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Seagull

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Seagull
(@seagull)
Posts: 2309
Member Moderator
Topic starter
 

Hi! I grew up in Napa and had just gotten out of high school when the Blue Rock Springs attack happened. When the Lake Berryessa attack happened the Zodiac case got my attention. I recall that the case put a serious crimp in any dating for myself and my friends. Our parents insisted we go in groups to group settings instead of just pairing up for solo couples dates! But as life goes the horror of it all subsided and we got on with the business of going on to college or moving away and testing our wings as it were, if even for just a couple of years. I eventually married and started a family and the Zodiac case really no longer entered my mind.

I lived in Napa until 1990 when we moved to Franz Valley. My husband and his cousin had purchased a undeveloped piece of land on Franz Valley Road back in 1973, before he and I got together. When we moved to Franz Valley it was not without purpose, we wanted to develop the land and move there. The small house next door to our property came up for rent and we jumped on it figuring that being so close to our land would help hurry along the house building plan. I knew that some bodies had been found somewhere in Franz Valley but did not know exactly where except that my husband and his cousin told me it was not on the property they bought. Well, as I found out about a year after moving to the rental the bodies had been found at the place we were renting.

I tried to learn as much as I could about those crimes but there was very little anyone would tell me. I did not have internet access until after moving away from there. I quizzed the neighbors but was told that the murders happened so long ago that I should just forget about it. Most of the people I spoke with had lived there at the time the bodies were found but no one would tell me anything! I finally contacted a local historian who gave me the date of a newspaper article to read, it was the March 5, 1989 Press Democrat article which told of all the victims and included the information that Zodiac and Ted Bundy had been separately considered as suspects in the murders. Suddenly, I knew that those murders that the neighbors had told me not to trouble myself with were actually very serious and probably done by a serial killer. To this day I can not help but think that the reason the neighbors would not tell me anything was because they suspected that someone they knew or the child of someone they knew was involved in the murders.

Fast forward to 2004 when we sold our property in Franz Valley and moved a couple of hours away. I finally got internet access in 2005, learned to navigate my way around the web and one of the first things I did was to search for information about the murders. I found Tom Voigt’s website, his was the only site that had anything of substance on the murders. I made my way to his forum where there were discussions. I learned more about the Franz Valley murders reading the stuff at Tom’s in an afternoon than I had learned in the 14 years I lived in Franz Valley. After a couple of months when I read most of the forum, I joined and became hooked on the Zodiac murders. I couldn’t have researched my way out of a wet paper bag when I first started but following the lead and advice of others I honed my research skills and now people ask me to help them with research. That is very gratifying.

By 2009 I had gathered enough material, much of it not available online, for the Sonoma County murders to be able to start my own website which went online November 2009. The site has been a success, I have a relatively constant number of people that view the site every day. I get the occasional tip and I receive emails from people regularly thanking me for getting the information about the murders out there for everyone to read.

Of course, I’ve still continued with the Zodiac case. There is always something new to be learned and or discussed, there are newspaper articles to locate and the subject is rarely boring. I’ve made some great online friends, some that I’ve even met! I am a moderator here and at another Zodiac forum.

I also spend some of my time on the Manson Family. That’s a case that has for all intents and purposes been solved but there are still people avidly discussing every little detail of the cases. I figure that if the Zodiac case ever gets solved it will still be a topic of discussion. In the Manson arena I write for and help admin a blog. http://www.mansonblog.com/ Come by and check us out sometime, there are always new things being presented and discussed.

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. Let’s get back to figuring out who the Zodiac was and settle this once and for all.

www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 4:16 am
morf13
(@morf13)
Posts: 7527
Member Admin
 

WOW Seagull, quite an exciting backstory. :o

For not having access to the internet until 2005, you certainly have come along way. By the way, thanks for being a great Mod too :D

There is more than one way to lose your life to a killer

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/
http://zodiackillersite.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/Morf13ZKS

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 4:44 am
Nin
 Nin
(@nin)
Posts: 46
Trusted Member
 

Nice to meet you, Seagull.. :D

-Nin

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 5:07 am
traveller1st
(@traveller1st)
Posts: 3583
Member Moderator
 

A pleasure to work with Seagull.

I agree with morf, on all counts. :D


I don’t know Chief, he’s very smart or very dumb.

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 6:55 pm
(@dreamnine-nine)
Posts: 116
Estimable Member
 

Good to see you here, Seagull. I learned a lot about the Sonoma County murders from your site – and a whole lot of other stuff from the newspaper articles you manage to unearth.

"If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 7:00 pm
Zamantha
(@zamantha)
Posts: 1588
Member Moderator
 

Seagull, love your back ground to the case & your research skills.
Zincerely, Zam*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Zodiac ever joined a Z forum, I’m sure he would have been banned for not following forum rules. Zam’s/Quote
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MODERATOR

 
Posted : April 10, 2013 7:21 pm
Seagull
(@seagull)
Posts: 2309
Member Moderator
Topic starter
 

Thanks everyone! This is a great forum, everyone here is so dedicated. :mrgreen:

www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com

 
Posted : April 11, 2013 7:03 am
Tahoe27
(@tahoe27)
Posts: 5315
Member Moderator
 

Ok….what a superb introduction. Now I feel I need to re-write mine. lol

Thanks for all the newspaper articles and your dedication to this case and others!


…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep. L.A. Times, 1969

 
Posted : April 12, 2013 11:58 pm
morf13
(@morf13)
Posts: 7527
Member Admin
 

Ok….what a superb introduction. Now I feel I need to re-write mine. lol

Thanks for all the newspaper articles and your dedication to this case and others!

I was thinking the same thing :lol:

There is more than one way to lose your life to a killer

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/
http://zodiackillersite.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/Morf13ZKS

 
Posted : April 13, 2013 12:45 am
Seagull
(@seagull)
Posts: 2309
Member Moderator
Topic starter
 

I thought I’d let everyone know that my website has a new look, it has been completely redesigned. The url is the same and the content is the same but the look and navigation has changed considerably. So, if you are used to going there and it seems like you’ve landed in the wrong spot, you haven’t!!

I have a new webmaster and a new host. My new webmaster is willing to teach me how to post things so that I can add more to my site more often.

www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com

 
Posted : August 25, 2013 2:16 am
morf13
(@morf13)
Posts: 7527
Member Admin
 

Nice new look Deb! I look forward to reviewing it. Is alot of the stuff new, or just the look? Any Manalli stuff in the pipeline?

There is more than one way to lose your life to a killer

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/
http://zodiackillersite.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/Morf13ZKS

 
Posted : August 25, 2013 3:12 am
Seagull
(@seagull)
Posts: 2309
Member Moderator
Topic starter
 

There is nothing new at this time but I have a few things that I want to put up. One of those things is the info on Manalli but I want to be sure that his family, who I have been in contact with doesn’t object, too much.

www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com

 
Posted : August 25, 2013 3:17 am
Tahoe27
(@tahoe27)
Posts: 5315
Member Moderator
 

I REALLY like the new set-up. :)


…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep. L.A. Times, 1969

 
Posted : August 25, 2013 6:52 am
traveller1st
(@traveller1st)
Posts: 3583
Member Moderator
 

Looks well Deb. :D


I don’t know Chief, he’s very smart or very dumb.

 
Posted : August 25, 2013 1:09 pm
ace ventura
(@ace-ventura)
Posts: 435
Honorable Member
 

I too enjoy your posts, nice to have local SF area residents here.

 
Posted : August 26, 2013 7:09 am
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