"IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL" - Possible Zodiac Card July 13, 1971

I think we're best off looking for missing people from that time period who were named 'April'.

Yes that is one possibility...a dead or missing woman named "April". Though that might be a little more direct clue than Zodiac would give? Perhaps a person who was killed or went missing in April? Or a person named "Woods" maybe. What does the "Monticello" mean?

Looking at the Graysmith list of possible Zodiac victims, and other California victims from that era, none I know of are named "April". But perhaps others can access different databanks or do different searches, for a California, Nevada or West Coast victim with a name or tie in to "April", "Woods", "Monticello", Little Mountain, Jefferson or Virginia. Or "Agatha".

Of course we don't know the rest of the letter. The most vital clue could be in the words or pictures we don't know.

A "Robin" might be found in the woods...

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket here (really, I'm not)...but shouldn't we see the letter/card before we speculate what it means or what we're looking for (if it's even credible to begin with)? Please don't take that the wrong way, as I'd very much like to see this when you get it.

Thanks for making the effort, AK.

Well, at this site we allow speculation. Some sites actively discourage speculation. We allow it. It makes us different from other sites. We are not wedded to any one POI, nor do we discourage POI's and exist soley to debunk.

Informed speculation, discussion, theories, ideas, brainstorming...can be useful IMO. Others disagree.

As for real or fake, we don't know for sure, but this is on the SFPD list and appears to be similar to the Pines Card.

The fact is we might see this card in 3 weeks, 3 months, or 6 months, or never. FOIA requests can take years, and can be denied on the basis of privacy, reference to a living person, open investigation, "document not found" and many other reasons.

We have little, but we have something. "In the woods dies April...21 victim...Monticello". We have something to go on to see if that ties in to a known victim. I am doing a FOIA for this, so if and when I get it, I will post it, send it to other sites and researchers, and we can see what having the full text and picture gives us, in terms of real or fake, clue to what victim, hidden meaning, probable hoax or whatever.

But in the meantime, we allow speculation and ideas. Whatever ideas we may come up with now may help give us a head start when we get the full text.

Ah okay, I didn't realize how long the FOIA requests take. I wasn't trying to discourage speculation, though (I'm well aware of how this site works), and, looking back, I misread your initial post as you HAD made the request already. My point was simply that it's tough to make informed judgments with only a portion of the information to go on. There was no disrespect intended. And I once again thank you for making the effort to get a copy of this for us to view...it's much appreciated.

Yeah, it is apparently a confirmed or probable Zodiac letter, and appears similar in design to the Pines card. And you hardly ever hear it mentioned at all. We don't have much to go on, but even the little bit we have is interesting. I am in the process of requesting it, hopefully getting out multiple requests this week to various agencies. But because it could take weeks, months, years or never to get it, I just thought why not post it now, see what ideas people have, maybe that way if and when we get it, we will already have some ideas to explore.

Info on the california "Monticello"´s, located at Lake Berryessa:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monticello,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monticello_Dam

From wiki on Monticello, CA:

A four- and six-horse stagecoach ran from the 300 men[6] working at the remote quicksilver mining town of Knoxville south through rocky hills to Monticello, where the horses were changed, then west through Devil's Gate to Napa.

AK - From Monticello to Devil's Gate to Napa. Interesting. "Mt. Diablo" is "Devil's Mountain".

From wiki on Monticello, CA:

As early as 1906, proposals were put forward to dam Putah Creek to form a reservoir. In 1907, the Mulholland-Goethals-Davis plan proposed a dam at Devil's Gate, the western limit of the valley. Other plans were formulated, but no proposal was acted upon until 1947 when Solano County and the United States Bureau of Reclamation together formed the Solano Project, a combination of water plans including Monticello Dam, the Putah Diversion Dam, the Putah South Canal, the Terminal Dam and Reservoir, the Green Valley Conduit and various related water distribution systems.[2] Residents of Monticello protested, but California Governor Earl Warren and Solano County promoted the dam as necessary for the economic and agricultural growth of the surrounding area. Residents started leaving the valley to find homes elsewhere.[7]

Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones were commissioned to shoot a photographic documentary of the death of the town, and of the displacement of its residents, for Life, but the magazine did not run the piece. Lange's Aperture magazine, however, devoted one whole issue to the photojournalists' work.[7]

Construction of the dam began in 1953. Vegetation in the valley was chopped down, fences torn down and buildings demolished down to their foundations. The town cemetery was moved to Spanish Flat, a bluff overlooking the valley. The Putah Creek Bridge, too well made to easily demolish, was left in place to be covered by the rising waters.[7] Monticello Dam was completed in 1957, and Lake Berryessa was formed.[2]

AK - Interesting. Like a scene out of the movie Chinatown. The developers wanted a dam, so a lot of the town got destroyed!

It is described as words pasted over pictures - it sounds very similar in concept to the March 22, 1971 "peek through the pines" - "tahoe" card. It came 4 months after that card, it also makes a mention of trees (Pines; Woods).

The Pines card is thought by most to be a reference to the abduction and presumed murder of Tahoe resident Donna Lass, which took place 6 months and 16 days before the Pines card was sent.

If this "Woods" card is real, what victim might it be refering to? Who died 6 months to 12 months earlier?

This what we know:

July 13, 1971

Letters pasted on picture

"NEAR MONTICELLO SHOUGHT VICTIMS 21...IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL"

"VICTIMS" More than one victim? A couple perhaps? Were any couples murdered in this time fram? What about Hood and Garcia?


Possible Victims? "Woods" Card was sent July 13, 1971.

Robin Graham, November 15, 1970 - Morf and others have noted she was a victim of a "car trouble" ruse attack, like Bates and Kathleen Johns. Could be a LA Zodiac victim.

Carol Hilburn, November 13, 1970 - Listed by Graysmith as a possible Zodiac victim, like Betty Cloer she was last seen at a bar and probably killed by the same man who killed Cloer - the recently convicted Phillip Arthur Thompson.

March 7 or 8, 1970, Nurse Judith Hakari - Possible Zodiac crime

March 13, 1970, Marie Anstey - debate over whether she was murdered, murder made to look like accident or real accidental death.

THEORIES AND SPECULATION:

It seems Zodiac sent the Pines card as a clue to the murder of Lass, and perhaps an indication of where her body was buried, or where a clue was buried.

Could the Woods card ALSO be a reference to Lass? The card sent to the sister of Lass had pictures of WOODS on it, a Pine Tree forest, and called her "ST. Donna, Guardian of the Pines". But the rest of the Woods card (what little we know) refers to Monticello. Unlikely Lass would be buried there, as the Pines card suggests (to me anyway) that Lass is buried at the Forest Hills condo project in Incline Village. But "Monticello" means "little mountain" - could that be a reference to FOREST HILLS or the little mountains around the Incline Village condo?

If the Woods card is hinting at another victim, who could it be? Anyone missing named April, or Woods?

Based on the very little we know, I have some interest in Robin Graham. She has been mentioned as a possible Zodiac victim by Howard Davis, Morf and others. Her abduction date of November 15, 1970 is almost 8 months to the day before the July 13, 1971 Woods card is sent. In fact, given the postmark of July 13, 1971 (don't know what city sent from) it might very well have arrived at the SF Chronicle on July 15, 1971.

"IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL" - A "Robin" lives (and dies) in the WOODS, and April is the start of Spring, and many mention the "songs of birds" as the sign the Spring is here. The cry of the robin signaling Spring, or April.

I don't know, just brainstorming possible ideas, a bit of a strectch at this point, but I do see some possible association between a victim named "ROBIN" and WOODS and APRIL.

Robin Ann Graham:



From wiki:

Background
Robin grew up on Lemoyne Street in the Silverlake-Los Feliz area of Los Angeles and had graduated from John Marshall High School in June 1970. She was attending Pierce College in Woodland Hills and working part time at Pier 1 Imports in Hollywood.[1]

[edit] Disappearance
Robin Graham was last seen by California Highway Patrol officers at approximately 2:00 a.m. on November 15, 1970, beside her car on the shoulder of the southbound Hollywood Freeway near the Santa Monica offramp; she was in the presence of a dark-haired white man estimated to be in his mid-twenties who drove a late 1950s model Chevrolet Corvette C1, pale blue or green with primer. Robin used a call box to ask that a CHP emergency operator let her parents know she had run out of gas; her younger sister took the call and relayed the information to her parents upon their return home at approximately 2:30 a.m. They went immediately to the location where they found Robin's car but she was already missing.[2] There was no note found on the locked car. The CHP officers had stopped several times earlier and spoke with Graham but did not stop again when they saw her talking with the young man. The patrolmen assumed he was family, the help for which she'd called. The CHP officers were acting in accordance with policy;[3] as a result of this case CHP policy was changed to ensure the safety of stranded female motorists.[4]

Graham had been out Saturday night with friends. After dropping off a girlfriend Graham was dropped off at her car in the Pier One parking lot, at approximately 1:45 a.m. The initial report had Robin leaving voluntarily in the Corvette but the CHP officer was requestioned and said he saw her in the presence of the young man but did not see them leave.

The case was handled by detectives at the Rampart Division of the LAPD who thought her disappearance was possibly linked to three other similar cases involving young women over the previous two years,[5] including Rose Tashman, an Israeli-born college student at San Fernando Valley State College who disappeared in 1969; she had a flat tire on the Hollywood freeway a few miles from the location of Robin's car. None of the other cases were solved and all the other victims were found dead in the Hollywood Hills. In 1975 a similar disappearance took place from the San Bernardino freeway in El Monte; the skeletal remains of Mona Jean Gallegos were found nearly six months later in a Riverside ravine. Some speculate that Robin was a victim of the Zodiac Killer.[1] At the time of her disappearance Robin had long brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and was 5'6 in height.

[edit] Further activity
Seventeen years later a curious ad appeared in the Los Angeles Times classifieds which caught the attention of the Graham family as well as KFI disc jockey Geoff Edwards, who read it on the air: "DEAREST ROBIN You ran out of gas on the Hollywood Frwy. A man in a Corvette pulled over to help. You've not been seen of since. It's been 17 years, but it's always just yesterday. Still looking for you (signed) THE ECHO PARK DUCKS." It turned out that Al Medrano, a friend still living in the neighborhood, simply wanted to express that Robin has not been forgotten.[6]

The case of Robin Graham's disappearance has been included in television specials about missing persons; it remains an unsolved mystery.[1]

AK - INTERESTING POST FROM HOWARD DAVIS ON OLD ZK BOARD:

I discovered that Robin Graham(see my site and past posts on her)was attending Pierce college in Woodland Hills,CA in 1970.

AK - HOWARD MENTIONS THIS BEING CLOSE TO SOME KNOWN MANSON AND BRUCE DAVIS SITES.

ALSO INTERESTING IS SHE WAS GOING TO COLLEGE IN "WOODLAND HILLS". THIS CARD APPARENTLY MENTIONS "MONTICELLO", WHICH MEANS "LITTLE MOUNTAIN", AND "WOODS". LITTLE MOUNTAINS CAN BE CALLED "HILLS" AND SHE WAS GOING TO COLLEGE IN WOODLAND HILLS.

Also mentioned with Robin Graham is the case of Cindy Lee Mellin.

Abducted January 20, 1970 from Ventura, CA.

Abductor cut tire with a knife. Another "car trouble" ruse attack, like Bates, Johns and Robin Graham.



From a blog:


What is known is that on Tuesday January 20 1970, Cindy, who was a 19 year old student at Ventura College and had a part-time job at the Broadway Department Store in Ventura- vanished.

The first line of a Jan 22 news article in "The Press Courier"(1959-1977) reads as follows:

"Ventura Police today intensified their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a pretty Ventura coed who may have been forcibly taken from a parking lot at the San Buenaventura shopping center."

That night started out no different then others. Cindy who had brown hair, blue eyes, and was 5'6" and 105 lbs. left her childhood home for her part-time job as a salesclerk. She was stylishly attired in a blue dress with red buttons and matching blue shoes with gold buckles. The night was chilly so she put on a brown corduroy coat. There was no need for the glasses Cindy had worn as a child because she now had contact lenses.

Cindy's dad, Leonard Mellin, woke up very early the next morning. When he realized her car was not in the driveway he rushed to Cindy's room only to find it empty. He quickly drove to the shopping center parking lot and located her car- sitting alone- but Cindy was missing.

When Mr. Mellin got to Cindy's car he found out that it had a flat tire and that it was up on a bumper jack. He said the spare tire was laying nearby and the doors, car trunk, along with the glove compartment, were open. He looked at the flat tire and noticed that it looked like it had been deliberately punctured with a knife, "There was a large slit in one side" he said.
He called the Ventura police.

The subsequent police investigation revealed the following. "... that two of Cindy's co-workers had been picked up by their husbands and drove by Cindy's car about 10:30 p.m.

The co-workers said they saw Cindy standing by the car with a tall, slim man, between the ages of 35 and 40, jacking up her automobile.

After having a cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant, they drove by Cindy's car again and no one was in sight "We didn't think anything about it because we thought the man was Cindy's father and that she was just taken home," the co-workers said." ( The Press Courier: Jan. 22, 1970 )

What happened to Cindy that night remains a mystery.

Over the years Cindy's name has come up in relationship to several serial killers; most notably, Mack Ray Edwards and the Zodiac. But neither of these killers profiles fits this crime.

Edwards, was a child rapist/murder. All his known victims were between the ages of 8 and 16, and all but one were boys. The Zodiac attacked young couples, with the exception of one man, a taxi driver, all the Zodiac's known victims were couples. {AK - If Bates, Johns, Lass and/or Bennallack were Zodiac victims, then Zodiac did attack lone women}

Of more interest is the fact that Cindy was only one of a number of young area women who vanished after their cars were disabled for one reason or another. Rose Tashman, Mona Gallegos and Robin Graham all vanished after having car trouble on local highways.

Tashman, who vanished in 1969, was found off of Mulholland Drive, autopsy results indicate that she had been strangled. Gallegos, who went missing in 1975 from the San Bernardino freeway in El Monte, was recovered 6 months later. Her skeletal remains were found in a Riverside, California ravine. Their murders have never been solved.

Robin Graham was last seen at approximately 2:00 a.m. on November 15, 1970 on the shoulder of the road, beside her car, on the southbound Hollywood Freeway near the Santa Monica off ramp.

Like Cindy, Robin has never been found.

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=143252708&blogId=526339741#ixzz0ym0XwxA7

"NEAR MONTICELLO SHOUGHT VICTIMS 21...IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL"

"VICTIMS" More than one victim? A couple perhaps? Were any couples murdered in this time fram?

What about Hood and Garcia? They were attacked and killed June 21, 1970, one year and 21 days before this Woods card is sent, while they were on a blanket at a beach, much like Domingos and Edwards in Santa Barbara 1963 and Hartnell and Shepherd 1969. Like Domingos and Ewards, and many ONS victims, they were found UNDER the blanket.

From Howard Davis website:


http://thezodiacmansonconnection.com/victim_hood_garcia.html


Also, what, if anything, is meant by "SHOUGHT"? Just a wrongly spelled "SOUGHT"? Or a play on "SHOT"?

Ca 5 miles north of were Shepard and Hartnell were attacked there is a " Ranch Monticello resort".
And I have found evidence that this " Ranch Monticello resort" existed already back in 1967, so it was there allright in 1971 when this July 13, 1971 letter was sent.

Interesting but not related if that letter is definitely 1971....

Two hitchikers, Dori Ann Haines and Cheryl Ann Monticello, were killed in April 1972 by 2 guys staying at that old Charlie Manson haunt, The Fountain of the World. The girls died from multiple stab wounds with hunting knives. The killers picked them up when "they stopped to get gas for the truck at Zody's on the corner of Roscoe and Topanga Canyon Boulevards." ...Yikes!
http://krishnaventa.blogspot.com/2009/01/60-people-v-medina-1974.html

My FOIA request for this letter was denied, I appealed, and last week my appeal was accepted as timely and proceduraly correct. Hopefully a decsion within 60 days!

Review with NEW INFO at the bottom:

Unlike Fairfield, this WAS listed by SFPD as a suspected Zodiac letter. See http://www.zodiackiller.com/SFPDDNA.html

It is described as words pasted over pictures - it sounds very similar in concept to the March 22, 1971 "peek through the pines" - "tahoe" card. It came 4 months after that card, it also makes a mention of trees (Pines; Woods).

The Pines card is thought by most to be a reference to the abduction and presumed murder of Tahoe resident Donna Lass, which took place 6 months and 16 days before the Pines card was sent.

If this "Woods" card is real, what victim might it be refering to? Who died 6 months to 12 months earlier?

This what we know:

July 13, 1971

Letters pasted on picture

"NEAR MONTICELLO SHOUGHT VICTIMS 21...IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL"

What does "Monticello" mean? Sandy Betts notes there is a "Monticello" near Lake Berryessa. Could a body have been dumped there?

Doug Oswell notes "Monticello" in Italian means "little mountain".

The real Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson in Virgina.

What is meant, if anything, by "In the woods dies April"?

Oswell notes a poem named by English writer Alfred Austin called "Agatha", with lines:

"She wanders in the April woods...And still she haunts those woodland ways".

Possible Victims? "Woods" Card was sent July 13, 1971.

Robin Graham, November 15, 1970 - Morf and others have noted she was a victim of a "car trouble" ruse attack, like Bates and Kathleen Johns. Could be a LA Zodiac victim.

Carol Hilburn, November 13, 1970 - Listed by Graysmith as a possible Zodiac victim, like Betty Cloer she was last seen at a bar and probably killed by the same man who killed Cloer - the recently convicted Phillip Arthur Thompson.


March 13, 1970, Marie Anstey - debate over whether she was murdered, murder made to look like accident or real accidental death.

March 7 or 8, 1970, Nurse Judith Hakari - Possible Zodiac crime.

NEW INFO: The body of Hakari was found in the WOODS in Placer County, CA in APRIL. Consider this in light of the line "IN THE WOODS DIES APRIL..."

Picture of Judith Hakari - like Donna Lass, a nurse.



From Sac Sheriff:

Victim: Judith Hakari
Location: Sacramento County
Date of Occurrence: March 7, 1970

Synopsis:
Judith Hakari was a 23 year old nurse at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. Judith was last seen leaving work on March 7, 1970 at 11:30p.m. Judith never made it to her apartment. Her vehicle was found in her apartment complex parking lot at Alta Arden and Markston Way. It is believed she was abducted from the parking lot. On April 25, 1970 Judith's body was discovered by hikers in a shallow grave in a rural area near Weimar in Placer County approximately 40 miles from her residence. Judith was murdered and her body left in this remote area.

her case does sound very similar to Lass AK. Her car being found at her apartment, etc interesting

morf13 wrote:

her case does sound very similar to Lass AK. Her car being found at her apartment, etc interesting

Yes thats true.

In both cases, we have a nurse who is last seen alive at work, her car is found at her apartment, perhaps indicating that in both cases the victim nurse was trailed from work and abducted in the parking lot of her apartment.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada is across the state line and basically parallel to Sacramento, California.

My FOIA Appeal for this pending.

This is listed by SFPD as an authentic Zodiac communication. I really want to see it because my feeling is, that just like the "PINES...TAHOE" pretty clearly refered to Donna Lass, this "WOODS...APRIL" card also refers to a murder victim, and if we saw the whole card, we could likely figure out who it was. Based on the limited info we know, Hakari seems to be very possible, but we can't rule out Graham, or Mellin, or an unknown one not even on our radar screen yet.

Hopefully I will get it soon.

George Hearst - father of William Randolph Hearst and Husband to Pheobe Apperson Hearst. Acquired property in Pleasanton, California with the intention of having a horse farm/race track (At the moment I do not recall which one). After George Hearst passed away, William Hearst took over those renovations with the intention of having a hunting lodge (reminds me of Zodiac). Mother Hearst didn't care for the thought of having a hunting lodge and took over renovations herself. She decided on a home. She lived there until she died in April of 1919.

William Randolph Hearst - Connection to the San Francisco Examiner to which the Zodiac wrote one of his first letters.
Hearst family - Connection to Pleasanton, California. Pleasanton being the mailing location of the March 13, 1971 letter sent to the Los Angeles Times.
Home in Pleasanton has been compared to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
Phoebe Hearst contributed money to the renovations of Monticello. I believe it was electrical work. Not real sure at the moment.

In thinking of this letters reference to Monticello and, trying to remember what it was that I read concerning Hearst and woods, I did a search on "Hearst woods". Got a hit for Muir woods and Hearst Castle. Knew Hearst Castle was not what I was looking for as it is much further south and not "the" home his mother had in Pleasanton. However, Muir Woods was named after John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club. Seirra Club being the central figure of the "Peek through the pines" card. This got me thinking - Was there a Monticello near Muir woods? There was and approximately 17 miles or 31 minutes apart.

Monticello road is located in San Rafael, the location the July 8th 1974 Red Phantom letter to the San Francisco Chronicle was mailed from. On Monticello rd, 99 monticello road, is Kaiser Foundation Hospital. Kaiser Foundation Hospital being tied to Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser Permanente has been discussed concerning Darlene Ferrin.

As I hope I outlined above, I believe "woods" is in reference to Muir Woods and "Monticello" is Monticello road in San Rafael. No clue what April or the number 21 could mean at this time. April could be the name of the person killed although (in thinking of the manner in which the Zodiac is being deceptive) I highly doubt. Could be a reference to Phoebe Hearst and her death of April 1919 since he seems to have this fixation with Hearst. However, Pheobe Hearst died on the 13th.

My two cents.

Soze

John Muir was born on April 21st. Hmmm. Have to wonder.

Soze

Soze - that is interesing. Maybe you can elaborate on the "Sierra Club" connection.

I requested this "WOOD...APRIL" letter dated 7/13/31, the San Jose letter possibly dated 11/21/69, the Atlanta letter (since obtained by Morf) and the 7/19/78 typed letter.

The request was denied.

I appealed, and now the appeal has been denied.

It was "suggested" to me, however, that the main objection was that I also requested all documents containing any analysis, examination or information on the letters.

It was suggested to me to RESUBMIT my request, without asking for the supporting documents, and to ONLY request the actual Zodiac letters and envelopes.

I have done so. That is the main focus of what I wanted, the actual letters. I would like to have the FBI analysis as well, but I think it better to get the letters without the analysis quickly (30 to 60 days), then have to fight for it all in court, which could take a year or more. Do people agree?

So I am hopeful that this new request will be granted.

If not then I will file a lawsuit. It is absurd that these letters are not released. I will not give up.

Since posting the above, I came across a bit more information. Some, I posted at Zodiackiller.com with the intention of posting here and some I am still working on. The latter, got me sidetracked from posting here. I will post that now. You will find one post in the Halloween card thread and one post in Paul Stine thread.

Soze

It appears that I have already posted about the Halloween card but I did create a thread entitled "Washington and Maple" in the Stine letter section of this board.