ZODIAC CIPHERS
RICHARD GRINELL, COVENTRY, ENGLAND
  • Home
    • Search This Site With Google
    • The Mount Diablo Map and Code Solution
  • Zodiac News
    • Zodiac News Archive
    • Santa Barbara Attack
    • Cheri Jo Bates
    • The Confession
    • Riverside Desktop Poem
    • Bates Letter
    • The Forgotten Victims
    • Welsh Chappie - Zodiac News
  • Lake Herman Murders
    • Blue Rock Springs Attack
    • Vallejo Times Letter
    • Examiner Letter
    • Chronicle Letter
    • Complete 408 Cipher
    • Vallejo and Benicia Map
    • Kathie Snoozy and Debra Furlong Murders
    • Debut of Zodiac Letter
  • Lake Berryessa Attack
    • Presidio Heights Attack
    • Call to Chat Show
  • 340 Cipher
    • Bus Bomb Letter
    • Betsy Aardsma Murder
    • The Fairfield Letter
    • Melvin Belli Letter
    • Santa Barbara Murders 1970
    • Modesto Attack
    • My Name is Cipher
    • Dragon Card and Button Letter >
      • Phillips Road Map
    • The Sleeping Bag Murders
    • The Little List Letter
  • The Halloween Card
    • Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    • Los Angeles Times Letter
    • The Monticello Card
    • The Exorcist Letter
  • SLA Letter
    • Red Phantom Letter/American Greetings Card
    • The 1978 Letter
    • Los Angeles Times Newspaper Articles
    • Zodiac Letters Real or Fake
    • Zodiac Documentary
    • Unsolved Mysteries
    • The Colonial Parkway Murders
  • Suspects
    • Arthur Leigh Allen
    • Rick Marshall
    • Lawrence Kane
    • Theodore Kaczynski
    • Richard Gaikowski
    • Gareth Penn
    • Jack Tarrance

EAST OF PLEASANTON

3/6/2015

 
October 27th 1970 was a significant date in the Zodiac calendar, when the Halloween card arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle, seven months after the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns and her infant daughter along Highway 132, near Modesto, and just three months after he laid claim to this attack in a letter mailed on July 24th 1970. Five months after the mailing of the Halloween Card, which inferred fourteen victims, a further letter, widely referred to as the Los Angeles letter postmarked Pleasanton, CA, was sent to the Los Angeles Times on March 13th 1971, but this time the author was claiming 17+ victims. In other words, from October 27th 1970 to March 13th 1971, he was indicating a minimum of three more victims during this time period.

Phyllis O'Brien Carson (32). was a young mother of four children, last seen after a night out at the Francis Truck Stop, French Camp, San Joaquin County, California. French Camp is a small community situated approximately a ten minute drive south of the town of Stockton CA and 15 minutes north of Manteca CA. Since the construction of California State Route 120, Manteca had become a popular choice for workers from the main towns and cities, along with the Bay Area, as rising house prices forced people to search for cheaper alternatives. Interstate 5 and State Route 99 are integral commuter routes through California and the I-5 is the main highway on the west coast of America, with links to San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento. San Francisco lies 80 miles and a one-hour twenty minutes drive due west from French Camp.

Phyllis had visited the popular bar, along with her brother and sister on October 27th 1970 and later on during the evening placed a phone call to her home residence to check on her children, stating she was to receive a lift home from a friend. Sadly for Phyllis O'Brien Carson and her family, her journey home was never realized. She had vanished without a trace, that is until family members received the heartbreaking news, just over three weeks later, on November 21st 1970, that her body had been discovered laying down an embankment near to Yettner Road, only five miles from the family residence. The cause of death and perpetrator remains unknown, but foul play was certain, as her body was partially clothed, apparently thrown from a vehicle. However, robbery was likely ruled out, as her belongings were untouched. Nobody from the bar has ever come forward to this day with a name of the mystery friend that Phyllis was supposed to have left with that night.    
Picture.....................Phyllis O'Brien Carson ..................
There is little in the way of providing a Zodiac Killer connection, other than vague speculation - and although unlikely - it is a possibility that cannot be ruled out entirely. The only relevant timeline and areas of interest appear to be the abduction of Kathleen Johns seven months earlier, the disappearance of Donna Ann Lass from Stateline Nevada on September 6th 1970 and the Los Angeles letter, mailed subsequent to the Halloween Card and the murder of Phyllis O'Brien Carson, on March 13th 1971 from Pleasanton, Alameda County, which is situated approximately 40 miles west of Manteca CA and French Camp. 

The Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns, whether or not this has a Zodiac connection, provides the closest link, in that the perpetrator of this crime chose to subject his victim to what appeared to be an aimless drive around the countryside of Tracy, CA, after which she escaped to a nearby field. Where the abductor was ultimately heading may never be known, but Tracy CA, San Joaquin County is a mere 15 to 20 minute drive from Yettner Road and only 15 miles due west from Manteca CA, so a familiarity with the area remains plausible. Does the possibility exist that the Zodiac Killer relocated from the Vallejo/Benicia area sometime in late 1969 or early 1970, somewhere within this region. 

Modesto, Yettner Road, Pleasanton, Tracy and Mount Diablo (detailed on his June 26th 1970 Button letter and Phillips Road Map}, along with the Little List letter on 26th July 1970 are all encompassed within an approximate 70 mile radius of one another, near Highway 99. If the Modesto abduction was a Zodiac Killer crime, was he cruising Highway 99 for just the right moment. It lies roughly 93 miles from Vallejo, an awfully long distance to travel for a chance encounter, unless he was returning from somewhere. That is unless, he lived closer by. This crime began in the dying hour of March 22nd 1970, not unusual for the Zodiac Killer. However, after he had taken Kathleen Johns on a two-hour mystery tour through the outskirts of Tracy, CA, he would have backtracked to burn out her car, rather than continue straight on to the Vallejo area. Is this because he was not actually backtracking or putting himself out at all - it was nearer home?     

Picture
Judith Hakari had been working at the Sutter Hospital in Sacramento on March 7th 1970, where she traveled home from and pulled into the parking lot of the Markston Apartments, the location of her abduction. One-and-a-half months later she was discovered in a shallow grave alongside Ponderosa Way. She had been beaten, strangled and raped in a horrifying attack.

Shortly after the disappearance of Donna Lass and two days prior to the Halloween card, on October 25th 1970, Nancy Bennallack, a court reporter was found murdered, brutally stabbed numerous times in her own apartment. This, if indeed it was the Zodiac Killer, would suggest a marked deviation from his previous crimes. However, she was described as strikingly similar in appearance to Judith Hakari and was murdered just one block away.

Sacramento is just 53 miles north of French Camp, where Phyllis O'Brien Carson was last seen and 78 miles north of Modesto, easily accessible via Highway 99 and Interstate 5. And that leads us on to the brutal double murder of Laotian couple Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40) who were traveling back on the two-and-a-half hour journey to their residence in Dorman Road, Yuba City after visiting their son in a Merced CA hospital, situated in the area of the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. They were only 45 minutes from home when it was believed they had opted to take a rest on the roadside edge, near the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento - and unfortunately for them, a merciless killer was in the vicinity. How the killer approached is open to question, but the assailant unleashed a barrage of gunfire into their car blowing in both front side windows, testimony to which was the 15 small caliber shell casings scattered and retrieved from around the car. The couple suffered multiple shots to the head.  

Picture
What is interesting about this crime however, is the disputed 1986 letter supposedly mailed by the Zodiac Killer, with a postmark dated May 6th. The author of this letter uses the word slaves. In other words, more than one victim. The couple were shot multiple times while seated in their car, blowing in both front side windows, very similar to the attack at Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969 and not dissimilar to the attack seven months prior to this, when he ambushed David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen at Lake Herman Road, both with small caliber fire. As the attack was on the side of a highway, it is likely the killer parked behind their car before he mounted the surprise attack (although this is unsubstantiated). They were murdered near Sacramento as the letter alludes, by a freeway, but the most interesting aspect of all, is the author stated "I want you to know about my latest slaves I have collected about two weeks ago". The postmark dated May 6th would tie in perfectly, because two weeks ago would have been April 22nd 1986, the precise date that both Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee were murdered. In a final twist, the author of the 1986 letter stated "The Blue Meannies almost caught me". Shortly after this crime a 'Mystery Man', thought at the time to be a hitchhiker, flagged down a California Highway Patrol Officer in East Nicolaus and informed him of an automobile accident at the precise location the couple were eventually discovered. He was later sought for questioning in connection to the double murder on Highway 99, but he failed to come forward and his identity remains unknown to this day.

The Los Angeles letter, postmarked Pleasanton, CA and dated March 13th 1971 was the last confirmed letter from the Zodiac Killer until the Exorcist letter arrived nearly three years later on January 29th 1974. Had the Zodiac Killer ever relocated during this period of activity, or did his profession dictate his movements throughout? I doubt we will ever know.

Robin Smith
3/6/2015 03:27:50 am

I hate to be an a** **** , however you imply...and from that implication I infer:)

I'll be back


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    All
    13 Hole Postcard
    148 Character Cipher
    1978 Letter
    1986 Letter
    1987 Letter
    2001 Happy New Year Card
    Albany Letter
    Allan/Peyton Murders
    Arthur Leigh Allen
    Atlanta Letter
    Betsy Aardsma
    Blue Rock Springs Attack
    Bus Bomb Letter
    Button Letter
    Call To Chat Show
    Carol Beth Hilburn
    Channel 9 Letter
    Cheri Jo Bates
    Cipher Theories
    Citizen Card
    Concerned Citizen Card
    Confession Letter
    Daniel Williams Poisoning
    Debut Of Zodiac Letter
    Deep Real Estate Ad
    DMV Letter
    Domingos/Edwards Murders
    Donald Lee Bujok
    Donna Lass
    Dragon Card
    Earl Van Best Jr
    Eureka Card
    Exorcist Letter
    Fairfield Letter
    Fingerprint Evidence
    Forecast For Cancer
    Forecast For Leo
    Gareth Penn
    General News Articles
    Gilbert And Sullivan
    Good Citizen Letter
    Halloween Card
    Hood/Garcia Murders
    Internet Articles
    Joan Webster
    Johnny & Joyce Swindle
    Judith Hakari
    Kevin Robert Brooks
    Lake Berryessa Attack
    Lake Herman Road Murders
    Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    Larry Kane
    Leona Roberts Murder
    Los Angeles Letter
    Melvin Belli Letter
    Mike Morford (Morf13)
    Modesto Attack
    Molina/Rodriguez Murders
    Monticello Card
    My Name Is Letter
    Nancy Bennallack
    New Canaan Letters
    Novato Letter
    Oakland A's Letter
    Pines Card
    Possible Zodiac Attacks
    Possible Zodiac Letters
    Presidio Heights Murder
    Radians
    Red Phantom Letter
    Richard Gaikowski
    Riverside Desktop Poem
    Robert Salem Murder
    Ross Sullivan
    Saechao/Saelee Murders
    San Jose Code Letter
    Santa Claus Card
    Scorpion Ciphers
    Scotch Tape Letter
    Sla Letter
    Tamalpais Valley Attack
    Ted Kaczynski
    Telegraph Avenue Incident
    The 340 Cipher
    The 408 Cipher
    The Celebrity Cypher
    The Little List
    The Mikado
    Thomas Horan
    You Are Next Letter
    Zodiac Letters Poll
    Zodiac Postage
    Zodiac Theories

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer almost word-for-word when he wrote PS. The Mt. Diablo Code concerns Radians & # inches along the radians. The code solution identified was Estimate: Four Radians and Five Inches To read more, click the image.
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Atlas: The Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for details.
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer Map: Part of the Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for color version
    For black and white issue..
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    January 2012

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photos from Marcin Wichary, zAppledot, vyusseem, Alex Barth, Alan Cleaver, jocelynsart, Richard Perry, taberandrew, eschipul, MrJamesAckerley