A jawbone (and all teeth) were found close to Interstate 80 and Highway 20, near Camp Spaulding in Placer County on December 31st 1985 (reported in the newspapers as 1986) by a fisherman traveling towards Lake Valley Reservoir via Yuba Gap. A human skull was found near to the other remains in January 1986 during follow-up searches headed by Deputy Lowell Carleton. These bones remained unidentified until December 2023, when it was finally determined through DNA to be that of Donna Lass, her fate unknown for almost 53 years and 4 months. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has notified the surviving members of the Lass family. There may be an interesting connection to the Los Angeles letter, mailed by the Zodiac Killer on March 13th 1971.
Approximate location of the skull based on current information. Click image to enter Google maps.
Just over a week before the Pines card was mailed by the Zodiac Killer, he sent a letter to the Los Angeles Times on March 13th 1971 referencing the movie Vanishing Point, which was set for general release into US cinemas on the same day. The January trailer for this movie featured a radio host from KOW, who stated "And there goes the Challenger being chased by the Blue, Blue Meanies on wheels. They want to get him and put him away, but there'll have to catch him first". The author of the Los Angeles letter (Zodiac) stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something".
I couldn't help thinking: was it significant that the Zodiac Killer would reference the "Vanishing Point" movie, nine days before the Pines card about the "vanished" Donna Lass? Several years ago I noticed that the main character, Kowalski, in the Vanishing Point movie, met his death in the unicorporated community of Cisco, California, just 10.55 miles west of the Clair Tappaan Lodge "Sierra Club" (although filmed in Cisco, Utah, the movie portrayed his death in Cisco, California). The idea crossed my mind that Donna Lass (if the Zodiac was her killer) may also have met her death, and been buried or disposed of, in or close to Cisco in Placer County. The commentary at the end of the 1971 movie detailing Kowalski's death, noted that "no body was ever found". We don't currently know the exact location the skull and jawbone were found in late 1985/early 1986, but Cisco is extremely close to Interstate 80, Highway 20 and Yuba Gap (3.8 miles). The Lake Valley Reservoir is 1.3 miles from Cisco. Irrespective of this observation, there still remains little reason to believe a connection between the Zodiac Killer and the untimely demise of Donna Lass. PART TWO PART THREE.
Vanishing Point article: May 17th 2019
Retrospective Victims article: February 12th 2021 (connecting the Pines & Monticello cards)
I couldn't help thinking: was it significant that the Zodiac Killer would reference the "Vanishing Point" movie, nine days before the Pines card about the "vanished" Donna Lass? Several years ago I noticed that the main character, Kowalski, in the Vanishing Point movie, met his death in the unicorporated community of Cisco, California, just 10.55 miles west of the Clair Tappaan Lodge "Sierra Club" (although filmed in Cisco, Utah, the movie portrayed his death in Cisco, California). The idea crossed my mind that Donna Lass (if the Zodiac was her killer) may also have met her death, and been buried or disposed of, in or close to Cisco in Placer County. The commentary at the end of the 1971 movie detailing Kowalski's death, noted that "no body was ever found". We don't currently know the exact location the skull and jawbone were found in late 1985/early 1986, but Cisco is extremely close to Interstate 80, Highway 20 and Yuba Gap (3.8 miles). The Lake Valley Reservoir is 1.3 miles from Cisco. Irrespective of this observation, there still remains little reason to believe a connection between the Zodiac Killer and the untimely demise of Donna Lass. PART TWO PART THREE.
Vanishing Point article: May 17th 2019
Retrospective Victims article: February 12th 2021 (connecting the Pines & Monticello cards)
Likely location of remains. Click image to enter Google maps.
On April 6th 1986, three months after the skull of Donna Lass was found near Yuba Gap, another skull was found at Truckee (23 miles east) in a forest area near the Sierra Meadows Subdivision. One month later, a human bone (thought to be from the same individual) was found in the same location. On June 7th 1986 another human skull was found near the Ponderosa Palisades, minutes south of Truckee.
Click the above two articles to view the location of the remains in respect to the gravesite of Judith Hakari on Ponderosa Way
To read more on the murders of Judith Hakari and Nancy Bennallack click the image above
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