. He wrote, quote, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning. Just shoot out the front tire and pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out. This threat only heightened the sense of panic throughout the Bay Area. Reporters from national news outlets swarmed the city, and local school bus drivers were given instructions on what to do in case of a shooting. Ultimately, no school bus attack ever took place. And as months went by without any new Zodiac killings, things in the Bay Area went back to normal. But that didn't mean they were free of the Zodiac. Over the next five years, he would send 11 more letters to local newspapers, making increasingly outlandish threats and demands. In November 1960, 69, he claimed to have hidden a bomb somewhere in the bay area. In 1970, he sent postcards threatening to blow up city buses unless the people of San Francisco started wearing buttons with his symbol on them. By this time, most residents had gotten used to the Zodiac's empty threats, and they didn't comply. In subsequent letters, he complained that nobody was wearing the buttons and the and sent more ciphers and codes. He also claimed to have fatally shot a San Francisco police officer, a murder widely attributed to a radical leftist group. Still, in one of his letters, The Zodiac suggested he was committing more murders, but disguising them to look like robberies or accidents. From then on, he included a running tally of how many victims he claimed to have killed. And by the time the Zodiac sent his final confirmed letter In January of 1974, that number had risen to 37 people. And while he's been a suspect in many unsolved California murders from the 1960s and 70s, investigators believe Paul Stine was his last victim. The last time anyone heard from the Zodiac killer was that last letter he sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1990. 1974. In the years since, detectives have investigated more than 2,500Zodiac suspects, although just half a dozen or so were believed to be credible. The only suspect ever publicly named by police was Arthur Lee Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender who moved to Vallejo in 1963. After the killings began in 1969, one of Allen's friends contacted the authorities to report some suspicious statements Allen had made. According to the friend, Allen had discussed hunting humans and said how easy it would be to kill teenage couples parked on secluded roads. Apparently, he even commented on shooting out the tires of a school bus and attacking children as they got off. When police took a closer look at Allen, they learned he'd been pulled over for speeding near Lake Berryessa on the day Brian Hartnell and Cecilia Shepard were attacked. The officer who stopped Allen noticed there was a bloody knife in his back seat. When they asked Allen about it, he claimed the blood was from some chickens he'd killed earlier in the day. Over the next several years, detectives repeatedly interviewed Allen and searched his home, but were never able to find any evidence to conclusively tie him to the killings. And in 1974, the same year as the Zodiac's final letter, Allen was arrested for child molestation and spent the rest of the decade in prison. Allen, who died in 1992, always denied he was the Zodiac Killer. DNA collected from a stamp on one of the Zodiac's letters didn't match samples taken from Allen. And it's worth noting that while Allen was repeatedly convicted of sex crimes, none of the Zodiac's victims were sexually assaulted. For the last 50 years, real life detectives and amateur sleuths alike have obsessed over the Zodiac Killer. Online. True crime buff are constantly pointing to new evidence and new suspects, hoping to finally bring closure to one of the most notorious unsolved serial killings in American history. But so far, the hunt for the Zodiac Killer's true identity has been like the bizarre codes he sent to newspapers an elaborate puzzle with the solution always just out of reach. Coming up, another northern California serial killer whose identity remains unknown.
- [25:30]
Nicole Lapin
You know that one friend who somehow knows everything about money? Yeah. Now imagine they live in your phone. Say hey to experian, your big financial friend. It's the app that helps you check your fico score, find ways to save, and basically feel like a financial genius. And guess what? It's totally free. So go on, download the Experian app. Trust me, having a bff like this is a total game changer.
- [25:57]
Vanessa Richardson
What is dadication?
- [25:58]
Nicole Lapin
The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariana. We call him day date for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing that he's a good person. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job.
- [26:19]
Vanessa Richardson
That's dedication. Find out more@fatherhood.gov brought to you by the u. S. Department of health and human services and the ad council. 10 years after Darlene Farren was gunned down in blue rock Springs park, another victim of an unknown serial killer was discovered in northern California. But in this case, the murderer wasn't the only one whose identity was a mystery. So was his victims. Between 1972 and 1974, at least eight young women and girls were brutally killed after hitchhiking in Santa Rosa, California. Their murderer has never been identified. But on July 2, 1979, there was a break in the case. That day, two people were hiking on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, California. Midway through their route, they discovered a set of skeletal human remains in a dry creek bed. An old rope had been looped around the ankle bones, up the vertebrae of the spine, and wrapped two or three times around the skeleton's neck. Based on the size of the bones, investigators from the Santa Rosa county sheriff's department determined the remains had come from a teenage girl. They estimated her body had been in the creek bed for at least seven years by that point, and there was no way to identify her. In the wake of the discovery, only one thing was clear. This Jane Doe appeared to be the last victim of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer. The story of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer began several years earlier, on February 4, 1972. That day, 13 year old Maureen Sterling and her best friend, 13 year old Yvonne Weber were at the Redwood empire ice arena. It was a popular hangout spot for local teens in Santa Rosa. One of the girl's mothers had dropped them off around 7:30pm but when she returned to pick them up at 11pm she couldn't find Maureen or Yvonne anywhere. Her first thought was that they'd gotten a ride home with friends. So she called their classmates. But none of them had seen the girls anywhere. That left one other option. Maureen and Yvonne had hitchhiked. Now, back in the 1970s, hitchhiking was incredibly common. No one thought twice about standing on the side of the road and waving down a stranger for a ride. Especially if you were a young person in a rural area like Santa Rosa and didn't have your license yet. Even so, people knew it could be dangerous. So when Maureen and Yvonne's parents realized they'd probably hitched a ride home and never made it, their next call was to the Santa Rosa Police Department. The following morning, the police began investigating the girl's disappearance. After interviewing other teens at the ice rink, detectives learned they'd last been seen around 9pm getting into a car parked outside the arena. After that, the trail went cold. In the absence of any other leads, the authorities figured the girls had simply run away from home. Despite protests from Maureen and Yvonne's families, the police put the case on the back burner. They assured the girl's parents they'd turn up soon. It would take another few months until the authorities realized just how wrong they'd been. But before that, another young person was about to go missing. On March 4, 1972, one month after Maureen and Yvonne disappeared, 19 year old art student Kim Allen left her part time job at a health food store in the town of Larkspur, about 40 miles south of Santa Rosa. Everyone who knew Kim described her as a private, introverted person who went out of her way to see the good in everyone around her. And although Kim's parents and teachers had warned her about the dangers of hitchhiking in the past, Kim maintained an unshakable trust in the kindness of strangers. The first two drivers who picked Kim up that day gave her a lift a few miles up the road to the town of San Rafael after they dropped her off. Dozens of other drivers would later report seeing Kim trying to hitch a ride by the side of the road that afternoon. She was carrying a distinctive orange backpack and had a wooden barrel with her, covered in Chinese characters. Kim's friends said she was planning to turn it into a drum, but she never got the chance. The following day, March 5, two high schoolers riding their motorcycles in a rural area just south of Santa Rosa discovered Kim Allen's body. It was lying in a creek bed at the bottom of a steep embankment. They notified the police, and soon a team of detectives and forensic experts were there examining Kim's body. She was naked except for a single gold hoop earring, and had been sexually assaulted, which indicated that her killer had been male. Bruising on her wrists suggested Kim had been tied up and struggled to break free before she was killed. And based on the location, investigators believed Kim's killer had thrown her body from the road, where it rolled down the embankment and landed at the bottom. While inspecting the embankment, detectives discovered deep imprints in the soil, suggesting whoever had thrown Kim into the ravine may have tripped, ripped, and injured themselves. Police put the word out to local hospitals to be on the lookout for any new arrivals with leg or ankle injuries, but no reports came in. Investigators questioned the two men who'd given Kim a ride to San Rafael, but they were both quickly eliminated as suspects. Over the next two weeks, detectives interviewed more than 30 persons of interest in connection with Kim Kim's murder. Several of the men interviewed passed polygraph tests, and police found no physical evidence tying any of them to the killing. With no suspects and the trail going cold, police were confronted with one final wrinkle in the case. On March 24, 1972, 19 days after Kim's body was discovered, someone dropped her checkbook in a mailbox box in Kentfield, California, 40 miles away from Santa Rosa. Police were able to pull two fingerprints off the checkbook, but they didn't match any of the suspects or any other prints on file. It was yet another dead end in the wake of Kim Allen's murder. Students and faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College, where she'd been enrolled, organized carpools so nobody would need to hitchhike. It was a good idea, but housing near the college was expensive, and most students lived in small towns surrounding Santa Rosa, and there were no bus lines connecting these towns to the college. So despite the danger, many Carla students continued to hitch rides. 20 year old Jeanette Kamahale was one of those students. The daughter of single, a sailor in the US Navy, Janette grew up on a military base in Yokohama, Japan, and moved to California after graduating high school in 1970. She lived with her roommate in the small town of Koti, eight miles from Santa Rosa, and would hitchhike to class every day. On April 25, 1972, at around 9:30am One of Jeanette's friends was driving up the free freeway when he spotted her by the on ramp with her thumb out he started to pull over, but a car ahead of him got to Janette first. It was an old pickup truck with a homemade looking wooden camper attached to the bed. The driver was a white man who looked to be in his 20s or 30s with what was described as an afro style haircut. When Jeanette's friend saw him, he assumed she was in good hands and continued driving. But Jeanette didn't show up for class that morning, which was unusual for her. And when she didn't return home that night, her roommate reported her missing to the sheriff's department. Police put out an all points bulletin and began circulating missing posters with Jeanette's face on them. Meanwhile, the authorities continued to warn young people in the area not to hitchhike. It was clear there was a killer out there and Jeanette was his latest victim. The next few months were quiet. Throughout the summer, the police struggled to turn up new leads in the search for Jeanette Kamahale, Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber. And the hunt for Kim Allen's murderer wasn't going much better. The one bright spot was that her killer seemed seemed to be lying low. There were no new disappearances in Santa Rosa and no new bodies were discovered. But that would change when fall arrived. On November 11, 1972, 13 year old Lori Kersaw and her mother got into an argument at a supermarket in Santa Rosa. The two had a strained relationship and often fought. It wasn't un uncommon for Lori to run away after these fights. Usually she'd stay with friends for a few days before coming back home. But this time was different. After running out of the store, Laurie spent the next few weeks wandering the greater Santa Rosa area, hitchhiking around to different friends houses. Later, some of Lori's friends reported last seeing her on November 21st, just before Thanksgiving. Another others said they'd seen her on November 30. After that, the trail went cold until December. On December 14, 1972, hitchhikers discovered Lori Kersaw's body in a creek bed at the bottom of a steep embankment 30ft away from a country road just outside Santa Rosa. The same way Kim Allen had been found. Also like Kim Allen, Lori was naked except for a pair of earrings. Her body had been there for at least a week and was frozen solid after several nights of sub freezing temperatures. Following her autopsy, police reported that Lori had not been sexually assaulted and that her cause of death was a broken neck. Because there were no other injuries to her body, detectives theorized Lori may have fallen down the embankment after jumping from a moving vehicle. Like the other killings, police were unable to find evidence on or around Lori's body. But in the days ahead, investigators would receive a tip that would give them their clearest picture yet of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer.
- [37:38]
Nicole Lapin
Summer's here and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dress season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways in your everyday wardrobe, discover stylish options under $100 from tons of your favorite brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy too, with free shipping and free returns in store order pickup and more. Shop today in stores online@nordstrom.com or download the Nordstrom app. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra.
- [38:36]
Vanessa Richardson
Cmnobile.com Throughout 1972, the small northern California town of Santa Rosa was terrorized by a serial killer who preyed on young female hitchhikers. Over the course of the year, five women and and girls disappeared while trying to hitch a ride. Two of them were later found dead, their naked bodies at the bottom of embankments in rural areas outside of town. The Most recent victim, 13 year old Lori Kersaw, was discovered on December 14, her neck broken and body frozen. In the days after Lori was identified, a man saw her picture picture in the paper and reached out to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Department. He said that while driving home one night in early December, he noticed a beat up van parked at the edge of a residential neighborhood. As he drove by, he spotted two men escorting a young girl matching Lori's description across the road towards the vehicle. They pushed her into the back and sped off down the road in the direction of the site where Lori body would later be found. And most importantly, the witness caught a glimpse of the van's driver, a white man with an afro style haircut, just like the man who'd been driving the truck that picked up Jeanette Kamahale before she disappeared. Police teamed up with the local newspaper and ran a front page story about the witness's report, including A detailed description of the van and the the driver. The authorities set up a P.O. box and encouraged readers with information about the van or its owners to reach out anonymously. They even promised a $500 reward to anyone who could provide information leading to a break in the case. Unfortunately, none of the tips they received led police any closer to a suspect. The trail to the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker killer had hit yet another dead end. But it wouldn't be long until there was a new development. On December 28, 1972, two hikers discovered the decomposed bodies of 12 year old Maureen Sterling and 13 year old Yvonne Weber, who'd gone missing from the ice skating rink 10 months earlier. They'd been left in a rural area 60ft from a country road a few miles north of Santa Rosa. Both girls were nude, although Maureen's crucifix necklace and one of her earrings were found nearby. The bodies were too far gone to gather much evidence, but investigators estimated they'd been there for at least six months. And tragically, there would still be more bloodshed in the years to come. In early nineteen nineteen seventy three, as police in Santa Rosa hunted for the killer in their midst, 15 year old Carolyn Davis packed her bags and left her parents home in Anderson, California, 200 miles north. Shortly after she left, she mailed them a letter from the town of Soledad, letting them know she'd run away and never planned to return. For the next few months, Carolyn hitchhiked around the west west coast, eventually spending some time with her sister and grandmother near the town of Garberville, 150 miles north of Santa Rosa. On July 15, 1973, Carolyn left her grandmother's and started hitchhiking south along the 101 Freeway, hoping to visit friends in Modesto, a city in California's Central Valley. Her route would take her straight through Santa Rosa. Two weeks later, on July 31, a motorcyclist was driving along the winding forest roads outside of Santa Rosa. He stopped his bike to take a break when he noticed a horrible odor. He walked off the road and into the woods, trying to find the source of the smell. That's when he discovered the naked body of Carolyn Davis at the bottom of the steep embankment. As soon as the boat police arrived, they realized Carolyn was just three feet away from where Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber's bodies had been found six months earlier. The killer was taunting them. And an autopsy revealed even more information about the murderer. Unlike the killer's other victims, Carolyn's cause of death was strychnine Poisoning. It's an incredibly painful and. And long way to die. It was yet another indication that the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer took pleasure not in just killing, but in watching his victims suffer. Several more months passed with no new leads or breaks in the case, but also no new bodies. As the holidays approached, the residents of Santa Rosa grew hopeful that the carnage of the past couple of years was over. That hope would be extinguished as the year came to an end. On December 22, 1973, 23 year old Therese Walsh was last seen leaving malibu, California, roughly 450 miles south of Santa Rosa, where she'd been staying with friends. She started hitchhiking north, hoping to make it to the town of Garberville and in time to spend the holidays with her family. Much like Carolyn Davis, who set out from Garberville heading south, Teresa's route would take her straight through Santa Rosa. On December 28, exactly a year after Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber's bodies were discovered, kayakers found Teresa's body partially submerged in Mark West Creek just north of Santa Rosa. Like the other victims, Therese was naked. And like the skeletal remains that would be discovered six years later, she had been hogtied with a clothesline. That final body, which was discovered in 1979, was found just 100 yards away from the embankment where Lori Kersaw's body was left in 1972. Forensic experts estimated the unidentified victim was killed sometime between 1972 and 1974, during the height of the killer's spree. She appears to be the final victim of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer, but the authorities have acknowledged that there are probably more. An official FBI report identified 14 other unsolved murders in Northern California between 1972 and 1974, some or all of which may have been committed by the same killer. And just who was that killer? To this day, there are more questions than answers. As early as 1973, police in Santa Rosa suspected the Zodiac killer might be responsible. After all, the Zodiac himself wrote that he was going to disguise his murders. So it's possible he switched his MO from attacking young couples in cars to abducting young women who were hitchhiking. However, most investigators agree that the Santa Rosa killings, which involved torture and sexual violence, don't match the style of the Zodiac, who killed his victims quickly, then moved on. Prolific serial killer Ted Bundy was also considered a suspect. Many of his victims were strangled and dumped in rural areas, and he visited Santa Rosa a few times during his murder spree in the 1970s. But Bundy was also in Seattle or other parts of the country when many of the murders were committed, ruling him out as a suspect. The tragic reality is that whoever he is, the man or the men who sexually assaulted and killed so many innocent victims will probably never have to answer for their crimes. In the absence of an identity, let's instead remember the names of the women whose lives were cut short. Maureen Sterling, Yvonne Weber, Kim Allen, Jeanette Kamahale, Lori Kersaw, Carolyn Davis, Therese Walsh, and the unidentified victim known only as Jane Doe. Looking back at this week in crime history, it's easy to become frustrated by the lack of answers. The Zodiac Killer and the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer ended so many lives and caused so much pain and heartache. Both cases are a grim reminder that many murders do go unsolved and justice is never guaranteed. Guaranteed. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Crime House the Show. Crime House the Show is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, your feedback truly matters. And for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. We'll be back next Monday. The show is hosted by me, Vanessa Richards, and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Crime House the Show team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Truman Capps, Haniya Said, and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening.
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Nicole Lapin
Hey there, it's Nicole Lapin. For your next listen, check out Scams, Money and Murder. This week we dive into the true story of the Wolf of Wall street himself. And don't miss our recent episode with Jessica Pressler. That's the journalist who uncovered the truth behind fake heiress Anna Delphi. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.