Did The Zodiac Killer Visit Marysville, CA?
Find A Grave
On February 1, 1974 Brenda Kaye Merchant, a 19 year old young
lady, was found stabbed to death in her Marysville apartment. She had been stabbed and slashed more than 30
times with a long-blade knife. The
coroner’s office ruled that Brenda had asphyxiated on her own blood. The attack happened while her 1-year old son
slept in another room.
Earlier in the evening, Brenda had dinner with her boyfriend, George B. Stewart and was last seen alive around 6 p.m. when Stewart left the apartment. Brenda’s neighbors said that they had heard sounds like an argument about 9 p.m. and again around 2 a.m. Stewart said that he had found her body around 3:30 a.m.
The killer left a bloody handprint on the screen door and several blood-smeared fingerprints throughout the apartment. There was no sign of forced entry. Originally, this led the police to believe that Brenda knew her killer. Was Brenda Kay Merchant the victim of someone she knew or was Brenda Kaye Merchant the victim of a serial killer?
2/4/72 Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber – Both 12 years old – Last seen hitchhiking. They were both found 12/28/72. They were both thrown down a 66 ft. embankment. The cause of death could not be determined. The girls were naked, and it was believed that the killer kept their clothes as a trophy.
3/4/72 Kim Wendy Allen – 19 years old – Last seen hitchhiking carrying two bags and a soy barrel with Chinese characters painted on the outside. Her body was found 3/5/72. The killer tortured her for over 30 minutes. She had been strangled to death with a hollow core clothesline. The killer kept her clothes, necklace and one gold earring.
11/20/72 Lori Lee Kursa - 13 years old – Wandered off while shopping with her mother. Her mother reported her missing. Her body was found 12/14/72. Her body had been thrown into a ravine. Her neck was broken, probably from strangulation.
7/15/73 Carolyn Davis – 14 years old – Last seen hitchhiking in the Santa Rosa area. Her body was found 7/31/73. Her body had been thrown into a ravine, in almost the exact same place as Sterling and Weber had been found. She died of a Strychnine overdose.
12/22/73 Theresa Walsh – 23 years old – Last seen in Malibu but had told friends that she was planning to hitchhike to Garberville, 460 miles away. Her body was found in Santa Rosa, in a creek, partially submerged under a log. She had been hog-tied and strangled to death.
In 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a confidential report: “Unsolved Female Homicides - An Analysis of a Series of Related Murders in California and Western America” stating that fourteen unsolved homicides between 1972 and 1974 were committed by the same perpetrator. The F.B.I. gave no details as to why they believed the murders to be related. The list included the six found victims of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer (as of 1975) and the following:
5/26/73 Rosa Vasquez – 20 years old – Her body was found on 5/29/73 in some shrubs, near the Arguello Boulevard entrance at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. She had been strangled.
7 /10/73 - Yvonne Quilantang – 15 years old – Her body was found in a vacant Bayview district lot on June 10, 1973. She was seven months pregnant. She had been strangled.
7/1/73 - Angela Thomas – 16 years old – Her body was found 7/2/73 on the playground of Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in Daly City. She had been smothered. She had last been seen the previous evening at the Presidio of San Francisco. A locket was recovered near the body.
7/12/73 - Nancy Patricia Gidley - 24-years old – She was last seen at a Rodeway Inn motel. Her body was found behind the George Washington High School gymnasium on 7/15/73. She had been strangled. The victim was unclothed except for a single fish-shaped gold earring and was determined to have died within the previous 24 hours.
7/22/73 - Nancy Feusi – 22 years old - She disappeared after going dancing at a club in the Sacramento area. Her body was found on 7/22/73, in Redding. She had been stabbed to death.
11/4/73 - Laura A. O'Dell – 21 years old – She was last seen on 11/4/73. Her body was found in bushes behind the boathouse at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the cause of death appeared to be from head injuries or strangulation.
2/1/74 - Brenda Kaye Merchant – 19 years old – She was found stabbed to death at her home February 1, 1974, in Marysville.
9/24/74 - Donna M. Braun – 14 years old - Her body was found on 9/29/74 in the Salinas River near Monterey. She had been strangled.
Although these cases were not included in the original 14 murder victims of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer, it is believed by law enforcement that they were killed by the same killer:
3/16/71 - Lisa Smith – 17 years old - She was last seen hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa. Although she vanished months before the killings started, authorities suspect it is possible she was a victim of the killer. Her body was never found.
4/23/72 Jeanette Kamahele – 20 years old – Last seen hitchhiking in Santa Rosa and getting into a brown pickup truck. Her body has never been found.
?/?/?? - Jane Doe - Her body was found July 6, 1979. Her hands and ankles had been bound to her neck with white clothesline that was wrapped around her neck four times. She was found only 300 feet from where Lori Lee Kursa was found. It was originally believed it was the body of Jeanette Kamahele. However, this was ruled out by DNA in 2009.
12/1978 - Kerry Anne Graham - 15 years old and Francine Trimble – 14 years old - A high school friend said the girls were going to hitchhike to a party 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 weren't identified as belonging to Kerry and Francine until 2015 thanks to DNA analysis.
The 1970’s were awash with serial killers and several of them were considered as suspects in the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Was the killer the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy or the Zodiac Killer? Could this killer have been a completely different serial murderer who continues to elude justice?
Earlier in the evening, Brenda had dinner with her boyfriend, George B. Stewart and was last seen alive around 6 p.m. when Stewart left the apartment. Brenda’s neighbors said that they had heard sounds like an argument about 9 p.m. and again around 2 a.m. Stewart said that he had found her body around 3:30 a.m.
The killer left a bloody handprint on the screen door and several blood-smeared fingerprints throughout the apartment. There was no sign of forced entry. Originally, this led the police to believe that Brenda knew her killer. Was Brenda Kay Merchant the victim of someone she knew or was Brenda Kaye Merchant the victim of a serial killer?
Murder Incorporated
2/4/72 Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber – Both 12 years old – Last seen hitchhiking. They were both found 12/28/72. They were both thrown down a 66 ft. embankment. The cause of death could not be determined. The girls were naked, and it was believed that the killer kept their clothes as a trophy.
3/4/72 Kim Wendy Allen – 19 years old – Last seen hitchhiking carrying two bags and a soy barrel with Chinese characters painted on the outside. Her body was found 3/5/72. The killer tortured her for over 30 minutes. She had been strangled to death with a hollow core clothesline. The killer kept her clothes, necklace and one gold earring.
11/20/72 Lori Lee Kursa - 13 years old – Wandered off while shopping with her mother. Her mother reported her missing. Her body was found 12/14/72. Her body had been thrown into a ravine. Her neck was broken, probably from strangulation.
7/15/73 Carolyn Davis – 14 years old – Last seen hitchhiking in the Santa Rosa area. Her body was found 7/31/73. Her body had been thrown into a ravine, in almost the exact same place as Sterling and Weber had been found. She died of a Strychnine overdose.
12/22/73 Theresa Walsh – 23 years old – Last seen in Malibu but had told friends that she was planning to hitchhike to Garberville, 460 miles away. Her body was found in Santa Rosa, in a creek, partially submerged under a log. She had been hog-tied and strangled to death.
In 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a confidential report: “Unsolved Female Homicides - An Analysis of a Series of Related Murders in California and Western America” stating that fourteen unsolved homicides between 1972 and 1974 were committed by the same perpetrator. The F.B.I. gave no details as to why they believed the murders to be related. The list included the six found victims of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer (as of 1975) and the following:
5/26/73 Rosa Vasquez – 20 years old – Her body was found on 5/29/73 in some shrubs, near the Arguello Boulevard entrance at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. She had been strangled.
7 /10/73 - Yvonne Quilantang – 15 years old – Her body was found in a vacant Bayview district lot on June 10, 1973. She was seven months pregnant. She had been strangled.
7/1/73 - Angela Thomas – 16 years old – Her body was found 7/2/73 on the playground of Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in Daly City. She had been smothered. She had last been seen the previous evening at the Presidio of San Francisco. A locket was recovered near the body.
7/12/73 - Nancy Patricia Gidley - 24-years old – She was last seen at a Rodeway Inn motel. Her body was found behind the George Washington High School gymnasium on 7/15/73. She had been strangled. The victim was unclothed except for a single fish-shaped gold earring and was determined to have died within the previous 24 hours.
7/22/73 - Nancy Feusi – 22 years old - She disappeared after going dancing at a club in the Sacramento area. Her body was found on 7/22/73, in Redding. She had been stabbed to death.
11/4/73 - Laura A. O'Dell – 21 years old – She was last seen on 11/4/73. Her body was found in bushes behind the boathouse at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the cause of death appeared to be from head injuries or strangulation.
2/1/74 - Brenda Kaye Merchant – 19 years old – She was found stabbed to death at her home February 1, 1974, in Marysville.
9/24/74 - Donna M. Braun – 14 years old - Her body was found on 9/29/74 in the Salinas River near Monterey. She had been strangled.
Although these cases were not included in the original 14 murder victims of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer, it is believed by law enforcement that they were killed by the same killer:
3/16/71 - Lisa Smith – 17 years old - She was last seen hitchhiking on Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa. Although she vanished months before the killings started, authorities suspect it is possible she was a victim of the killer. Her body was never found.
4/23/72 Jeanette Kamahele – 20 years old – Last seen hitchhiking in Santa Rosa and getting into a brown pickup truck. Her body has never been found.
?/?/?? - Jane Doe - Her body was found July 6, 1979. Her hands and ankles had been bound to her neck with white clothesline that was wrapped around her neck four times. She was found only 300 feet from where Lori Lee Kursa was found. It was originally believed it was the body of Jeanette Kamahele. However, this was ruled out by DNA in 2009.
12/1978 - Kerry Anne Graham - 15 years old and Francine Trimble – 14 years old - A high school friend said the girls were going to hitchhike to a party 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 weren't identified as belonging to Kerry and Francine until 2015 thanks to DNA analysis.
The 1970’s were awash with serial killers and several of them were considered as suspects in the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Was the killer the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy or the Zodiac Killer? Could this killer have been a completely different serial murderer who continues to elude justice?
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy had committed similar crimes in Washington, Oregon,
California, Colorado, Utah and Idaho. Bundy
confessed to 30 murders, but estimates have been as high as 100. Therefore, Ted Bundy was suspected in the Santa
Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Bundy had spent
time in neighboring Marin County, but was ruled out by a Sonoma County
detective in the 1970s and again in 1989. Detailed credit card records revealed Bundy
was in Washington on the dates of some of the disappearances. On February 1, 1974, Ted Bundy abducted Lynda
Ann Healy from her basement bedroom in Seattle.
Her skull was later found. Ted
Bundy confessed to her murder shortly before his death. Therefore, he could not have been responsible
for Brenda Kaye Merchant’s murder on the same date.
The Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer
San Francisco Police Department
Zodiac was a serial murderer in the bay area during the late
60’s. The Zodiac killer was self-named
in one of his taunting letters to law enforcement and the media. On January 29, 1974, the Chronicle published
the Zodiac Killer’s “Exorcist letter”, as he provided a review of the popular
movie. In the letter, he claimed to have
killed 37 victims. However, he could only be conclusively linked to seven (five murdered and
two attempted murders). He was also
linked to the kidnapping of a woman and her baby in Modesto, but she was able
to escape. He was famous for writing
letters and making phone calls to the police and the media and leaving clues at
his murder sites.
In a 1969 letter the Zodiac Killer had written, he stated that he would no longer be announcing his killings and would be changing his modus operandi. After, that letter, he no longer claimed any murders. His murders were similar to the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders in several ways. He used various caliber firearms, different sized knives and clothesline type rope in his murders. The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer kept his victims’ clothes and in some cases jewelry as trophies. Zodiac kept souvenirs from his killings. The only victim of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer that may have been sexually assaulted was Kim Allen. Zodiac did not sexually assault his victims. Several of the Santa Rosa Murder victims were tied with seamen knots. It was believed that Zodiac may have been a merchant marine. Zodiac’s last letter was in 1974. The letter contained strange characters at the bottom that very closely resembled the characters on the soy barrel Santa Rosa murder victim, Kim Allen, was carrying prior to her death. Was this one of his infamous clues?
Arthur Leigh Allen had an uncanny resemblance to the witness drawing of the Zodiac Killer. Allen owned a mobile home at Sunset Trailer Park in Santa Rosa at the time of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Allen remained the main suspect in the Zodiac case from 1971 until October 2002. In his book, Zodiac Unmasked, Robert Graysmith built a convincing case that Arthur Leigh Allen was Zodiac. However, ten years after his death, Allen’s DNA was compared to a partial DNA profile obtained from saliva recovered on the underside of a postage stamp and envelopes from verified Zodiac letters. The results indicated that his DNA was not a match. In addition, the fingerprints in blood recovered from the taxicab of Zodiac murder victim Paul Stine and a writer's palm print found on the Zodiac letter of January 29, 1974, did not match Arthur Leigh Allen. Finally, his handwriting did not match the handwriting of the Zodiac.
DNA from some of the cases was submitted to Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA database without a match. Again, In 2018, DNA from the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders and the Zodiac murders were brought out for testing hoping to identify the killer(s) in the same manner the Golden State Killer was caught. However, currently the cases remain unsolved.
References:
Findagrave, Brenda Kaye Merchant
Murder Incorporated, Unsolved Murders
Welton, Benjamin, (2019, May 6), 10 Horrific Facts About The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
Graysmith, Robert, Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America’s Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed, The Berkeley Publishing Group, New York, New York. Pages 129-131.
Wikipedia, Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
Wikipedia, Ted Bundy 12/18/19
Lawson, Ben, Lillard, Kevin, Mayer, Department of Psychology, Radford University, Ted Bundy
San Francisco Police Department, The Zodiac Killer Wanted
Poster
www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/11/22/the-disturbing-unsolved-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders/
Biography.com Editors, Zodiac Killer Biography, A&E Television Network
McKendry, David Ian, The Disturbing, Unsolved Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/11/22/the-disturbing-unsolved-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders/
In a 1969 letter the Zodiac Killer had written, he stated that he would no longer be announcing his killings and would be changing his modus operandi. After, that letter, he no longer claimed any murders. His murders were similar to the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders in several ways. He used various caliber firearms, different sized knives and clothesline type rope in his murders. The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer kept his victims’ clothes and in some cases jewelry as trophies. Zodiac kept souvenirs from his killings. The only victim of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murderer that may have been sexually assaulted was Kim Allen. Zodiac did not sexually assault his victims. Several of the Santa Rosa Murder victims were tied with seamen knots. It was believed that Zodiac may have been a merchant marine. Zodiac’s last letter was in 1974. The letter contained strange characters at the bottom that very closely resembled the characters on the soy barrel Santa Rosa murder victim, Kim Allen, was carrying prior to her death. Was this one of his infamous clues?
Arthur Leigh Allen had an uncanny resemblance to the witness drawing of the Zodiac Killer. Allen owned a mobile home at Sunset Trailer Park in Santa Rosa at the time of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. Allen remained the main suspect in the Zodiac case from 1971 until October 2002. In his book, Zodiac Unmasked, Robert Graysmith built a convincing case that Arthur Leigh Allen was Zodiac. However, ten years after his death, Allen’s DNA was compared to a partial DNA profile obtained from saliva recovered on the underside of a postage stamp and envelopes from verified Zodiac letters. The results indicated that his DNA was not a match. In addition, the fingerprints in blood recovered from the taxicab of Zodiac murder victim Paul Stine and a writer's palm print found on the Zodiac letter of January 29, 1974, did not match Arthur Leigh Allen. Finally, his handwriting did not match the handwriting of the Zodiac.
DNA from some of the cases was submitted to Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA database without a match. Again, In 2018, DNA from the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders and the Zodiac murders were brought out for testing hoping to identify the killer(s) in the same manner the Golden State Killer was caught. However, currently the cases remain unsolved.
References:
Findagrave, Brenda Kaye Merchant
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59769255/brenda-kaye-merchant
Murder Incorporated, Unsolved Murders
https://murderincorp.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/emr
Welton, Benjamin, (2019, May 6), 10 Horrific Facts About The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
https://listverse.com/2019/04/02/10-horrific-facts-about-the-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders/
Graysmith, Robert, Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America’s Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed, The Berkeley Publishing Group, New York, New York. Pages 129-131.
Wikipedia, Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa_hitchhiker_murders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy
Lawson, Ben, Lillard, Kevin, Mayer, Department of Psychology, Radford University, Ted Bundy
maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Bundy,%20Ted%20-%202005.pdf
www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/11/22/the-disturbing-unsolved-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders/
Biography.com Editors, Zodiac Killer Biography, A&E Television Network
https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/zodiac-killer
McKendry, David Ian, The Disturbing, Unsolved Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders
www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/11/22/the-disturbing-unsolved-santa-rosa-hitchhiker-murders/
I assume boyfriend ruled out of Merchant murder? So shocking to see this list with more details about the girls vs. a numbered list of just names. Unspeakably sad...some men are predators, evil, vicious. Very few women kill and even rarely, just wantonly, out of the blue like the Zodiac, Bundy. These men are bullies and cowards, pigs. Ashamed of my gender...
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