Just like the July 13th 1971 Monticello card, giving us clues and directions to the murder of Kathy Bilek in April, near Monticello in San Jose, California, the March 22nd 1971 Pines card, in similar fashion, may have been designed to direct us to the deposition or burial site of Donna Ann Lass (25), who disappeared from Stateline, Nevada on September 6th 1970 having finished her shift that day at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. Harvey Hines, a retired detective from Groveland, believed that Donna Lass was likely buried on the Donner Ski Ranch. He stated "After studying the card, I drove to Nordin, located on old Highway 40, north of Lake Tahoe, and found the SIERRA CLUB. I learned the club was not called the Sierra Club. It was named the Claire Tappan Lodge and it was a private club for Sierra Club members only. I believed if I followed the directions on the postcard I would find Donna Lass' grave. I believe she was buried near the Sierra Club and most likely on the Donner Ski Ranch. I would later have the pictures of the Sierra Club developed. Then using a copy of Zodiac's card, I cut out the phrases he had pasted on his card. Using these phrases, I overpasted them on the copy of the Sierra Club picture. It was striking similar to the original card." [see below left].
​   

​A newspaper article stated that "the site depicted on the 'Pines Card' was from an advertisement published last Sunday by several newspapers. It was an artist's rendition of houses among the trees at a Boise Cascade Company project at Incline Village, where construction has just begun on the development. While much of the Sierra area is under several feet of snow, Incline Village has only two feet on the ground. Police went to the area to determine if a search is possible".

If we use the directions given by the card from Incline Village, it tells us to "pass Lake Tahoe areas". To pass the areas of Lake Tahoe we have to travel westward, until we reach Clair Tappaan Lodge, "a private club for Sierra Club members only". 

Howard Davis, a contributor to the ZodiacKiller.com message board can pick up the story here: "Incredibly, her [Lass] grave remained hidden until August 1976, when retired Norden postmaster Otto Fredricks is believed to have found it on Donner Summit. He was hiking past the SIERRA CLUB'S Claire Tappan Lodge, near Norden, when he came across the intricately contrived wooden symbols alongside the path: in the center was a triangle around a cross containing 13 stones, and that was surrounded first by a six foot square and then by a circle of wood with a 14 foot diameter". The October 5th 1970 '13 Hole' postcard contained 13 punch holes and a red crucifix.

When they dug near the location of Clair Tappaan Lodge they found a pair of green tinted glasses, similar to a pair believed to have been worn by Donna Lass. It is not known for certain whether these glasses belonged to Donna Lass, or that the configuration was constructed by her murderer. Some believe the stone and wood configuration to be Rosicrucian in design, whereas 'The Foreigner' thought that Harvey Hines had misread the finding and it was a YMCA "Ragger’s Point" creation. Nevertheless, it is curious that "pass Lake Tahoe areas" takes us to the "Sierra Club" members of Clair Tappaan Lodge along Donner Pass Road, where we can "peek through the Pines" at the entrance to the lodge, and find some g(lass)es buried in the ground. The entrance to Clair Tappaan Lodge looks extremely similar to the depiction of the 1974 Christmas card mailed to Mary Pilker, Donna Lass' sister.​ Once inside the grounds we search "around in the snow". This can be interpreted as "a round in the snow" meaning "a circle in the snow". The circle of wood containing the crucifix. The alternative to finding meaning in the phrases pasted on the Pines card, is to believe the author pasted the text for no reason whatsoever. The two communications immediately after the Donna Lass disappearance were the '13 Hole' postcard and the Halloween card, each containing an inference to the number 13. The punch holes in the October 5th 1970 '13 Hole' postcard from the front side, arranged in a 10:3 formation (October 3rd), which could specify when he arranged the wood and stone configuration, meaning look for 13 in the form of a circle. The following Halloween card using 13 eyes in the design, telling us to look for 13. However, it must be stressed, that searching for clues and meaning behind such communications is down to the interpretation of the observer, with the above ideas often finding a resting place in the ever expanding graveyard of Zodiac theories. 

The Monticello card was mailed four months later, by somebody purporting to be the Zodiac Killer, and referencing the murder of Kathy Bilek in San Jose on April 11th 1971.

San Jose is home to the "Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, devoted to Ancient Egypt, located at Rosicrucian Park in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose, California, United States. It was founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC). The Rosicrucian Order continues to support and expand the museum and its educational and scientific activities. The museum holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western United States, and is located next to the Rosicrucian headquarters". Wikipedia. The museum also had a purpose-built planetarium, where a budding Zodiac could add a knowledge of astronomy and the night sky to his search for the afterlife.  

"Rosicrucian Grand Master Julie Scott talks about the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife and shows us around the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose California". link.

But what if the murderer of Donna Lass added further directions using the crucifix, triangle, square and circle symbols as clues. Harvey Hines believed Donna Lass "was buried near the Sierra Club and most likely on the Donner Ski Ranch". So, were the symbols somehow related to the Donner Ski Ranch? Had the murderer of Donna Lass occasionally vacationed at Lake Tahoe, using the trails of Donner Ski Ranch? From 1964 to 1968 ski trails were rated on difficulty using a colored triangle, square and circle. Did the designer of the stone and wood configuration place the crucifix within the triangle, square and circle, using the glasses, to signify that Donna Lass was buried on Donner Ski Ranch along one of the trails? If the bottom left of the Pines card is placed over Clair Tappaan Lodge, the punch hole in the top right corner is facing the northeast, exactly where the ski lifts and trails are located. Was this the deduction of Harvey Hines? 

I would have to say that 'The Foreigner' is most likely correct, with the wood and stone configuration likely created by somebody other than the author of the Pines card (or Zodiac), and most probably a Ragger's Point creation. However, this doesn't preclude the Zodiac or an impostor using a pre-existing configuration as a burial site for the glasses. The wood and stone configuration would have been a perfect marker to direct the police towards, using the Pines card phrases from Incline Village.     

On July 13th 1971 a pasted card was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle with the words "Near Monticello Shought Victims 21 ...... In The Woods Dies April".  Many have speculated on the location mentioned in the card as "Monticello" in Napa County, California, because of the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard on September 27th 1969. It has been further speculated on whether "April" was a woman's name or the month of the alleged murder. After a comprehensive review of all the information, I believe the woman's identity, labelled as victim number 21, can finally be revealed, along with the exact location of Monticello.      

On November 8th 1969 the Zodiac mailed the 'Dripping Pen' card to the San Francisco Chronicle insinuating his involvement in the brutal stabbing of Debra Gaye Furlong (14) and Kathie Ann Snoozy (15), who were found murdered on August 3rd 1969 in the Bay Area of San Jose, in what can only be described as a barrage of knife wounds. The inference of his chronological list of months on the card was suggesting there were two murders attributed to him in August. This crime was ultimately attributed to Karl Francis Werner.
On November 21st 1969 a letter and code from the alleged Zodiac was mailed to the San Jose Police Department threatening a widow. Police responded by implementing 24 hour surveillance on her residence. 
Ten days later, on December 1st 1969, Elaine Davis (17), a Pleasant Hill High School senior disappeared from her 158 Pioneer Avenue home in Walnut Creek. The abductor had likely traveled through San Jose to dispose of her body at Light House Point in Santa Cruz.

On Sunday, April 11th 1971, Kathy Bilek, 18, visited Villa Montalvo, in Saratoga, with the intent to read and engage in birdwatching in the seclusion of a remote, wooded portion of the park, near a small stream. Her body was found the next day by her father, Charles, while Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies searched nearby. She had been stabbed 17 times in the back, and 32 times in her chest and stomach, although her killer had taken care to avoid stabbing her breasts. Her murder was also attributed to Karl Francis Werner. Wikipedia. The brutal murder of Kathy Bilek would again be claimed by 'Zodiac', not only in the Monticello card, but in another alleged Zodiac letter, also mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle at about the same time as the Monticello card. Kathy Bilek was murdered in "April", exactly as mentioned in the Monticello card, and "in the woods" at Villa Montalvo (a wooded section of the park). Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, The appearance of San Jose once again. 

If Zodiac created the Monticello card, the reason may have been  a response, albeit belated, to an article written by Paul Avery in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 13th 1971, suggesting a possible link between the murder of Kathy Bilek and the Bay Area murders. Karl Werner was  charged with the murders of Snoozy, Furlong and Bilek over two months prior to the mailing of the Monticello card, so it's possible Zodiac saw the irony of claiming the Kathy Bilek murder, as he had done with the Debra Gaye Furlong and Kathie Ann Snoozy murders some 20 months earlier. The final thing to examine in the July 13th 1971 pasted card, were the words "near Monticello". It was easy to get sidelined into believing Monticello was referring to Napa County, because the town was completely covered by Lake Berryessa, the site of Zodiac's third attack.

However, the "Monticello" the author is referring to in the pasted card, is again in San Jose. Monticello is a neighborhood in San Jose, California, just over 9 miles east of Villa Montalvo, the site of Kathy Bilek's murder.
​In other words, the author of the card was saying "I killed Kathy Bilek near Monticello, in the Villa Montalvo woods in April".
​To view the proximity of Monticello to Villa Montalvo click here. 

This wasn't the only communication to refer to the murder of Kathy Bilek.
Sometime in 1971, likely just after the mailing of the Monticello card, a questionable Zodiac correspondence and cipher was received by the San Francisco Chronicle, postmarked Fairfield, California. It read:
I'll DO IT TO BECAUSE I DONE IT 21 TIMES. I CAN'T STOP BECAUSE EACH ThAT I KILL MAKES IT WORSE AND I MUST KILL MORE. MAN IS ThE MOST PRIZED GAME. ILL NERVER GIVE MY NAME BECAUSE YOU dONT UNDERSTAND. NEXT TIME I WILL SEND A PATCH OF HUMAN SKIN if their is SOME Left OVER.

The Monticello card stated "Shought victims 21", referring to the Kathy Bilek murder, whereas, in this correspondence the author was claiming he had already "done it 21 times." The Monticello card was never released to the newspapers or public, so bearing in mind these two communications were both likely mailed at approximately the same time, there is a high probability they were mailed by the same author - or Zodiac himself.

"I killed Kathy Bilek near Monticello, in the Villa Montalvo woods in April".
"Near Monticello Shought Victims 21 ...... In The Woods Dies April".

Brought to the attention of the Zodiac community by Lyndon Lafferty's book 'The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: AKA The Silenced Badge', Shiri-Dine Bana (19) was reported missing by her mother on May 10th 1979. Her body was discovered at noon on Friday May 18th 1979 by a Solano County employee, lying in weeds less than a quarter of a mile south of Lake Herman Road, on the west side. I have estimated the location using the newspaper reports, to the area of Reservoir Road shown below. This location is just 860 meters from the turnout where David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were murdered by the Zodiac Killer on December 20th 1968.

Her 1969 light blue Ford Torino was first spotted at the Blue Rock Springs parking lot on May 12th by a Solano County Sheriff's Deputy and later on Monday May 14th by a caretaker (parked across three parking stalls). It was ticketed as abandoned on May 17th by a Vallejo Police Department officer,  only to eventually be identified as Shiri-Dine Bana's vehicle on the 18th. The young woman disappeared on her way to Napa Community College (now Napa Valley College) from her residence at 260 American Canyon Road No 4 in Napa. View on Google maps. Her clothed body was lying on its stomach, badly decomposed. However, at autopsy they determined she had been stabbed at least 25 times, and possibly struck over the head and strangled. One clue surfaced from her trouser pocket - a registration form for the Napa Community College listing one name. The Ford Torino was hauled away to the Department of Justice crime laboratory in Sacramento, but after a thorough examination of the vehicle they found no traces of blood present in the car, or anything significant pertaining to Shiri-Dine Bana.      

Detective Bob Fletcher speculated 'that Bana was murdered at the Reservoir Road site where the body was found. He partially based the assumption on the fact the woman's eyeglasses were still on her head when she was found. Eyeglasses would most likely have been jarred loose in transport had she been killed elsewhere and later dumped along Reservoir Road. "The facts show she was murdered where she was found" he said. The car was apparently returned to the park and abandoned. Fletcher was seeking assistance in the murder investigation: "Does anyone remember seeing this car parked at Blue Rock Springs between the evenings of May 11 and May 12?"  he asked.'

The idea painted by the above passage, could be interpreted as: Shiri-Dine Bana headed off to Napa Community College on May 10th and met her assailant at this location, whether known or unknown. She was then either forced under duress, or she willingly drove to the area of Reservoir Road where she was murdered. The killer then drove her vehicle west to Blue Rock Springs Park, abandoned it, and made his escape on foot or by use of a second waiting vehicle. 

The analysis of Detective Bob Fletcher, however, seems questionable, when we consider Shiri-Dine Bana was stabbed 25+ times in the neck, chest and back, along with the possibility of a blow to the head and strangulation. They must have been extremely sturdy eyeglasses to have remained on the young woman's face throughout such a ferocious attack (with no mentioned damage), in which Shiri-Dine Bana would have offered sustained resistance over a lengthy period against her attacker. If the murderer had committed this brutal murder in a grassy field, how did he manage to avoid any blood transfer to his body and/or clothing, and therefore the vehicle of Shiri-Dine Bana when he drove it the four miles to Blue Rock Springs?

If the young woman had been murdered elsewhere, the eyeglasses could have easily been transported along with the body to Reservoir Road and placed back on her head a few feet into the field (or had remained on her head throughout the journey). The fact that the body was discovered just six feet in from Reservoir Road by a Solano County employee responsible for trimming the roadside weeds, could be more suggestive of a dump site rather than the location of her murder. The killer could have placed the victim's glasses back on her head to give the impression she was murdered here (but if he did, made an error in doing so). The extent of the injuries inflicted on the young woman, in what was obviously a brutal assault, makes it almost unbelievable that her eyeglasses could have remained on her head throughout. If Detective Bob Fletcher surmised that her "eyeglasses would most likely have been jarred loose in transport had she been killed elsewhere", then how could he square this with her eyeglasses not being "jarred loose" after a viscous and prolonged attack of 25 or more stab wounds. The Solano County deputy coroner Mark Berto stated that "it would take a lot of strength to first force a knife through the sternum, and then be able to remove the blade as well." This strength would have come in useful when the perpetrator was required to remove the body from a second vehicle and carry it six feet into the field. If we take a look at the location of the first quarter of a mile into Reservoir Road, there doesn't appear any accessible parking areas to pull over, and with virtually no coverage from a tree line, a killer attacking a woman just six feet or thereabouts into the field for a prolonged period of time, is taking an inordinate risk in the commission of the crime. With the body being discovered so close to the roadside edge, it gives the impression the murderer literally carried the body just two or three steps into the field.  

The Vallejo Times-Herald stated "she was reported missing by her mother on May 10 after she disappeared on her way to classes at Napa Community College." The wording appears to suggest she never arrived at her classes. She may very well have been abducted while parking up or shortly thereafter, by use of a second vehicle, murdered elsewhere and dumped along Reservoir Road. The need to then relocate her vehicle after the fact, away from the college, could suggest a perpetrator known to the victim and possibly somebody studying at the same college. The fact that the vehicle was dumped in the vicinity of the body deposition site, could have specifically designed to focus attention in the Vallejo/Benicia area. "Benicia Police Chief Pierre Bidou said Tuesday that despite the woman being a Napa resident, the investigation is solely Benicia's responsibility because the body was found here." The Napa Community College registration form found in the dead woman's pocket may hold the answers to her last known location, and center the focus back on the area of the college - the direction she was presumably heading before she disappeared.     

The obvious Zodiac connections have been drawn, with the body and vehicle having been found at virtually the same locations of Zodiac's first two attacks on December 20th 1968 and July 4th 1969. Napa Community College is also less than two miles from the 1231 Main Street, Napa payphone, where the Zodiac Killer confessed to the attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard on September 27th 1969.

On December 1st 1969 Elaine Davis (17), a Pleasant Hill High School senior disappeared from her 158 Pioneer Avenue home in Walnut Creek, believed to have been forcibly removed from the residence by one or more assailants, while in the presence of her three year old sister, Heidi. Her glasses and her purse containing four dollars were still in the home. Her parents described Elaine as shy, with no boyfriend or relationship problems at the time of her disappearance. Her mother had driven to nearby Concord at 10:30 pm to pick up her husband from work and was out of the residence for just 45 minutes - and it is during this period of time that Elaine Davis vanished. Willingly leaving the house late at night, without her purse or glasses, leaving a three year old child alone in the residence was troubling for both parents, whose concerns would ultimately grow into fear in the coming hours. Elaine's father, a night manager of a Concord service station, speculated that "somebody has had his eye on her for a long time and just found his chance. That is all I can think of." But admitted that Elaine would have shared any concerns with them had she had any, and had never mentioned being trailed or stalked by anybody. Neighbors described seeing several strange vehicles in the vicinity of the Davis residence in the recent days, including a Volkswagen, but saw nothing on the night of Elaine Davis' kidnapping, which is how the police were now classifying this crime.   

The police had very few leads, when on Friday December 5th, one of Elaine Davis' brown loafers with a gold buckle was discovered on a freeway ramp of Stone Valley Road at Highway 680 in Alamo, and identified by her mother. An extensive search of the Danville-Alamo area under the guidance of Detective Sergeant James Battles unearthed no other clues in the disappearance of Elaine Davis, and despite numerous offers of rewards by a generous public, the case was generating little headway. 

On December 16th 1969, after an extensive search in and around the Walnut Creek home, a gold brass button, believed to have come from the Navy-style peacoat of Elaine Davis which she was wearing at the time of her disappearance, was discovered behind her house. On the same day, a resident of North Gate Road, approximately 4 miles east of Elaine Davis' residence reported that her daughter had been stalked by a 30-35 year old male for several days. The young girl had been trailed to and from her high school bus stop, from which she traveled to Ygnacio Valley High School. She also received two disturbing phone calls asking if her parents were home. On the Monday at 6:00 pm "a car drove past the residence three times while the girl's parents were shopping. After the third time, there was a knock at the door and a man repeatedly said "I know you are home alone. Can I use your phone-my car has broken down". Lieutenant Holthus said the home was staked out but the man did not show up.".   

Then, a San Jose housewife, Mrs Jeffield Sullivan revealed she had found the Navy-style peacoat worn by Elaine Davis on the day of her disappearance. She had actually discovered it on December 3rd 1969, only two days after the young girl's disappearance, on a remote stretch of Highway 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the woman at the time of its discovery was unaware of its connection to the Elaine Davis case, and after taking the coat home she took it to be dry cleaned, effectively wiping away any potential forensic evidence. The missing button found behind the Davis residence was matched to the other buttons on the coat, thereby determining unquestionably that the coat was that of Elaine Davis. The police stated the coat was discovered 65 miles south of San Francisco, a mile from Santa's Village, just shy of Scotts Valley. Santa's Village was a Christmas-themed amusement park located in Scotts Valley, California, United States.

On December 19th 1969 the body of a young woman (in 2000, eventually identified as Elaine Davis after an exhumation) was discovered floating off Light House Point near Santa Cruz, CA. The body was decomposed, with extensive damage, described as a partial torso with arm-bones and parts of the legs. Santa Cruz's deputy county coroner, Luther Young stated "We'll work on this case until we run out of leads, but right now we have nothing that would indicate any identification. I wouldn't venture to say the body is that of Elaine Davis. We have never ruled on that possibility and we have never ruled it out."  

Had the abductor and murderer of Elaine Davis killed the young woman on December 3rd 1969 near the location of Santa's Village where her Navy-style peacoat was discovered? Had the abductor kept her alive for several more days, eventually depositing her body at Light House Point in Santa Cruz, before ditching the coat on Highway 17, near Scotts Valley on his return to the Bay Area? This avenue was examined as a possibility by detectives investigating the baffling case. The peacoat and brown loafer were found 64 miles apart.

This case is extremely similar to the December 10th abduction and murder of Leona Roberts, only 9 days after the abduction of Elaine Davis. She too was abducted from a residence - that of her boyfriend Greg V. Valo, at 749 Tormey Avenue in Rodeo. The residence of Elaine Davis and Greg Valo are only 13 miles apart (as the crow flies). Both murder victims were forcibly removed from their residence (likely by vehicle), both were presumably kept alive for an undetermined period, and both were eventually found in coastal regions. In the case of Leona Roberts, she was found at Bolinas Lagoon, Marin County, 42 miles from the 749 Tormey Avenue residence. Elaine Davis was discovered 79 miles from her 158 Pioneer Drive residence. Was the killer stalking the region of Contra Costa County, but making sure to deposit the bodies as far from 'home' as possible in an attempt to focus the investigation out of town?

In both cases, however, it does seem an awfully long way to travel to deposit a body, unless of course, the perpetrator came from out of town and was driving back towards home. If Elaine Davis had been murdered relatively close to the time of her abduction, then there are a multitude of places the killer could have disposed of her body on his way to Light House Point in Santa Cruz, rather than risk the more populated area around West Cliff Drive. Looking at the trail of evidence, it is easy to assume the killer traveled from Walnut Creek to Alamo, through Pleasanton and San Jose, towards Santa Cruz. Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County where the Zodiac Killer mailed the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' letter. However, it is the city of San Jose we shall focus on - situated just 26 miles by road from the area the peacoat was discovered on December 3rd 1969. 

Only ten days prior to the abduction of Elaine Davis on November 21st 1969, the Zodiac Killer or somebody purporting to be the Zodiac Killer mailed a letter to the San Jose Police Department. The FBI file read "Re Butte tel to Bureau 11/21/69. Enclosed herewith for the FBI laboratory are two copies of the letter received by (redacted) San Jose PD, San Jose, California on this date. As noted, the message reads (redacted). The laboratory is requested to have the Cryptogram Section attempt to immediately decipher the message and furnish the results to the San Francisco Office. For the information of the Bureau and Sacramento, after a cursory analysis, officers of the San Jose, California PD, believe widow in message may be Mrs (redacted), San Jose, California. San Jose PD instituting 24 hour surveillance on Mrs (redacted)". From the tone of the wording, it appears that the letter was in someway threatening towards a woman in San Jose, resulting in police providing 24 hour surveillance at the woman's residence. Was the author threatening to abduct the woman from her home, and police believing the letter was from the Zodiac Killer, took the threat extremely seriously and instituted round-the-clock protection? If the letter was mailed from San Jose, or the Zodiac Killer had reason to be in San Jose on November 21st 1969, then it is extremely relevant that the abductor of Elaine Davis just ten days later in the Bay Area, would again be heading to San Jose on his way to Light House Point. If the Zodiac Killer was responsible for the abduction and murder of Elaine Davis, he would have took her through or near to San Jose on his way to the coast. Was he living or working there during this period, or had reason to be in the San Jose area. The San Jose letter and cryptogram, one could argue, places him in San Jose on November 21st 1969. If he returned there only ten days later it may be significant. ​      

Howard Davis stated on the ZodiacKiller. com message board "I can say now, she was probably sitting on her porch smoking (her father was a military man and quite strict so she would hide this habit) and the perpetrator could have followed her to her home, as she and her mother were shopping at the outdoor Concord Mall that day and he may have spotted her there. The perpetrator may have walked by the house and asked her for a cigarette and/or light and once he got close to her she was grabbed and abducted - and possibly strangled and dumped in water. Her shoe and other clothing were found by the roadside as given." This is extremely relevant when we consider the abduction and murder of Leona Roberts on December 10th 1969, who left her job at the White Front Discount Store in Pleasant Hill, near Concord (560 Contra Costa Boulevard) at approximately 5:00 pm for the eleven mile journey to her boyfriend's apartment at 749 Tormey Avenue, Rodeo. Both Leona Roberts and Elaine Davis were abducted from a residence after having previously been at a mall in or near Concord.

Could the Zodiac Killer have been responsible for both the Elaine Davis and Leona Roberts abductions on December 1st and December 10th respectively, dumping both the bodies in coastal regions? Certainly, the San Jose letter and cryptogram provides a tantalizing connection to the murder of Elaine Davis and her discovery at Light House Point. If you have any information pertinent to the murder of Elaine Davis, please contact the Walnut Creek Police Department. 

Sometime in 1971 a questionable Zodiac correspondence and cipher was received by the San Francisco Chronicle, postmarked Fairfield, California. This was now the fourth Zodiac related communication mailed from Fairfield, following the December 7th, December 11th and December 16th 1969 trinity. There is limited widespread information regarding this letter available on the internet other than the Zodiologists.com website, who have analyzed this correspondence in great detail. The letter and cipher is to be found using the Wayback Machine on Ed Neil's old website TheZodiacFiles.com. I have cleaned up the letter without altering any of the text by the author:

I'll DO IT TO BECAUSE I DONE IT 21 TIMES. I CAN'T STOP BECAUSE EACH ThAT I KILL MAKES IT WORSE AND I MUST KILL MORE. MAN IS ThE MOST PRIZED GAME. ILL NERVER GIVE MY NAME BECAUSE YOU dONT UNDERSTAND. NEXT TIME I WILL SEND A PATCH OF HUMAN SKIN if their is SOME Left OVER.

The 148 character cipher decodes to:
"Tis the Zodiac Speacking. Why can't you stop me. I can't stop killing. Stop listening t(o) phonys. If this is not on your front page in a week I will skin 3 little kids and make a suit from the skin". 
The wording in the letter "I'll do it to because I done it 21 times" is consistent with a mailing date sometime after the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' correspondence from Zodiac, claiming 17+ victims. Using a simple calculation we can estimate how often the Zodiac claimed a victim. From December 20th 1968 to July 26th 1970 Zodiac claimed 13 victims over 584 days. That is one victim every 44.9 days. Therefore, from victim 13 to 21, another 8 victims were claimed (8 X 44.9 = 359 days). Add 359 days to July 26th 1970 and we arrive at July 20th 1971, approximately four months after the 'Los Angeles' letter.

This letter and cipher appears at first glance a dubious Zodiac communication, but as Zodiologists.com point out, how difficult would it be for a hoaxer to mimic the ciphers or crosshairs of Zodiac. The fact the author failed to do this, should be pause for thought. There is also something about this letter that indicates the author had written another 'Zodiac' communication (or the author was the actual Bay Area murderer). The other communication, also mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 13th 1971, mirrored the 148 character cipher and letter in one crucial way - the victim total. The last two widely accepted Zodiac communications were the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' letter claiming 17+ victims, and the January 29th 1974 Exorcist letter  claiming 37 victims. The author of the above correspondence had 19 victim totals to choose from (18 to 36), yet he chose 21, the exact total mentioned in the July 13th 1971 'Monticello' card, which featured in the San Francisco Police Department DNA report under "suspected Zodiac correspondence". Did the author of the above correspondence just get lucky, in accidentally choosing 21 victims like the 'Monticello' card, or was he the author of both?

The 'Monticello' card was mailed on July 13th 1971 stating: 
'Near Monticello Shought Victims 21 ...... In The Woods Dies April'.
By my rudimentary calculations the 148 character cipher and letter should have been mailed on July 20th 1971, only one week after the 'Monticello' card. If somebody can find the exact date of mailing regarding the 148 cipher and letter, or when this correspondence was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, it would be of immense value. The 'Monticello' card, by all accounts, was not published in the newspapers. If this were the case, then the victim total of 21, chosen by two independent authors looks extremely unlikely. If the 'Monticello' card was designated as "suspected Zodiac correspondence" by the San Francisco Police Department, then by extension, the above correspondence should be afforded the same value.        

Denise Kathleen Anderson (22), who resided in Sacramento, was last seen on April 13th 1971 by her roommates at approximately 05.30 am - and as of writing her disappearance still remains a mystery - although foul play is suspected. What occurred with Denise Kathleen Anderson after last being seen by her roommates is unknown, but her disappearance (and possible murder) again took place in Sacramento, near Interstate 80, only five months after the murder of Carol Beth Hilburn and exactly one month after the Zodiac 'Los Angeles' letter mailed on March 13th 1971, claiming 17+ victims. In this correspondence Zodiac stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life." The question is, was Denise Kathleen Anderson one of them?
She disappeared on April 13th 1971, so the 'Monticello' card (with break added) could be referring to the possible murder of Denise Kathleen Anderson in the woods during April:
'Near Monticello Shought Victims 21 ...... In The Woods.  Dies April'.
The 148 character cipher and letter stating "I'll do it to because I done it 21 times" could very well be confirmation that the victim he sought (possibly Denise Kathleen Anderson) had now been claimed.

What are the chances the 'Monticello' card was also mailed from Fairfield? Denise Kathleen Anderson lived in Sacramento,  only 43 miles from Fairfield - but was she the 21st victim of the Zodiac Killer?  

On December 20th 1969 the Zodiac Killer mailed the 'Melvin Belli' letter claiming he may "lose control again and take his ninth or possibly tenth victim". The Zodiac Killer last stated his victim count on November 9th 1969, when he claimed "This is the Zodiac speaking up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people". Therefore victim number eight (if there ever was one) would have to fall between these two dates. However, in this article I will present some new information that will narrow down victim number eight to a period of just nine days, and add some intriguing connections to the murder of Leona LaRell Roberts (16) who featured in Robert Graysmith's 1986 Zodiac book. 

Just four days before the 'Melvin Belli' letter arrived, the December 16th 1969 Fairfield letter was mailed to the San Francisco Examiner insinuating the author's involvement in the September 27th 1969 Lake Berryessa attack, by including a drawing and the wording "The Bleeding Knife of Zodiac." The knife drawing had eight drops of blood falling from the blade, suggesting he had now claimed eight victims, but crucially, the same author had mailed a previous Fairfield letter on December 7th 1969 to the San Francisco Chronicle. This communication failed to acknowledge any current victim count, in conflict to the majority of his future correspondence - and he made no mention of victim number eight - leaving the very real possibility that victim number eight fell between the dates of December 7th 1969 and December 16th 1969. There are also three other mailings that point to the abduction and murder of Leona Roberts as a Zodiac victim, or at the very least, a claimed Zodiac victim, ending with the 'Melvin Belli' letter on December 20th 1969 (the first anniversary of the Lake Herman Road murders). But first, let's outline the story of Leona Roberts, abducted from her boyfriend's house on December 10th 1969.   

On Wednesday December 10th 1969 Leona Roberts left her job at the White Front Discount Store in Pleasant Hill (560 Contra Costa Boulevard) at approximately 5:00 pm for the eleven mile journey to her boyfriend's (Greg V. Valo) apartment at 749 Tormey Avenue, Rodeo. This location is only 8 miles from the Lake Herman Road murder site. At about 5:50 pm a neighbor, Susan Clark, heard the sound of a girl screaming, followed by somebody running from the rear of the apartment. A suspicious male was observed many times between the front door and a blue station wagon, before he eventually drove away. The man was described as 25 years old, 5'8", short blond hair and wearing brown trousers and a jacket. A while later her boyfriend arrived home to find a disturbance inside the apartment, scuff marks near the back door and her red Volkswagen parked outside. 

Here is an excerpt from Websleuths by Steph54 "On 28 December 1969, a man searching for driftwood on the beach at Bolinas Lagoon in Marin County found the nude body of Leona Roberts. It was later determined that a unique wristwatch was missing from the girl's wrist, but a Napa High School class ring given to her by a neighbor still remained on her finger. The tan dress she wore when last seen, along with two pairs of bell-bottomed pants, a blouse, a black purse and wallet, a key chain with car and house keys were also reported missing. There were marks on the wrists and ankles indicative of binding, but the coroner was unsure whether they occurred before or after death. The cause of death was reported as "due to viral infection of an unidentified species." It was also reported that there was "evidence of choking which could probably be linked to the virus." link.

Leona Roberts time of death has not been pinned down, but it has been estimated at approximately ten days to two weeks before her discovery, somewhere between December 14th and 18th 1969, just before the mailing of the 'Melvin Belli' letter. It is this letter that may contain a subtle clue to the abduction of Leona Roberts on December 10th 1969. The Zodiac Killer wrote in the 'Melvin Belli' letter "I will loose all controol of myself. Please help me. I can not remain in control for much longer" (edited). This mirrored closely a message written in lipstick on the wall of a murder victim in Chicago in 1945. The message read "For heavens Sake catch me Before I kill more. I cannot control myself". Frances Brown was discovered at her 3941 North Pine Grove apartment in Edgewater, Chicago. She had multiple knife wounds, along with a bullet wound to the head. William George Heirens would eventually be convicted for this and two other murders, and jailed for life. But why would the Zodiac Killer seemingly pluck the wording from a murder case 24 years prior? Was it a clue to his eighth victim? Frances Brown was discovered on December 10th, exactly the same date as the abduction of Leona Roberts from the 749 Tormey Avenue apartment. She was abducted and likely restrained for approximately one week before her eventual murder.

Bearing in mind the Zodiac Killer may have mailed the two Fairfield letters on December 7th 1969 and December 16th 1969, had he held the young girl somewhere in the vicinity of Fairfield, California, before eventually driving her body 65 miles to Bolinas Lagoon, located in the West Marin region of Marin County. There are another two potential Zodiac communications that may add weight to the Fairfield connection, mailed from Sacramento and Fairfield on December 10th and 11th of 1969. 

On December 10th 1969 (again, the date of Leona Roberts abduction), the Cancer FLT 555 Paste-Up Message was mailed from Sacramento to the Sacramento Bee newspaper, containing the wording "Action Guide, Watch, Want, Zodiac, Birds Fly South, Hidden, FLT 555 and Magic Amulet." The word "watch" has some relevance, regarding the missing "unique wristwatch" from the body of Leona Roberts, however, the phrase "Birds Fly South" may hold the biggest clue of all. Was the 'Cancer' card representative of the abduction of Leona Roberts and the invasion of her 'home' by an unwanted presence? A deadly invader of sorts. Her "cause of death was reported as "due to viral infection of an unidentified species."​

The following day, December 11th 1969, a similar paste-up message was postmarked Fairfield, and mailed to the San Francisco Newspaper Printing Company, P.O. Box 3100, Rincon Annex, San Francisco. If Leona Roberts was one day into her captivity and was to be held under duress for several days to one week, then the December 11th 1969 mailing was the most pertinent communication of all. It was entitled DAY-BY-DAY FORECAST FOR LEO, containing the words "A THRILLING PHENOMENON" and "C HARRY OTT can be Ridden", along with FLT Three of a kind, Hangups, Hidden, Train, time, Now, dangerous ride, warring love emotions and Ember's Lucky.  If Leona Roberts was being kept "hidden" in Fairfield, was the Zodiac Killer preparing to give us day-to-day updates and forecasts regarding the captivity and current status of Leona Roberts? The title of the communication may be a play on words by the Zodiac Killer: "DAY-BY-DAY FORECAST FOR LEONA ROBERTS". Unfortunately, the forecast for Leona Roberts would turn out deadly in a matter of days.

The murderer of Leona Roberts may have known the location he was going to dispose of her body in advance. The phrase "Birds Fly South" could very well be a reference to his chosen dumping ground of Bolinas Lagoon, somewhere he may have frequented on a regular basis. "One of the main attractions at Bolinas Lagoon are the millions of shorebirds and other waterfowl that visit the mudflats and quiet waters each year. The lagoon is one of the most important stopover points for birds that migrate along the Pacific Flyway. The lagoon is also home to a thriving population of harbor seals that can always be seen at low tide when they haul out to rest and replenish their depleted oxygen supply. Wildlife at this preserve should be observed at a respectful distance; seals that are flushed into the water suffer if they aren’t allowed to spend a minimum amount of time drying out. Birds may be exhausted and near starvation after having traveled nonstop for several hundred miles to reach the safe haven of the lagoon". Marin County Parks.

Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary, approximately 1,100 acres in area, located in the West Marin region of Marin County, California, United States, adjacent to the town of Bolinas. The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or travelling to overwintering sites. Along the Pacific Flyway, there are many key rest stops where birds of many species gather, sometimes in the millions, to feed and regain their strength before continuing. Some species may remain in these rest stops for the entire season, but most stay a few days before moving on. Wikipedia.

So, we have the 'Melvin Belli' letter and the December 10th murder of Frances Brown and abduction of Leona Roberts, linked by the wording in the correspondence, the "DAY-BY-DAY FORECAST FOR LEONA ROBERTS" mailed on December 11th 1969, and the dumping ground of Bolinas Lagoon, where "Birds Fly South". 

Other crimes loosely linked to the Zodiac Killer (and close to Bolinas Lagoon) involve the hanging of Pat Tan on Mount Tamalpais on April 19th 1970 (one day before the '13 Symbol' cipher communication) and the 'Tamalpais Valley Attack' on Isobel Watson. 
Isobel Watson (33) had just got off the bus on the evening of April 7th 1972, and was walking home along Pine Hill Road, Tamalpais Valley, Marin County at 9.00 pm, when a light colored vehicle veered towards her, knocking her to the ground. The driver exited his vehicle offering to take her home, but after she had refused his offer of apparent help a second time, the concerned citizen suddenly became enraged, pulling out a knife and stabbing the woman in the neck and shoulder. ​Her screams alerted the neighborhood, forcing the assailant into a hasty retreat from the scene. She was treated at Marin General Hospital and fortunately survived the brutal attack. Her description of the man alerted investigators to a possible Zodiac connection - that of a man with heavy rimmed black glasses, in his early 40's, 5' 9" in height and short brown hair. It was not overlooked by police that the killer had attempted to lure the woman into his vehicle, not dissimilar to the method employed in the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns. Napa County homicide detective Ken Narlow believed in a greater than 50-50 chance of a Zodiac connection, bearing in mind the description given by Isobel Watson.

The following is based on a very interesting post by Mike Morford on the Zodiac Killer Site forum.
Just past midnight on Sunday November 2nd 1975 a man walked up to a couple's vehicle on Monte Cresta Drive, Belmont, California and shot 17 year-old Carlmont High School student Anthony Vincent Bruno Jr to death. "According to Police Captain George Stephenson, Bruno and his girlfriend (16 years) had been parked on Monte Cresta Drive, above Barclay Way in an isolated area of western hills when a man opened the driver's side door and apparently without saying anything fired the shotgun. The girl, who was not identified by police, pushed Bruno's body aside and drove the car to her home from where police were notified. She described the assailant as white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 140 pounds and wearing an Army green parka with hood, according to police. Stephenson said also that a late model brown pick-up truck, possibly a Dodge or Chevrolet, had been seen in the area at about the time of the shooting."
San Mateo Times.
Anthony Vincent Bruno was shot in the mouth from close range while the couple were parked on the rise of a hill, described as a lovers lane area. The weapon (believed to be 25+ years old and not made now) malfunctioned when the cut-down stock of the shotgun broke free from the weapon and was found 10 feet from the scene of the crime. The police said it had been taped to the barrel. "The killer then ran south on Monte Cresta from the dark hillside area, past a streetlight 50 yards away, and then possibly to a late model Dodge or Chevrolet pick-up truck." The area of isolated hillside continued for several hundred feet, ending in a dirt road. Here is a newspaper cutting from the actual crime scene and its modern day equivalent on Google maps.

A follow up San Mateo Times article dated December 11th 1975 stated 'The youth, Anthony Vincent Bruno of 213 Bayview Drive, San Carlos, died instantly, his body sprawled on the seat of the parked car beside his terrified 16 year-old girlfriend. The killer then turned, dropped the sawed-off stock of his weapon on the ground, perhaps by accident, and fled. It was disclosed Wednesday that about an hour and a half before the brutal slaying, a man was seen struggling to drag a box about two feet long and 18 inches wide up a steep rise about 100 feet from the slaying site. A rod, or perhaps a rope, protruded from the box, according to police, and the dragging was being done by a man in mechanic's overalls with longish, dark brown hair. Stephenson also confirmed that police are searching for the driver of a maroon pick-up truck, equipped with blackwall tires and white wheels; a vehicle which they have information to believe may have approached the parked couple 15 minutes before the slaying, stopped a distance away, made a u-turn, and apparently drove off.' The girl gave a follow up description "She saw a face but couldn't identify him. She couldn't see whether he was black or white, or anything other than he was 5'5", 140 pounds and wearing a green army-type parka."        

"We've never had a case like this before. This is the bloodiest, most brutal killing I've ever seen", Belmont Police Chief William R Singer said as he surveyed the scene of Belmont's first potential murder case in over two years. "It could be another Zodiac", he added. '
Whether the description of the killer is accurate or not, it is an interesting addition from Mike Morford. The couple were attacked on an isolated lovers lane area while parked up in their vehicle at around midnight, the killer may have approached their vehicle, left and returned 15 minutes later, not unlike the Blue Rock Springs Park attack on Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau, the attack appeared motiveless, and probably the most important thing of all, we shall come to at the foot of this article.
'Wednesday afternoon, Juvenile Division Detective Gary Sickman drove this reporter to the scene of the slaying and replayed what police have linked together about it so far. "This is a little-known lovers' lane", Sickman said. "Many of the kids I've talked with at Carlmont were unaware of it." 
Sickman drove the patrol car down a narrow dirt road connecting with Monte Cresta Drive; a chuckhole-pocked stretch traversing a ridge high above Belmont Canyon. At the end of the road, a half-mile from the slaying site, a teenaged couple embraced in a parked car. Sickman checked their identification and jotted their names in his notebook after giving them a little fatherly advice.'
This murder was the first in Belmont in over two years. The Zodiac Killer's last confirmed communication was on January 29th 1974, although there were possible Zodiac communications up to July 8th 1974 with the 'Red Phantom' letter. There would have been hoax letters purporting to be the Zodiac Killer subsequent to this, but one would assume the 'novelty' of Zodiac would have worn off in time and the hoax letters would have dropped off in frequency by the November of 1975. That is what makes a letter purporting to be from the Zodiac Killer, found in a phone booth likely on the day of the murder, all the more interesting. 
​Mike Morford stated, in reference to a San Mateo news article dated November 14th 1975 "The reporter, a man named Bob Foster, mentions that on the night of November 3, 1975, the 11 pm TV news on channel KGO, ran a story about a Zodiac letter being found in a phone booth. This is pretty interesting to me for a couple reasons regarding the timing.
First of all because, the night before, on 11/2/75, a young man and his girlfriend were attacked on a lovers lane by a gun wielding man. The male victim, Vincent Bruno was killed, but his girlfriend survived. If I recall correctly, there may have been a letter & cassette tape found the same night in a phone booth not far from the attack site, from someone claiming to be Zodiac."
I would like to thank Mike Morford for the information regarding this story. All images are courtesy of the Zodiac Killer Site forum and the San Mateo Times. Here is a link to the thread on Mike Morford's site.  

Michael Morford wrote an excellent article on the June 8th 1967 murders of Enedine Molina (35) and boyfriend Fermin Rodriguez (36) near Pleasanton, California. This was covered on this site and discussed on Zodiac Killer Site forum.
​Below I shall detail this double murder using a visual from Google Maps and only the newspaper reports that covered the story, to sequence the order of events that night. Here is a layout of where the victims were found in relation to the March 22nd 1970 abduction of Kathleen Johns on Highway 132, west of Modesto, and the city of Pleasanton, where Zodiac mailed the 'Los Angeles' letter on March 13th 1971.    

"According to detectives Regional Park Naturalist Richard Angel called the Santa Rita sheriff's substation last night (Thursday June 8th 1967) and reported hearing two shots in the park area at 10.05 pm. The woman's body was discovered about 11.00 pm just outside the remote Sunol Regional Park. The body was found by Deputy George Robinson, the first man to arrive at the park. Mrs Molina had been shot in the back (and possibly left wrist). It appeared she had been running when she was shot, deputies reported.
On his way back to the substation about 2.30 am (Deputy George Robinson) spotted a station wagon parked along Vallecitos Road about six miles from the park, stopped to check it and found Rodriguez's body. He had been shot in the left breast and shoulder bone. The bullets entered his body from the front deputies said. The murder weapon was believed to be a .22 caliber revolver. No gun was found."  Detectives ordered weekend roadblocks to canvass individuals.
"The weekend roadblocks were in the areas of Geary Road and Calaveras Road. Captain Tom Houchins said officers questioned persons between 10.00 pm and midnight, believed to be the timespan when the two were killed. Houchins said there is the possibility that another car was involved.
A Mountain View man, Joe Martinez of 1819 Birch Street (ex-husband of Enedine Molina), turned himself in at the Sunnyvale Police Station this morning after hearing he was wanted for questioning. He was later released by Sunnyvale Police and Alameda County sheriff's officers. Captain Tom Houchins, in charge of the investigation said "as of now we have no suspects." 
Detectives investigated suspicious events in the run-up to the double murder:
"Investigation of the two June 8 murders in Sunol has disclosed that each of the victims had been followed several times by an unidentified driver. Each also received mysterious phone calls over a period of many months, according to reports from Alameda County Sheriff's deputies." The daughter of Molina "told detectives the family had been receiving disturbing telephone calls at her mother's residence since July. She said that whoever called didn't speak and that all that could be heard over the phone was heavy breathing (reminiscent of the 0.1.30 am calls on July 5th 1969, after the BRS attack). The daughter said the calls usually were made between 10 and 11 am, or between 7 and 8 pm, and that her mother was usually not home when they were received. Detectives also reported that the daughter told them she had overheard her mother say that a car followed her when she was out. Substantially, the same story was given detectives by Mrs Lydia Rodriguez, widow of Fermin Rodriguez, who was found murdered in his car parked along Vallecitos Road. Mrs Rodriguez said her husband had also complained about a car following him. On another occasion, she said, her husband had told her he had seen the strange car parked in front of his house, but could not describe the driver."  

This was a couple attacked while parked up in their vehicle, not dissimilar to the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs attack. The obvious connection is apparent with respect to the abduction of Kathleen Johns just 28 miles east of where the vehicle of Molina and Rodriguez was discovered. These murders were one and a half years prior to the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, who were also killed using .22 small caliber ammunition. Then there is the menacing silent phone calls to the 1300 Virginia Street residence of Darlene Ferrin. Yet, these murders also have the trait of jealousy, in the form of a previous partner or husband unable to move forward. What evidence was given to discount Joe Martinez, or fail to implicate him we may never know.
​Detectives stated that "officers questioned persons between 10.00 pm and midnight, believed to be the timespan when the two were killed." They also believed "another vehicle was involved."
The indications from the newspaper reports seem to suggest the murder occurred at approximately 10.05 pm, when Enedine Molina was attempting to flee from her assailant, after leaving his vehicle. Fermin Rodriguez had likely already been murdered at this point in time, when the killer approached in his vehicle, murdered him and abducted the woman. His body was discovered in his vehicle 6 miles north on Vallecitos Road. The time of his murder was likely 10 minutes earlier at 9.55 pm, if the two murders were one continuous sequence of events. 
One alternative could be, the killer approached the couple on foot as they were in their vehicle on a dirt turn off, just alongside Calaveras Road (by Geary Road), shot the woman, and then forced the male victim to drive north to Vallecitos Road, before murdering him and fleeting on foot. However, this seems the less likely of the two. 
Whether these murders have any connection to Zodiac is likely never to be proved or disproved half a century on, but being only 38 miles south of Vallejo (as the crow flies) it is worthy of consideration. 
Thanks to Michael Morford.   

The 'Halloween' card was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on October 27th 1970 inferring a fourteenth victim. On July 26th 1970 the Zodiac Killer mailed the 'Little List' letter claiming thirteen victims. If nurse Donna Ann Lass was a Zodiac victim, then the 'Halloween' card must surely have been referring to the disappearance and likely murder of Donna Lass from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino on September 6th 1970. But why did it take the Zodiac Killer nearly two months to send this correspondence to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper? Was it imperative for the killer to somehow tie this possible murder into the Halloween festival, and did the depiction of skeletons, the pumpkin and the phrase "peek a boo you are doomed" provide any clue to the location of Donna Lass' body or burial site.
This by all accounts was a bold and brazen abduction at the end of the young woman's shift at approximately 1.50 am, in a seemingly predetermined crime. If this was a serial offender, such as the Zodiac Killer, the clues may lie in previous similar unsolved crimes with overlapping traits. The following ideas will be examining this possibility, using the design of the 'Halloween' card and later 'Pines' card mailed on March 22nd 1971, also believed by some to have been crafted by the hand of the Zodiac Killer. 

The choice of a skeleton on this card may have been deliberate, bearing in mind Donna Lass was likely murdered the day of her abduction and had remained undiscovered for nearly two months at this juncture. It is also easy to understand how the card can be interpreted as a skeleton wearing a pumpkin. But what if the depiction is implying something more sinister, in that Donna Lass is buried beneath a pumpkin or pumpkins. This may seem a ridiculous observation, until we consider the second skeleton on the card inner wearing a mask of sorts. Could the killer have intended us to interpret the card differently, such as an eye patch, thereby implying the phrase 'pumpkin patch.' 
The clue may not be entirely literal, but implying the young woman may have been buried on farmland, which may have grown pumpkins or sold farm produce. This is a real stretch, so we will go further. 
Randall Scott Clemons produced an interesting article linking the Zodiac Killer to various golf courses, and suggesting that he may have traveled extensively to murder in certain areas he was familiar with through his pastime. In his first contact with the newspapers on July 31st 1969 the killer stated "This is the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman + the girl on the 4th of July near the golf course in Vallejo." The murderer of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 escaped into the Presidio Park adjacent to the Presidio Golf course. The Aetna Springs Golf Course, Napa, was one of the first golf courses west of the Mississippi River and built on the Aetna Springs Resort's property in 1891. It is only 11 miles as the crow flies from the Knoxville Road, bordering Lake Berryessa, the site of Zodiac's third attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard.​

But more crucially, it is less than 5 miles from Pope Valley, the location where the three young women had driven through at around 3.00 pm on September 27th 1969, just before they encountered a strange man, who appeared to be following them. Did he have a ball marker on him that day, which came in useful at around 6.30 pm?
Deana Hooper's skeletal remains were discovered on March 11th 1975 in an open field at Columbus Parkways and St.John's Mine Road, right next to the Blue Rock Springs Park Golf Course. She was last seen on July 11th 1974 at the Enlisted Men's Club on Mare Island.  Established in 1892, Mare Island Golf Club in Vallejo, California is the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River. Originally built as a 9-hole course,  its first 30 years included sand greens and dry fairways. The course began near the former Marine Barracks and proceeded south to Lake Rodgers (built in 1876 and named after Rear Admiral Rodgers), then returned to the start. Was the killer somehow connected to the military, and an avid golfer, that inevitably made him familiar with these murder sites?

The 'Pines' card depicted an advertisement for mountain condominiums.
A newspaper article stated that: 'the site depicted on the 'Pines Card' was from an advertisement published last Sunday by several newspapers. It was an artist's rendition of houses among the trees at a Boise Cascade Company project at Incline Village, where construction has just begun on the development. While much of the Sierra area is under several feet of snow, Incline Village has only two feet on the ground. Police went to the area to determine if a search is possible'.
Many observers toyed with the idea that Donna Lass may have been buried by the punch hole in the card- but surely that would have been too simple a clue by the Zodiac Killer. In another stretch of the imagination, could the positioning of 'Sierra Club' on the tree, be designed to give the impression of a flagpole. We would then be possibly looking for a burial site east of a Sierra Club golf course- not at Incline Village- but somewhere 'past the Lake Tahoe areas'. Somewhere the killer was familiar with, and had used to bury a previous victim. 

​Judith Hakari was a nurse at Sutter Hospital, who disappeared heading back to the Markston Apartments on March 7th 1970. Her body was later discovered by Ponderosa Way in Weimar, forty two miles along Interstate 80.​
'At 11:30 pm. Hakari calls her fiance to tell him she's leaving Sutter Memorial Hospital where she works as a nurse. By 1:30 in the morning, she has still not come home. Her fiance, waiting at her apartment, begins to worry.
"He went out to the apartment complex parking lot and discovered her car was parked in the assigned space that she had," Links said. But Judith was nowhere to be seen. She was found one month later, strangled and bludgeoned to death. "Some hikers discovered a body in a shallow grave up in the town of Weimar, in Placer County. And during their investigation they determined that it was Judith Hakari," Links said.' Fox40.com.
Both Judith Hakari and Donna Lass were nurses, who disappeared after their shift end, both at night or in the early hours of darkness, and both en route back home. Is it conceivable that the murderer of Judith Hakari is also responsible for the abduction and murder of Donna Lass, and if so, did he bury or conceal her body somewhere he was familiar with and had ultimately escaped detection before- in Weimar. Or somewhere very close. 

We could be looking for a location in Placer County near farm land, that may have a connection to pumpkins. There will be a Sierra Club golf course west of the location. It may also be a location that has relevance to parts of the phrases contained within the 'Halloween' card, such as "From your secret pal," "peek a boo you are doomed" and "slaves." And more importantly, somewhere close to where Judith Hakari's body was discovered.
There is such a place- Colfax, Placer County, California.
It was named after Schuyler Colfax Jr, known for his opposition to slavery while serving in Congress, and was a founder of the Republican Party. In January 1865, as Speaker of the House, Colfax made the unusual choice to cast a vote for passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Colfax is located 4.4 miles (crow flies) from Ponderosa Way, the burial site of Judith Hakari.
The Bierwagen's Donner Trail Fruit and Farm Market near Chicago Park, is situated only 7 miles east of the Alta Sierra Country Club and golf course.
Secret Town is 7 miles from Colfax and 14 miles from Ponderosa Way.
The residence of Judith Hakari and the area her body was discovered, not only were situated alongside Interstate 80, but Ponderosa Way is only 2 miles or 5 minutes from Interstate 80, and the Markston Apartments only 4 miles or 8 minutes from Interstate 80. 
Interstate 80 is bisected by Colfax and runs from the Markston Apartments where Judith Hakari lived, to Truckee, California on the north side of Lake Tahoe. As the crow flies, Ponderosa Way is 38 miles from the Markston Apartments and 46 miles from Truckee. Was the same killer responsible for the murder of both women, and prepared to create a set buffer zone to each burial site? A familiar 'dumping ground' similar to that employed by the likes of the Green River and Gilgo Beach Killer.
Finally, we have this lonely lane, in the heart of 'pine country,' where you can "peek through the pines" into "peek a boo" lane- as the crow flies, just 2 miles from Ponderosa Way. But would you be doomed?   

The disappearance and eventual discovery of the remains of Deana Hooper has been covered on many forums. It is an interesting case, primarily because of the location her skeleton was discovered bordering Columbus Parkway and Blue Rock Springs Park (see below). Thanks to Zamantha for turning the article into readable text.  

​​According to the missing person's report filed last July by Mrs. Albright, Hoffman said her sister last had been seen on July 11 at the Enlisted Men's Club on Mare Island (additional information below). Hoffman said Mrs. Albright gave no reason reason for delaying the report of her sister's disappearance until July 15th. Hoffman said Deana Hooper and Tonna Albright had been adopted about eight years ago from an orphanage in Hong Kong by their foster father Dean Hooper, a Caucasian ex-serviceman who now lives at 234 Thomson Ave, Sonoma. Hoffman said he notified Hooper that the skeleton found here had been tentatively identified as his missing adopted daughter. According to Hoffman, Hooper confirmed he had suspected all along that Deana was dead, after she disappeared without a trace last July and that Mrs. Albright confirmation of the identifications of the skeleton came as no surprise to him.
Hoffman said it is his belief the skeleton found Tuesday by an Oakland chiropractor and his 8 year one son, flying kites on the Azevedo Ranch, had lain in the field undetected since last July 12. He indicated the location of the skeleton in high weeds 40 feet east of the nearest roadway would have made it virtually impossible for someone to see the remains, unless a passerby stumbled by accident on that site. Hoffman said the skeleton now is being examined by an anthropologist at the University of California at Davis in the hope of determining the cause of the death. Meanwhile, he said the police investigation into the girls' disappearance is continuing.
Here is a map showing 901 Georgia Street and St Johns Mine Road.
Images along Saint Johns Mine created by Samuel Dapore-Scwartz.

Additional information:
#1] Established in 1892, Mare Island Golf Club in Vallejo, California is the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River. Originally built as a 9-hole course,  its first 30 years included sand greens and dry fairways. The course began near the former Marine Barracks and proceeded south to Lake Rodgers (built in 1876 and named after Rear Admiral Rodgers), then returned to the start. http://mareislandgolfclub.com/history.
#2] San Francisco Chronicle July 31st 1969 "Dear Editor This is the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman + the girl on the 4th of July near the golf course in Vallejo."
#3] Enlisted Men's Club on Mare Island at the Naval Inshore Operations Training Center.

Was the killer a serviceman with golfing ties, who knew this quiet retreat near Blue Rock Springs golf course was the ideal dumping ground for a body, just a short distance from the road.

California Maritime Academy, located Vallejo California. 1960s graduates.  1950s graduates.  All.

In 1975, an FBI document detailed a possible Zodiac correspondence, which has become known as the 'Equinox' letter.
The slip of paper was yellow in color and the message was largely handwritten in blue felt tip pen. The style of the writing has more in common with the Zodiac 'Red Phantom' letter rather than his copious other earlier communications, nevertheless it is interesting for a number of reasons, other than the obvious astrology connection.
A man from Fresno, California, handed it in to law enforcement and stated that 'over the July 4th 1975 weekend he had visited his brother-in-law at his residence in Oakland, California. During the visit his brother-in-law had showed him a 1968 Datsun 1600 sports car bearing California license plates, which he said had been given to him a week before by a co-employee. The car had not been driven for some time and had no 1975 registration tags. In the front floorboard of the vehicle he found the enclosed note among some newspapers and other discarded papers. He said he read a good deal about the Zodiac murder case and feels this note may have been written by Zodiac. He advised he further suspects that his brother-in-law may be involved because of his hippy-type life style and because his brother-in-law once told him he was at the scene of the taxicab driver murder in San Francisco the night it occurred and made very discouraging remarks about the police investigation into the matter. He advised he reported this to the Fresno Police Department but did not feel that anything was done with the information, and he, therefore, contacted the FBI with his present information.'       

The note began with EQUINOX 3:33 pm.
The note appeared to be almost three years old, based on the date September 22nd 1972, offered on the next line.
A quick check of the September 22nd Equinox in 1972 for Oakland, gives us a Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) of 15:32 or 3:32 pm, almost the exact time displayed on the 'Equinox' letter.
At the foot of the note the author has highlighted in bold capitals 'FULL ARIES MOON.' September 22nd 1972 was a full moon. September 22nd is the final day of Virgo in the horoscope calendar. 
The 14th April (4/14/41) falls under the ARIES sign, but there was no full moon in 1941 for this date. It was a full moon on April 11th 1941 in Aries.
It was a new moon on October 11th 1969 when Paul Stine was murdered in San Francisco. 
Seemingly Phil G was an Aries and September 22nd 1972 was a full moon.
The note began with "Equinox 3:33 pm. Can't make it Sat. Nite but the spell is broken & I hope I'll see you more than ever?"
Just under three months prior to this letter Edward J Salmina, sports editor of the Novato Advance received a hand-printed 'death note' signed Zodiac. The newspaper article of June 30th 1972 read 'The hand-printed letter said: "If you leave your house past 3:13:47 on the next ten Saturdays, you will be killed." In the lower left corner under the heading "message" were a series of symbols. Salmina of 25 Crescent Lane told police he didn't know who or why anyone would send him such a letter.'  Crescent Lane is situated in Novato, Marin County, approximately thirty miles from Oakland (where the brother-in-law lived).
The two similarities between the 'Equinox' note and the 'Death' note sent to Edward J Salmina were firstly, the time presented on each correspondence. The first note, sent just prior to June 30th 1972 stated a time of 3:13:47, the second note on September 22nd 1972, a time of 3:33 pm. only 19 minutes difference. The second similarity was the mention of Saturday in both notes. Incidentally, ten Saturdays from the date of the 'Death' note would have been September 2nd 1972, twenty days before the 'Equinox' note. 

The third event in this 30 mile radius was the attempted murder of Isobel Watson. 
Isobel Watson (33) had just got off the bus on the evening of April 7th 1972, and was walking home along Pine Hill Road, Tamalpais Valley, Marin County at 9.00 pm, when a light colored vehicle veered towards her, knocking her to the ground. [view on google maps]. The driver exited his vehicle offering to take her home, but after she had refused his offer of apparent help a second time, the concerned citizen suddenly became enraged, pulling out a knife and stabbing the woman in the neck and shoulder. ​Her screams alerted the neighborhood, forcing the assailant into a hasty retreat from the scene.
She was treated at Marin General Hospital and fortunately survived the brutal attack.
Her description of the man alerted investigators to a possible Zodiac connection, that of a man with heavy rimmed black glasses, in his early 40's, 5' 9" in height and short brown hair. It was not overlooked by police that the killer had attempted to lure the woman into his vehicle, not dissimilar to the method employed in the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns. 
These are three unlikely Zodiac connections, however all three occurred in relatively close proximity to one another within a six month period. 

www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=169
http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1969
http://www.historyofnovato.com/s-vips

Eighteen years before the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside, California, on February 8th 1948, another senseless murder was perpetrated on a young woman in Riverside County. Marjorie Lee Winn (17), a Redlands High School student, was traveling with her companion Jim Sloan Jr in his Mercury Coupe along Highway 99, just past Beaumont, at around 2.30 am, when they pulled over for a brief moment. Suddenly a man yanked open the passenger door of his Mercury Coupe and pointed a shotgun at Marjorie. Jim Sloan stepped on the gas to pull away and the gun discharged, leaving the young student with what would prove fatal injuries.
On the evening of the 7th,  Albert Strickland had been drinking at a bar located on 14th Street and Howard Avenue in Riverside, when his vehicle, carelessly parked outside with a loaded shotgun lying on the seat, was stolen. The bar was situated only four minutes drive, or one mile from the Terracina Drive alleyway where Cheri Jo Bates would ultimately be murdered in 1966.
Sometime after 1.00 am Adolph Eilts and his wife were disturbed in their Beaumont home by an intruder carrying a flashlight. Confronted by the home owner the man fled, but when the homeowner went outside he discovered the abandoned Packard of Albert Strickland minus the shotgun. Just over an hour later Marjorie would be dead. After the murder of Margie Lee Winn, a massive manhunt ensued, becoming headline news, yet the killer was never identified. An unsigned 'confession' letter was received by Redlands Police Chief A.O. Peterson stating ​"I killed M. Winn because I loved her. I am traveling north by Greyhound bus. I bought my ticket from a bus driver by the name of Mr. Lee in Los Angeles." An anonymous caller to Riverside Police Department led to the discovery of a pair of size seven shoes in a vacant lot, that matched the impressions taken from the location of the murder and therefore were determined by police to be those of the killer.
Prime suspect Richard Olsen (25) admitted to being the author of the anonymous letter, however, he denied the murder, and despite wearing size seven shoes was eventually ruled out by police in the murder of Margie Lee Winn. 
The murder in Beaumont was perpetrated approximately 26 miles east of the Riverside City College library and has some overlapping characteristics to the Zodiac Killer and Cheri Jo Bates, but this is extremely unlikely to be connected to either, having the hallmarks of robbery, rather than premeditated murder. To read more in depth on this murder please visit 
​http://tonimomberger.weebly.com/the-unsolved-killing-of-margie-lee-winn.html

Desert Sun Newspaper -November 10th 1969: Arsenic Is Found In Soft Drink MARTINEZ (UPI)-- 'A young schoolteacher who received threatening telephone calls for 10 days thought the caller was a crank who was pretending to be the Zodiac killer. But police took the threats seriously after 24-year-old Daniel Williams found a lethal dose of arsenic in a bottle of soft drink in his refrigerator. Williams, a teacher at Salesian High School in Richmond, told police the caller talked of how he intended to kill several persons, then last; Sunday said: “You’re the dead duck.” Williams went out and when he returned home found someone had pried open the screen on a back door. However, a police search showed nothing was missing. But after the officers left and Williams took a drink from a bottle of opened soft drink in his refrigerator, he found it tasted “metallic” and immediately spit it out. Police reported Friday that the bottle contained more than enough arsenic to kill a human being. Williams said the caller identified himself as the still sought Zodiac killer of five, but police discounted the idea. The caller would “sob and complain of headaches.” Williams said, and on one occasion said he had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but left when he found police there. Williams said the caller told him: “I’m too smart for them.” link
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article on the same subject on November 8th 1969, stating "The string of sadistic calls began on October 23rd. On one occasion, the caller told Williams he had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but had left when he found police there. Another time, the teacher said the caller, whose voice he described as muffled as if speaking through a handkerchief, said he was going to "kill the lady in the blue house."  
The arsenic laden drink was discovered on November 2nd 1969. This may not have been the Zodiac Killer, however this threat was seemingly backed up. 
The article ran in the San Francisco Chronicle on November 8th 1969, so if this was the Zodiac, he may have been unaware at the point he mailed the 'Dripping Pen' card on November 8th, on whether his deadly attack had been successful. He mailed the "poison pen" letter on the same day and declared "I thought you would need a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won't get the news for a while yet." Clearly, had Daniel Williams died from the poisoning, he may not have been discovered immediately. The style of attack would also conform to Zodiac's new declaration on November 9th, in that "I have grown rather angry with the police for their telling lies about me. So I shall change the way the collecting of slaves. I shall no longer announce to anyone. When I committ my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, + a few fake accidents, etc".     
The threatening phone calls and attempted murder of this high school teacher would precede the second cipher offering from the Zodiac. An offering accompanied by what could be interpreted as a "poison pen" letter. The Zodiac Killer's first cipher was cracked in a matter of days by Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden. Don Harden began teaching at North Salinas High School in 1960.  

There is slim chance this was Zodiac, but it doesn't hurt to explore every angle.
Martinez and Richmond, California, where Daniel Williams lived and worked are direct routes from Vallejo and Benicia through to San Francisco. The threatening caller stated he was going to "kill the lady in the blue house." So if the caller was Zodiac, however small the likelihood, what is the reasoning behind this threat, and was he familiar with the woman or the area in question.
The famous "blue house" is situated in the Castro District at 3841 18th Street, San Francisco, near Haight-Ashbury and the Golden Gate Park. It is 3.4 miles southeast of the October 11th 1969 murder of Paul Stine, a month earlier.
It was memorialized in music by French singer Maxime Le Forestier in 1971, inspired by his time living in the blue house with a hippie commune called "Hunga Dunga."
'Maxime Le Forestier spoke of the house where everyone was welcome, where Tom, Phil and Psylvia lived. The house was in fact home to the Hunga Dunga commune, and several of the people mentioned in the song still live in the Bay Area'. Mission Local. 
Could Daniel Williams have been Zodiac's intended eighth victim, and was the 'Bus Bomb' letter on November 9th 1969, stating "This is the Zodiac speaking up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people" so precisely, indicative that an eighth victim was yet to be discovered, somewhere between October 31st 1969 and the date of this letter. 
The fact that Zodiac made a point of highlighting the "end of Oct" in the Bus Bomb letter, rather than just stating "to date I have killed 7 people" is extremely suggestive that we hadn't "heard the bad news yet".  

http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/skeleton-in-the-closet

On December 20th 1969 the Zodiac Killer mailed the 'Melvin Belli' letter containing a third piece of Paul Stine's shirt, the murdered taxicab driver in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. The 'Dripping Pen' card and 'Bus Bomb' letter were postmarked within a day of each other, so this was effectively the third mailing in a row harboring a sinister 'trophy'.
The 'Melvin Belli' letter, whether a ruse or not, painted the picture of a Zodiac Killer going off the rails. In the correspondence he stated "I cannot reach out for help because this thing inside me wont let me. I am finding it extremely difficult to hold it in check. I am afraid I will loose all control again and take my nineth and posibly tenth victom. Please help me I am drownding," Later he continues "But if I hold back too long from no nine, I will loose all controol of my self and set the bomb up. Please help me I can not remain in control for much longer." 

This letter had very similar overtones to the murders attributed to William Heirens, known as the Lipstick Killer, who was convicted of three murders over a seven month period. Josephine Ross had been stabbed numerous times in her apartment at 4108 North Kenmore Avenue on June 5th 1945. Frances Brown was discovered on December 10th 1945 at her 3941 North Pine Grove apartment, again in Edgewater, Chicago. She had multiple knife wounds. In fact a knife was found present in the victim's neck, along with a bullet wound to her head. But on this occasion the killer had left a calling card, in the form of a message written in lipstick on the wall. It read: "For heavens Sake catch me Before I kill more I cannot control myself."
On January 7th 1946 six year old Suzanne Degnan disappeared from her 5943 North Kenmore residence. A ladder was discovered outside the girl's window, and a ransom note was also found by police. The misspelled note read: "GeI $20,000 Reddy & wAITe foR WoRd, do NoT NoTify FBI oR Police. Bills IN 5's & 10's." Later an anonymous phone call was received instructing police to check the sewers and subsequent searches found dismembered body parts of Suzanne Degnan at various locations.
Considering the Zodiac Killer's apparent fragile state of mind in the 'Melvin Belli' letter and its allusions to the William Heirens murders, was there a possibility the Zodiac Killer's next murder would carry any of these traits, and be referenced in his following communication. That is, writing on the wall, the use of a knife in the murder, possible dismemberment and a San Francisco connection.
On April 19th 1970 the mutilated body of Robert Salem was discovered in his 745 Stevenson Street, San Francisco apartment. In an article by Paul Avery entitled 'The Bloody 'Satan' Murder' it reported that they didn't believe it to be a Zodiac murder "The 40 year old designer of lamps had been repeatedly stabbed with a long-bladed knife. The killer had apparently tried to decapitate his victim and when that failed he cut off Salem's left ear, carrying it away with him when he fled. There was also this bizarre touch: scrawled on the wall in Salem's blood, were the words "Satan Saves."  The killer then in larger letters wrote "Zodiac" and drew a strange symbol resembling a crucified man. The same symbol had been drawn on Salem's stomach."   

Remember we stated that based on the 'Melvin Belli' and William Heirens murders, the next crime may contain components of these, such as: ​writing on the wall, the use of a knife in the murder, possible dismemberment and a San Francisco connection. The murder of Robert Salem had them all, and the Zodiac signature in blood. 
One curious feature in the crime scene, is the killer, had he wrote "Zodiac" similar in size to "Satan Saves", there would have been no need to write Zodiac in such fashion, split into two parts, so he could fit it onto the wall. Unless it was intentional. In the article it stated "An autopsy yesterday morning showed Salem was slain sometime last Wednesday."
This puts the murder on April 15th 1970, five days before the Zodiac Killer mailed the 'My Name is....' letter and '13 Symbol' cipher, postmarked April 20th 1970.     

In a previous article, an avenue was explored that may connect the '340 Symbol' Cipher and '13 Symbol' cipher using the Zodiac's name. It is well recognized that the Zodiac Killer was an egotist, with inflated self importance, who just may have given us his pseudonym at the foot of the '340' cipher. It is written slightly differently, but nevertheless it was believed that this may have been a clue. When the correct spelling of Zodiac was placed under it and a numerical value was obtained, by alphabetically counting the difference between the six columns, it generated 0, 0, 0, 8, 8, 8. The three circled 8's he carried forward to his following '13 Symbol' cipher.
See this article to read more. This effectively splits Zodiac into two halves, shown by the pink line in the diagram on the right. Exactly what the killer did on the wall of Robert Salem's 745 Stevenson Street apartment, situated a mile drive from Union Square, the location where it is believed Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac Killer shortly before his murder. The number 888 in Christian numerology represents Jesus or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. In view of the killer writing "Satan Saves" rather than "Jesus Saves" is there any connection. 
On the April 20th 1970 'My Name is...' letter, the Zodiac signed off with  "PS I hope you have fun trying to figgure out who I killed."​​​ Look at the way the killer wrote "Zodiac" on Robert Salem's wall. Is that designed to look like the 'figgure' 201.

#1 Stanley Dean Baker confessed to the murder of Robert Salem, despite no evidence linking him to the crime, and he was never charged by police. ​http://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baker-stanley-dean.htm.

#2 The crucified image on the wall of Robert Salem's wall, is the Egyptian ankh. The ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art, often at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy; this is thought to symbolize the act of conception. Wikipedia.

On April 30th 1967 the supposed killer of Cheri Jo Bates mailed three handwritten letters to Joseph Bates, the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Riverside Police Department. All effectively carried the same message "Bates had to die there will be more." These letters bore resemblance to the Zodiac Killer's first three letters, mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, Vallejo Times-Herald and San Francisco Examiner.on July 31st 1969. Not only did both sets contain three constituent parts, they exhibited double postage and both carried the threat of more victims. In the July 31st 1969 mailings, the threat was to "cruse around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend." 
The two sets of letters were also accompanied by a symbol at the foot of the correspondence. The crosshairs of the Zodiac Killer are all too familiar, but what were the strange symbols at the foot of the Riverside Police Department and Riverside Press-Enterprise correspondence. They do not appear to be a regular letter Z, as both have an elaborate tail off the left side, as shown in the above image.  
The Zodiac Killer was not averse to placing his running total of victims at the foot of each letter, and this may be the case in the Bates letters. In one of Zodiac's mailings he sent us the 'Halloween' card addressed to Paul Avery, but possibly replaced the victim count with an elaborate symbol on the inside of the card. We know he was inferring 14 victims over the entire card, so why should the symbol be any different. Below is a depiction of one possible interpretation.         

The four dots are harder to interpret, but by joining three alphabetical letters together 'Zodiac Victims Fourteen' is realized. Was this a 'modern' twist on his earlier, yet more rudimentary version on the Bates letters.
On first glance the Bates symbol could be interpreted as a joined 3 and V, indicating three victims. After all, the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates was claiming previous victims, apparent in the 'Confession' letter he mailed one month after her murder. It stated "She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay awake at night thinking about my next victim." The question is, were his next victims that of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968, just two years later.
The Zodiac Killer first gave us a running total of seven on the 'Dripping Pen' card, mailed on November 8th 1969. The Zodiac claimed "Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct = 7" at the foot of the card. At this point in time we knew of five Zodiac murders, that included David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in December, Darlene Ferrin in July, Cecelia Shepard in September, and Paul Stine in October. We were missing two.
If we also included Cheri Jo Bates into October, then we would be missing only one victim in August. If the Zodiac Killer was the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, then was his first victim just two months earlier in August 1966 and Cheri was "not the first and was not to be the last." This would give us the total of seven victims the Zodiac was referring to in the 'Dripping Pen' card. Is it possible the Zodiac Killer had already adopted his pseudonym as early as 1967, bearing in mind the symbol on the Bates letters does not conform fully. 
One interpretation of the Bates symbols could have inspired his design on the 'Halloween' card, shown below. The number 2 (or possibly 3) tagged onto the left side of the arrangement, as opposed to 'fourteen' on the 'Halloween' card, tagged onto the right side.  However it may be a little convoluted, and would presuppose his use of the pseudonym Zodiac in 1967, which could not be backed up with anything tangible.          

​Assuming the Bay Area and Riverside killer are the same person, it is conceivable that the murder of Cheri Jo Bates was one of his earliest crimes, possibly the second. The 'Confession' letter stated "She is not the first and she will not be the last," and the 'Dripping Pen' card total, if to be believed, left only one victim in August.

Had the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates killed a second victim, only two months earlier in August. His murders may have displayed much less organization back in 1966, exemplified by the brutal stabbing in the grounds of the Riverside City College, only yards from the library annex. His letter writing may equally have looked amateurish, after all, he was in the infancy of his terror.
On the right may be an early example of the Zodiac Killer's running victim total, inferring '2 victims' (or possibly '3 victims').
However, we were two murders short on the 'Dripping Pen' card, so this coupled with the five murders in the Bay Area brings us to the correct total of seven, by November 8th 1969. The total on the 'Dripping Pen' card may only be crimes under the Zodiac umbrella, which he adopted in 1969, which do not include any of the Riverside attacks. Nevertheless, the Bates symbols may still be an early example of a running victim count, which he refreshed when he became Zodiac. If this is the case, then the hunt for victims six and seven will have to start again, maybe somewhere other than Riverside.