Talk:Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders

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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)[reply]

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

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]

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)[reply]