Cara Evelyn Knott, a 20-year-old white female college student from San Diego, California, was tragically murdered on December 27, 1986. She was last seen alive while driving south on Interstate 15, returning home to El Cajon after visiting her boyfriend in Escondido. Her car was later discovered abandoned on a dead-end road near the Mercy Road offramp, and her body was found the next day at the bottom of a 65-foot ravine near the Los Peñasquitos Creek Arch Bridge.
The investigation
revealed that Cara Evelyn Knott had been pulled over by a uniformed officer in a marked California Highway Patrol vehicle. That officer was identified as 36-year-old Craig Alan Peyer, a white male and 13-year veteran of the CHP. Evidence indicated that Peyer had a pattern of stopping young women driving alone on the same isolated offramp. Multiple women later came forward to report that Peyer had made them uncomfortable during traffic stops, sometimes touching their hair or shoulders and engaging in inappropriate conversation.
On the night of the murder, it is believed that when the 20-year-old white female victim threatened to report Peyer for his behavior, he became violent. She reportedly scratched his face in self-defense. In response, Peyer struck her with his flashlight and strangled her with a rope. He then disposed of her body by throwing her over the bridge.
Physical evidence linked Peyer to the crime. A rope found in his patrol car matched the ligature marks on the victim's neck. A rare gold rayon fiber found on the 20-year-old white female victim's dress matched a patch from Peyer's uniform. Blood found on her boot was consistent with Peyer's rare blood type, AB negative. Additionally, tire marks and witness accounts placed him at the scene around the time of the murder. Peyer also had visible scratches on his face during a television interview conducted just days after the crime, which he claimed were from a fall—an explanation that was later discredited.
In 1988, Craig Alan Peyer was arrested, tried, and convicted of the murder of Cara Evelyn Knott. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Despite maintaining his innocence, Peyer has repeatedly been denied parole and has refused to submit to DNA testing that could potentially exonerate him. The case remains one of the most haunting examples of abuse of authority in California law enforcement history.
