Another crime on the fringes of the Zodiac story was the likely abduction and murder of Donna Ann Lass from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and Casino on September 6th 1970. Planning to meet her friend Jo Anne Goettsche immediately after her shift at 2.00 am, the only telltale sign that she had been interrupted, was a pen mark trailing off her log book, estimated at fifteen minutes to the hour. She had left her 1968 Chevrolet Camaro at the Monte Verdi Apartments and traveled to work from her previous residence by foot to begin her shift, planning to ride home to the new flat with her friend, but unfortunately this meeting never happened and the young 25-year-old woman was never seen again. This was Labor Day weekend, so obviously Donna Lass not returning to work in the following days may not have aroused concern, ultimately circumvented by an anonymous caller ringing her employer and workplace, and stating Donna Lass had been called to a family emergency.
But what does the phone call tell us about the perpetrator/s?
It seems on the face of it, to suggest the mystery phone caller is buying time. They appear to want to delay any police involvement - and since family, friends and associates are usually the first port of call for investigating officers, this is who would benefit most from any investigative delay.
The perpetrator/s most likely had a vehicle parked outside the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, Abducting a woman at a busy casino and hotel by dragging her away on foot is extremely unlikely and far too risky. Whatever happened subsequent to this is in the realm of speculation, but one reason to want to buy time in the following days, can be attributed to a forensic standpoint. Had Donna Lass been taken to a second location connected to the abductor, or attacked within the confines of the assailant's vehicle leaving trace evidence, then clearly this provides good reason for the perpetrator to want the clean up before the police come knocking. A murder distinct and separate, leaving nothing of forensic value to connect to the perpetrator, does not necessitate the further risk of identification through a phone call. The phone call itself provides another clue. If Donna Lass had driven to work on the day in question, her car would have been laying dormant in the casino car park, so an anonymous caller claiming she had been called out of town on family business could easily have raised suspicion from her employers, and simply negated the caller's intention of buying time. In fact, it would have had the opposite effect. The same could be said regarding the landlord of the Monte Verdi Apartments, if the landlord was familiar with her vehicle or was regularly present on site.
It seems on the face of it, to suggest the mystery phone caller is buying time. They appear to want to delay any police involvement - and since family, friends and associates are usually the first port of call for investigating officers, this is who would benefit most from any investigative delay.
The perpetrator/s most likely had a vehicle parked outside the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, Abducting a woman at a busy casino and hotel by dragging her away on foot is extremely unlikely and far too risky. Whatever happened subsequent to this is in the realm of speculation, but one reason to want to buy time in the following days, can be attributed to a forensic standpoint. Had Donna Lass been taken to a second location connected to the abductor, or attacked within the confines of the assailant's vehicle leaving trace evidence, then clearly this provides good reason for the perpetrator to want the clean up before the police come knocking. A murder distinct and separate, leaving nothing of forensic value to connect to the perpetrator, does not necessitate the further risk of identification through a phone call. The phone call itself provides another clue. If Donna Lass had driven to work on the day in question, her car would have been laying dormant in the casino car park, so an anonymous caller claiming she had been called out of town on family business could easily have raised suspicion from her employers, and simply negated the caller's intention of buying time. In fact, it would have had the opposite effect. The same could be said regarding the landlord of the Monte Verdi Apartments, if the landlord was familiar with her vehicle or was regularly present on site.
It would also suggest the abductor was not aware of Donna's intention to meet her friend Jo Ann Goettsche that night, as she could easily have raised concern about Donna's non-appearance. Was the abductor familiar enough with Donna's movements that day, that told him she had not traveled to work in her vehicle that evening? She also disappeared close to the end of her shift, having already changed from her nurses uniform into her casual clothes - another convenient circumstance for the abductor. Had she vanished from her post, let's say, hours earlier, her disappearance would have certainly raised more eyebrows, indicating the abductor likely had some knowledge of Donna Lass prior to September 6th 1970 and thereby negating the idea this was a random perpetrator. The abduction of Donna Lass has all the hallmarks of a planned abduction by somebody familiar with the young woman, her vehicle and her 'clocking off' time. And more importantly, somebody who needs to keep the police off their doorstep for as long as possible.
Her Chevrolet Camaro parked outside her Monte Verdi Apartments and the apartment itself, showed no signs of foul play or disturbance. The likelihood is she disappeared from the vicinity of the casino at approximately 1:45 am to 1:50 am - and unlikely from her nurses station - as this would have attracted too much attention. As Zodiac researcher Raymond Grant has already stated, the likeliest scenario is Donna Lass was enticed away from her work station close to the end of her shift in a planned abduction, performed under the guise of a medical emergency, that not only explains the abrupt pen mark trailing off her log book, but is the perfect ruse to necessitate her separation from the confines of the building and into the darkness. She is bundled into the abductor's vehicle with relative ease and is never seen again.
Her Chevrolet Camaro parked outside her Monte Verdi Apartments and the apartment itself, showed no signs of foul play or disturbance. The likelihood is she disappeared from the vicinity of the casino at approximately 1:45 am to 1:50 am - and unlikely from her nurses station - as this would have attracted too much attention. As Zodiac researcher Raymond Grant has already stated, the likeliest scenario is Donna Lass was enticed away from her work station close to the end of her shift in a planned abduction, performed under the guise of a medical emergency, that not only explains the abrupt pen mark trailing off her log book, but is the perfect ruse to necessitate her separation from the confines of the building and into the darkness. She is bundled into the abductor's vehicle with relative ease and is never seen again.
Apart from the four confirmed Zodiac attacks, the Bay Area killer would also indicate his involvement in the Richard Radetich murder, the Cheri Jo Bates stabbing and the Kathleen Johns abduction, however, here he doesn't specifically attach himself to the crime, just the locality of the crime, some six and a half months after the fact.
The phone call after the Donna Lass abduction is not unusual to Zodiac and neither is the mailed correspondence, but the nature of the crime is, along with the purpose of the phone call. His previous two phone calls were designed for menace and the taunting of police, whereas this call had the sole design to create breathing space, indicative of somebody connected to the victim and area. Of course, Zodiac could have been resident in the area, known Donna Lass and been the abductor. But from what we know of Zodiac's confirmed attacks, by all accounts, he attacked strangers at a specific location and never abducted them.
The phone call in the case of Donna Lass was designed to misdirect for a reason, and quite possibly the 'Pines' card was mailed for the same purpose; - the first to delay the focus and the second to take the focus away. This time the perfect fall guy would be Zodiac. However, one killer may have been responsible for both phone call and postcard and it may not be the killer we have been tracking for nearly fifty years.
The phone call after the Donna Lass abduction is not unusual to Zodiac and neither is the mailed correspondence, but the nature of the crime is, along with the purpose of the phone call. His previous two phone calls were designed for menace and the taunting of police, whereas this call had the sole design to create breathing space, indicative of somebody connected to the victim and area. Of course, Zodiac could have been resident in the area, known Donna Lass and been the abductor. But from what we know of Zodiac's confirmed attacks, by all accounts, he attacked strangers at a specific location and never abducted them.
The phone call in the case of Donna Lass was designed to misdirect for a reason, and quite possibly the 'Pines' card was mailed for the same purpose; - the first to delay the focus and the second to take the focus away. This time the perfect fall guy would be Zodiac. However, one killer may have been responsible for both phone call and postcard and it may not be the killer we have been tracking for nearly fifty years.
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