bessie
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Well, I can't dispute your first point, chemo. The separate clusters of abductions and homicides of young women during that particular era, and in that particular region, is mind boggling. And no doubt, you have even a better perspective than I, since the region is rather unfamiliar to me.There were a number of women who were murdered or went missing in that general area in the late 1970’s-early 80’s but none bare any obvious similarities to this case. It is extremely unusual for a stranger abduction to result in a vehicle disappearance.
The report that she was “being bothered” by two men at the Lodi gas station is certainly worth noting. Still, she was almost home at the time and there was no stretch of road between Lodi and her home in the Stonewood area of Stockton that wouldn’t have had some traffic at that time of night.
According to Google Earth, there are no obvious bodies of water along her route today that she could have driven into ( were there in 1981?)
Anyone who follows True Crime understands the significance of a vehicle in a sexually motivated abduction case. If the victim is abducted from her vehicle, it is generally left at the crime scene. If the victim’s own vehicle is used in the abduction, it presents a problem for the abductor. If the vehicle is left at at the site of subsequent crime ( rape/murder/dump site), it would be very incriminating. Even if it is driven well away from any crime site it still might contain forensic evidence and the perpetrator must have transportation back. Torching the vehicle is the usual answer but dumping the vehicle where it won’t be found, such as a body of water, also works. Abandoned vehicles, when they are found, will generally have their VIN run by Law Enforcement but that might not be done if the vehicle has been there for years.
It is possible that two men staged a fender bender and then one forced her to follow the other to some site. Later the car was dumped where it wasn’t found. I am not aware of any other crime in the region, at the time that fit the pattern.
I'm glad that we agree the possibility of a two man attack, while somewhat uncommon, could lend itself to an MO not seen in singular attacks, i.e., the disappearance of the car, for instance, and the well-concealed remains and automobile.
While randomn violent attacks against women was short of a rarity during that time, and in that region, I would daresay that attackers acting in tandem is also rare, though not completely unheard of. Charles Ng and Leonard Lake are an example of two codependent psychopaths from the same era.
So while the participation of the Speed Freak Killers appears to be an anachronism, I, personally, don't believe that the time difference is such that the pair can be ruled out at this time. They were strong, strapping young bucks, and speed freaks at that. In their early manic states, they would have sported boundless energy. And they surely were accomplished at hiding things. Let's not forget the **excavation debacle. What a cluster cluck. I followed that until my eyes bled.
Anyway, I don't mean to re-hash all of it, but I have to keep in mind that Dena disappeared merely three years before their first documented homicide, was last seen being harassed by two men (in an area presumably familiar to the SFK's), and remains missing to this day, just as many of the the SFK's alleged and probable victims.
WS Thread: CA - Speed Freak Killers (Shermantine talks; Herzog commits suicide)
JMVHO
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(Stretching the bouonds of "ON TOPIC", but worth noting.
County Must Face Claims Over Handling of Mass Murder Grave
Courthouse News Service, Matthew Renda, October 13,, 2017
** Suit brought in the Eastern District Court, United States of Americe, by victim Hobson's mother against Joaquin County, et al for the "excavation debacle" (my words).
Motion denied by United States District Court Judge Mrrison C England, Jr., October 11, 2017. It's very lengthy, but a good read.
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