The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer

Serial Killer

The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders

Overview

Between 1972 and 1973, the area surrounding Santa Rosa, California, was terrorized by a series of unsolved homicides known as the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. At least seven young women and girls, all known to have been hitchhiking, were found murdered in rural areas near steep embankments or creek beds. Despite extensive investigations, the perpetrator(s) remain unidentified.

Victims

• Maureen Louise Sterling and Yvonne Lisa Weber Date: February 4, 1972 Details: Both 12 and 13 years old respectively, disappeared after visiting the Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa. They were last seen hitchhiking on Guerneville Road. Their skeletal remains were discovered on December 28, 1972, off Franz Valley Road. Due to decomposition, the cause of death couldn't be determined. Binding materials found at the scene suggested they had been restrained.
• Kim Wendy Allen Date: March 4, 1972 Details: A 19-year-old art student at Santa Rosa Junior College, last seen hitchhiking near the Bell Avenue entrance to Highway 101 after leaving her job at Larkspur Natural Foods. Her body was found the next day off Enterprise Road in Santa Rosa. She had been bound, raped, and strangled over approximately thirty minutes.
• Lori Lee Kursa Date: November 11, 1972 Details: A 13-year-old student from Lawrence Cook Middle School, reported missing after running away while shopping with her mother. Her body was discovered on December 14, 1972, off Calistoga Road in Santa Rosa. The cause of death was a broken neck. There was no evidence of sexual assault.
• Carolyn Nadine Davis Date: July 15, 1973 Details: A 15-year-old who had run away from her home in Anderson, California, and spent months traveling. She was last seen hitchhiking near Highway 101 in Garberville. Her body was found on July 31, 1973, near the location where Sterling and Weber were discovered. The cause of death was strychnine poisoning, though it was unclear how the poison was administered.
• Therese Walsh Date: December 22, 1973 Details: A 23-year-old from Miranda, California, last seen hitchhiking from Malibu to Garberville to visit family for Christmas. Her body was found on December 28, 1973, submerged in Mark West Creek near Santa Rosa. She had been hogtied, sexually assaulted, and died from acute myocarditis, likely due to stress and exposure.

Suspected Victims

• Lisa Michelle Smith Date: March 16, 1971 Details: A 17-year-old who ran away from her foster home in Petaluma, California. She was last seen hitchhiking in Santa Rosa. Her body has never been found, but authorities suspect she may have been an early victim of the same perpetrator.
• Jeannette Kamahele Date: April 25, 1972 Details: A 20-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College student, last seen hitchhiking near the college campus. She entered a light-colored Chevrolet pickup truck with a male driver and was never seen again. Her body has never been recovered.

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Confirmed Victims: (7)

Maureen Sterling Age: (12), Date of Death: February 4, 1972

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Suspected Victims:

Lisa Michele Smith Age: (17), Date of Death: March 16, 1971

Jeannette Kamahele Age: (20), Date of Death: April 25, 1972

Kerry Ann Graham Age: (15), Date of Death: December 16, 1978

Francine Marie Trimble Age: (14), Date of Death: December 16, 1978

Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders - Wikipedia

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