Rose_Red
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Im also quite interested in the Nichole Zotti angle. Does anybody know where in Southern California did she go for her partying and drug usage?
Im from SoCal (LA county) and wondering if it was anywhere near where I am located.
CA CA - Peter McColl, 16, Berkeley, 28 Aug 1995
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Im also quite interested in the Nichole Zotti angle. Does anybody know where in Southern California did she go for her partying and drug usage?
Im from SoCal (LA county) and wondering if it was anywhere near where I am located.
An AC Transit bus driver and Nichole Zotti both reported that Peter was on his way to the Montclair neighborhood of Oakland. This case has interested me because I am from from that area and have some insight into the significance of Montclair if that was Peter's destination.
Montclair is a neighborhood of Oakland that abuts the hills south-east of Berkeley. Contrary to the popular image of Oakland, Montclair is very affluent and "leafy" and might seem more like a suburb except that the housing stock is quite old (pre-war) and not track development.
As a destination, there really isn't much there to interest a 16 year old and Montclair would not be on the way to anywhere else. The business district that the bus would have gone to has the usual stores you would expect in a high income area but no bookstores, movie theaters or other businesses that would attract someone from Berkeley. There are no hitchhiking venues or access to public transportation that someone could use to travel out of the metro area.
Peter was said to enjoy hiking and there were two regional parks with hiking trails in the hills above Montclair but they could only be reached from the business district by a two mile walk or a local bus ride and a one mile walk. Tilden Park would have been far easier to get to from his house if he wanted to go hiking. In addition, Doc Martin boots are not really suitable for hiking.
Realistically, I think the most probable reason he would have gone to Montclair would be to meet up with someone who lived there. If he was meeting up with someone BUT told his brother he was going to a book store in Berkeley, there is the very real concern that something sinister was going on.
Montclair is a neighborhood of Oakland that abuts the hills south-east of Berkeley. Contrary to the popular image of Oakland, Montclair is very affluent and "leafy" and might seem more like a suburb except that the housing stock is quite old (pre-war) and not track development.
As a destination, there really isn't much there to interest a 16 year old and Montclair would not be on the way to anywhere else. The business district that the bus would have gone to has the usual stores you would expect in a high income area but no bookstores, movie theaters or other businesses that would attract someone from Berkeley. There are no hitchhiking venues or access to public transportation that someone could use to travel out of the metro area.
Peter was said to enjoy hiking and there were two regional parks with hiking trails in the hills above Montclair but they could only be reached from the business district by a two mile walk or a local bus ride and a one mile walk. Tilden Park would have been far easier to get to from his house if he wanted to go hiking. In addition, Doc Martin boots are not really suitable for hiking.
Realistically, I think the most probable reason he would have gone to Montclair would be to meet up with someone who lived there. If he was meeting up with someone BUT told his brother he was going to a book store in Berkeley, there is the very real concern that something sinister was going on.
MagnoliaMountain
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Happy new year everyone!
May 2016 bring those long needed answers and hopefully Peter back home.
May 2016 bring those long needed answers and hopefully Peter back home.
According to Book Tree's website, this Montclair bookstore has been in business for 28 years (there's also A Great Good Place for Books, though I don't know how long they've been open). So it seems quite plausible to me that that Peter went to Cody's and the other bookstores on Telegraph (e.g., Moe's, Shakespeare's), didn't find the book he wanted, was told to check a bookstore in Montclair, then went there for it. No?
Could definitely see someone going to a variety of books stores in order to get the desired book , wonder what book Peter was looking for.
Book Tree is the type of book store selling new books you would find in any affluent neighborhood. I don't think anyone would make a special trip from Berkeley to go there. Cody's, Moe's & Shakespeare &Co were totally different. (Cody's is gone, does anyone know about the others?, I haven't been on Telegraph Ave in years).
As I recall, Cody's had a huge selection of new books, whereas Moe's and Shakespeare's had huge selections of used books.
Thanks for the detail about Book Tree, as I've never been there.
What about A Great Good Place for Books? Do you know how long they've been in existence, and what sort of selection they have?
I haven't been back in ten years. Apparently "A Good Place" is right across Lasalle from the "Book Tree". It is also a "New" book store. I doubt Peter went there for that. Interesting that in the days of Amazon, Montclair can support two Bookstores.
From what I can tell, Shakespere & Co closed last June (technically it relocated to Sonoma County) but Moe's is still in operation.
A few things in this article caught my eye.
What athletic young man, turns down a chance to eat? He must have had plans beyond going to the bookstore, perhaps to meet someone on Telegraph Avenue And get a book?
rbbm, imo.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15915847
snip
What athletic young man, turns down a chance to eat? He must have had plans beyond going to the bookstore, perhaps to meet someone on Telegraph Avenue And get a book?
rbbm, imo.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15915847
snip
.
MagnoliaMountain
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Thinking of Peter. Any news?
Long shot UID but the dates and ages work and the height is only off by 2" (which considering the condition of the remains is not a strict deal breaker)
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/14782
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/14782
Archangel85
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Bumping...Almost 21 years since he's missing. Let's hope for the best
MagnoliaMountain
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I just thought of this case yesterday so I'm glad to see new posts. Hoping for answers soon.
CelticFrostie
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The most palpable, albeit unfortunate, explanation to Peter McColl's disappearance was a leap from the Golden Gate Bridge. People have been following false leads but the greatest obstacle to solving this case, by far, is political correctness and denial.
I remember the story rather well because my family ran a business on Berkeley's Solano Avenue, a few blocks from the McColl residence, and their mother shopped at our store, sometimes accompanied with her three children. I recognized Peter a few times and it was clear he was going through a personality change far from the common "teenage angst". He hung out on that street a lot, but the 1994 Solano Stroll was the last time I saw him there alive.
People who take their lives often create deliberate diversions for loved ones in order to "buy time". Cody's Books was a distance away from where the McColls lived and there were closer stores with a similar selection to choose from. In addition, he didn't bring any spending money with him. In other words, he had a mission that day and it wasn't shopping at a bookstore or anywhere else. My parents were also friends with the former owner of Cody's (now closed), his employees didn't report seeing the teen there on the date of his disappearance.
The reason the "cult theory" doesn't wash is because this tends to be the result of a lack of "belonging": people who find themselves marginalized by their family and lacking acceptance into mainstream society. Joining a cult also requires some preparation like extra clothes or money, since collateral is often stipulated for membership.
If he was murdered by drug addicts (an earlier theory) human remains would have turned up a long time ago. Drug addicts aren't good at disposing of crime evidence, especially not the street kids on Telegraph. Prolific serial killers are, but there's nothing to suggest Peter McColl was a victim of one.
Why do I stand by the "death by person" theory? Being a quiet, pacifist, high-achiever type who listened to rock music would have made a nasty experience for anyone attending East Bay public schools in 1990s; to inflate budgets and salaries, the superintendents allowed transfer students who not only resided outside the district but came from broken families. Many were also expelled from their previous schools. In their eyes, someone like Peter McColl would make a great target for bullying, and he was a week away from joining them again. Being 6' tall, having a group of friends or knowing martial arts wouldn't change the fact you would still be subject to nonstop harassment and potentially threatened with a weapon.
I didn't attend Berkeley (actually, another East Bay high school) and the general philosophy about this problem was to turn the other cheek and pity the troublemakers as "disadvantaged victims". It was an irresponsible approach to an affiliated vicious cycle; the transfer kids came from single mother homes while their more emotional targets lived in family structures lacking a strong, central father figure. Everything about the Peter McColl case (both before and after his disappearance) seems to suggest such, and what you often get is kids lashing out on themselves (self-harm, suicide) or towards other children (e.g. school shootings, inner-city/urban violence, etc.)
Even in late 1995/early 1996 when the case made local headlines, a jump from the GG was the most reasonable conclusion for Peter McColl's vanishing. It's an abrupt and sad way to go no doubt, but my ultimate hope is that his family acknowledges that's what probably happened and finds peace and closure.
I remember the story rather well because my family ran a business on Berkeley's Solano Avenue, a few blocks from the McColl residence, and their mother shopped at our store, sometimes accompanied with her three children. I recognized Peter a few times and it was clear he was going through a personality change far from the common "teenage angst". He hung out on that street a lot, but the 1994 Solano Stroll was the last time I saw him there alive.
People who take their lives often create deliberate diversions for loved ones in order to "buy time". Cody's Books was a distance away from where the McColls lived and there were closer stores with a similar selection to choose from. In addition, he didn't bring any spending money with him. In other words, he had a mission that day and it wasn't shopping at a bookstore or anywhere else. My parents were also friends with the former owner of Cody's (now closed), his employees didn't report seeing the teen there on the date of his disappearance.
The reason the "cult theory" doesn't wash is because this tends to be the result of a lack of "belonging": people who find themselves marginalized by their family and lacking acceptance into mainstream society. Joining a cult also requires some preparation like extra clothes or money, since collateral is often stipulated for membership.
If he was murdered by drug addicts (an earlier theory) human remains would have turned up a long time ago. Drug addicts aren't good at disposing of crime evidence, especially not the street kids on Telegraph. Prolific serial killers are, but there's nothing to suggest Peter McColl was a victim of one.
Why do I stand by the "death by person" theory? Being a quiet, pacifist, high-achiever type who listened to rock music would have made a nasty experience for anyone attending East Bay public schools in 1990s; to inflate budgets and salaries, the superintendents allowed transfer students who not only resided outside the district but came from broken families. Many were also expelled from their previous schools. In their eyes, someone like Peter McColl would make a great target for bullying, and he was a week away from joining them again. Being 6' tall, having a group of friends or knowing martial arts wouldn't change the fact you would still be subject to nonstop harassment and potentially threatened with a weapon.
I didn't attend Berkeley (actually, another East Bay high school) and the general philosophy about this problem was to turn the other cheek and pity the troublemakers as "disadvantaged victims". It was an irresponsible approach to an affiliated vicious cycle; the transfer kids came from single mother homes while their more emotional targets lived in family structures lacking a strong, central father figure. Everything about the Peter McColl case (both before and after his disappearance) seems to suggest such, and what you often get is kids lashing out on themselves (self-harm, suicide) or towards other children (e.g. school shootings, inner-city/urban violence, etc.)
Even in late 1995/early 1996 when the case made local headlines, a jump from the GG was the most reasonable conclusion for Peter McColl's vanishing. It's an abrupt and sad way to go no doubt, but my ultimate hope is that his family acknowledges that's what probably happened and finds peace and closure.
CelticFrostie
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No problem, glad you found my analysis helpful.
I perused other responses in the thread and noticed a poster who knew the teenager as a childhood friend. The story he told about the graffiti suggests disruption in the family, just as I figured. However, I can't think of an alternative outcome apart from the one I suggested. Whether other theories involve cults, a drug binge or a crime spree, a certain degree of planning and cash money would be necessary.
The only other possible scenario is similar to the Christopher McCandless case - he hitchhiked to a remote wilderness, tried to live minimally off the land and then died of exposure. However, that gets cancelled out by the fact he was vision impaired, didn't bring his glasses along and left no evidence of a long-term trip. The abrupt circumstances before the bus ride only points to the worst case scenario of an alienated teenager.
I perused other responses in the thread and noticed a poster who knew the teenager as a childhood friend. The story he told about the graffiti suggests disruption in the family, just as I figured. However, I can't think of an alternative outcome apart from the one I suggested. Whether other theories involve cults, a drug binge or a crime spree, a certain degree of planning and cash money would be necessary.
The only other possible scenario is similar to the Christopher McCandless case - he hitchhiked to a remote wilderness, tried to live minimally off the land and then died of exposure. However, that gets cancelled out by the fact he was vision impaired, didn't bring his glasses along and left no evidence of a long-term trip. The abrupt circumstances before the bus ride only points to the worst case scenario of an alienated teenager.
MagnoliaMountain
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Thanks for your post! To me it has always felt like there might have been depression etc involved. Especially after reading from people who actually knew Peter and think he was troubled...I think something was going on.
CelticFrostie, can you elaborate, what do you mean with "personality change far from the common teenage angst"?