Having lived in small towns at times, places about the size of Vallejo, there’s one thing that bothers me. In a town that was the size where everybody knows everybody, why didn’t the Stine sketch provoke a huge collective "oh my gosh, it’s ________" reaction? Was it just a case of common features? Or maybe it did produce one, but overdid it, with too many leads coming in?

Erm, maybe that’s not where he lived?

-glurk

If he lived in Vallejo and wasn’t a total recluse, someone WOULD have had that reaction. Same holds true if he lived in downtown SF or parts nearby — at least within his own neighborhood. Again, unless he was extremely reclusive. If the glasses were part of a disguise of sorts, the sketch might have appeared too non-descript to really pinpoint anyone.

There are references in police reports & newspaper articles from the era to suspects who "resemble the sketch"…and there were over two thousand suspects, so I wouldn’t be surprised if LE was, indeed, flooded with calls about average-looking white guys with short hair and hornrimmed glasses.

Someone should put together side-by-side images of all of the people who have, over the years, been claimed to "look just like the sketch."

I think you would find that the majority of them look absolutely nothing alike.

-glurk

Someone should put together side-by-side images of all of the people who have, over the years, been claimed to "look just like the sketch."

I think you would find that the majority of them look absolutely nothing alike.

-glurk

I agree, I also don’t think it would be a big list of we are talking people who look "just like the sketch". Now if we are talking guys with crew cuts and glasses, then the list is quite large

Vallejo wasn’t that small of a town, everybody did not know everybody. Plus, there was a major military base in town and the town straddles an interstate freeway. According to the 1970 census there were 66,000+ people living in Vallejo. I do not consider that small.

http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Vallejo70.htm

I would bet the farm the V.P.D. was flooded with calls about the sketch. Many other agencies in neighboring towns as well.

Having lived in small towns at times, places about the size of Vallejo, there’s one thing that bothers me. I na town that was the size where everybody knows everybody, why didn’t the Stine sketch provoke a huge collective "oh my gosh, it’s ________" reaction? Was it just a case of common features? Or maybe it did produce one, but overd-did it, with too many leads coming in?

One of the GSK sketches looked alot like DeAngelo, but the others did not. That sketch never led to DeAngelo’s capture. In the case of Zodiac, either the sketch didn’t look that much like him, the right person never saw the sketch, or possibly someone did make a report but police did not have enough evidence to investigate further. It would be quite sad if someone did make a report and police happened to talk to Zodiac only to let him go because no other evidence pointed to his guilt. But even if someone were a dead ringer for the sketch and in the Bay Area during the time of the murders, that’s not enough to arrest them. Potentially, Z went quiet for three years for that very reason. We just don’t know.

Someone like Allen would actually make sense; without a disguise, no one would recognize him. But, honestly, it’s a little disingenuous for people to say Allen looked nothing like the sketch if you’ve viewed the photoshopped ALA with glasses and crew cut.

Not saying I think it’s him, but I think this is relevant.

Someone like Allen would actually make sense; without a disguise, no one would recognize him. But, honestly, it’s a little disingenuous for people to say Allen looked nothing like the sketch if you’ve viewed the photoshopped ALA with glasses and crew cut.

Not saying I think it’s him, but I think this is relevant.

Allen is bald, though. I guess ALA could wear a wig, but that seems like a bit of an ad hoc rationalization. I think the Robbins kids were shown a photo of Allen at one point and they didn’t think he resembled the guy they saw.

Someone like Allen would actually make sense; without a disguise, no one would recognize him. But, honestly, it’s a little disingenuous for people to say Allen looked nothing like the sketch if you’ve viewed the photoshopped ALA with glasses and crew cut.

Not saying I think it’s him, but I think this is relevant.

Allen is bald, though. I guess ALA could wear a wig, but that seems like a bit of an ad hoc rationalization. I think the Robbins kids were shown a photo of Allen at one point and they didn’t think he resembled the guy they saw.

I believed Foulke was shown a picture of Allen and outright laughed.

Again, this is based on photoshopped ALA with hair.

And again, not saying he is the Zodiac, but makes things more plausible.

Beyond that, someone like him really the point. If he is bald and uses a wig, or whatever else, it would go a ways to explaining why neighbors wouldn’t think a thing.

Again, this is based on photoshopped ALA with hair.

And again, not saying he is the Zodiac, but makes things more plausible.

Beyond that, someone like him really the point. If he is bald and uses a wig, or whatever else, it would go a ways to explaining why neighbors wouldn’t think a thing.

OH, BOY…

Allen looked NOTHING like the PH sketch…

Perhaps a trip to the optometrist is in order?

I have seen photos of ALA with a wig and glasses photoshopped on next to the Stine sketch. The resemblance is not so far off. However, ALA had a much fatter face and a double chin.