Talk:Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders

Where can the 1975 FBI report be found?

I asked librarians about the FBI's 1975 Unsolved Female Homicide report, but they could not locate it. The document seems to have been in circulation for a while. Should I contact the FBI directly? Thanks. VallejoHistory (talk) 11:12, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

Just going with a FOIA request. VallejoHistory (talk) 01:32, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

If you receive it, the information would be worth adding to this article. I did not add that information myself so I am not aware of where it came from. It might have been in a press release or a news article. I also think more recent investigators might be skeptical that all of the other homicides were related to those involving hitchhikers. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 15:15, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

Thank you Bookworm,

The eFoia did not return any results, but a long-time researcher provided me with portions of what was probably used as the article source. The title is the same, but the authorship is California's DOJ. The authorship is stated on the title sheet and on page 1. The document was prepared by David E. Strove. Higher-ups are Evelle J. Younger, Charles A. Barrett, and George Puddy.

Tentatively I will update the "FBI Report... " section:

Credit the California Department of Justice in the title and first paragraph.

Change the citation to likewise specify CA's DOJ and remove he the reference to the FBI.

As the mistake seems straightforward, I will probably make it in just a day or so. I will browse the portions of the report which I have received a bit more, however. VallejoHistory (talk) 05:18, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Good research. Thanks for the time you put into this. It should be as accurate as we can make it. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 20:11, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Possible additional killings

Draft:

Many people inside and outside of law enforcement have considered scenarios in which the primary perpetrator of the SRHM crimes could have attacked many more women than are listed above.

In the context of Zodiac, Robert Graysmith listed SRHM victims and murders with similarities to the SRHM crimes.  These include:

   Elaine Davis (1969, abducted from Walnut Creek)
   Leona Roberts (1969, Marin County)
   Eva Blau (1970, Sonoma County)
   "Toni" Anstey (1970, found in Lake County)
   Susan Dye (1975, found in Sonoma County)

The body of Elaine Davis was apparently dumped off the coast of Santa Cruz, but not identified until 2001. The body of Leona Roberts was also left in water.

On the evening of December 3, 1969 college student Kathy Sosic accepted a ride from outside the Sonoma State College library to her home in nearby Cotati.  The male driver turned away from Cotati and pulled a gun.  Kathy Sosic escaped by grabbing the man's arm with the gun and jumping from the moving vehicle.  She was not seriously injured.  At the time, law enforcement apparently considered this to be an attempted sexual assault. Kathy Sosic had blonde hair.

Law enforcement has considered a scenario in which the primary perpetrator of the SRHM crimes also killed in Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Colorado.  In this scenario, the west coast slayings would have (temporarily) stopped in September 1974.  The Utah and Colorado murders spanned late 1974 to early 1975.  Law enforcement has also considered the possibility that the Flat Tire Murders, which occurred in Southern Florida, could have the same primary perpetrator as the SRHM attacks.

Sources: Robert Graysmith's 1986 Zodiac book: pages 309-311 Elaine Davis body identified: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/body-of-girl-missing-since-69-identified-2920017.php Kathy Sosic: The Press Democrat (newspaper), December 4, 1969. Hair color: Yearbook photos on Ancestry.com The Flat Tire Murders by Michael P. Burns: pages 168-169.

Notes: I will add a source for the finding of Leona Roberts body in water. Susan Dye would be an outlier for a few different reasons.  I may add sources which clarify this.

VallejoHistory (talk) 02:46, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

I don't have these books. Certainly worth adding these additional victims and theories under the possible victims section along with the citations. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 14:03, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

Possible interviews of potential victims by perpetrator, Zodiac.

Both of the following come from The Flat Tire Murders by Michael P. Burns, pages 168 and 171. Graysmith's 1986 Zodiac book has relevant information on pages 80-81, but tentatively I won't add any of it to this page.

According to law law enforcement, it is possible that the perpetrator of the SRHM crimes interviewed potential victims before deciding whether or not to attack them.

Law enforcement reportedly ruled out Zodiac on the grounds that the SRHM perpetrator appeared to sexually assault his victims, while Zodiac did not.

VallejoHistory (talk) 08:27, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

I'd personally be skeptical that the Zodiac was involved,based on some of the books I've read and quoted like Lost Coast Highway. There were a lot of these creeps preying on women and girls in the same general locale. I also wonder if the modus operandi fits the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Elaine Davis was 17, very shy, and was abducted from her home while she was babysitting her 3-year-old sister late one night during the 45 minutes her mother was gone. She was one of several teenage girls in the general area and time period who were abducted from their homes. The victims in the Santa Rosa hitchhiking cases were hitchhiking. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 04:15, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

The recurrence of the name Davis as well as cars and water elements makes me believe that Zodiac was probably the primary perpetrator of the SRHM killings. The disputed May 1978 LA Zodiac letter also mentions Davis. I believe that the recognition of Ray Davis as a likely Zodiac victim significantly changes the likely extent of Zodiac crimes. VallejoHistory (talk) 07:35, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

No way to know. Davis is a common name. I think it's more likely Elaine Davis was a victim of the same predator who abducted Cosette Ellison and Lorna Roberts from their homes, though the time of day was different. Cosette was abducted outside her home after she got off the school bus. There were too many of these criminals in that area at the time. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 14:03, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

My hobby during the pandemic was reviewing confirmed and possible Zodiac crimes. Disturbing connections emerge unexpectedly. For example, Irene Bates, the mother of Cheri Jo Bates, died of strychnine poisoning. This is of course the same as Carolyn Davis. Authorities declared that the death of Irene Bates was suicide, but strychnine is "an ugly way to go." It is also the backstory for the book and film Psycho for the character Norma Bates. Her son Norman killed her and her lover with strychnine. Also of interest is that Hitchcock's serial killer film Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was mostly set in Santa Rosa. (The victims in the film were older women, but I don't think that Zodiac usually copied stories exactly.) Hitchcock's film The Lodger (1927 UK, 1928 US) had a serial killer targeting blonde women. VallejoHistory (talk) 19:09, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

Jim Mordecai

Based on a documentary that has just come out (The Truth About Jim), Santa Rosa native (and reputed serial rapist) Jim Mordecai emerges as a strong candidate for the Santa Rosa Hitchhiking killer. I would like to list him in the "Suspects" section, but I'm not sure about the criteria for inclusion -- can someone kindly apprise me of the protocol for including someone in that section? Thanks and happy editing. Chillowack (talk) 23:12, 16 February 2024 (UTC)

I actually just saw the documentary and I also think it merits inclusion. The citation should be a mainstream news article rather than a blog or entertainment site. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 23:24, 16 February 2024 (UTC)

So one article describing him as a "suspect" is sufficient? There doesn't have to be an official announcement from law enforcement or something like that? Chillowack (talk) 00:32, 17 February 2024 (UTC)

I added some background from the documentary and reviews describing the documentary. Bookworm857158367 (talk) 01:29, 17 February 2024 (UTC)