.

Just as an observation I find it interesting that, in the sequence of three ‘cards’ (although Monticello seems like it probably isn’t a card):

[list=1]

each of them of them have apparently very little text, but still manage to use one word of the form "?+ought" which, I might want to suggest, appears a little odd if considered as a random occurrence.

[list=1]

The last, if correctly reported, is not even a valid word. However, all three do have valid near phonetic equivalents in:

[list=1]

Considering these phonetic equivalents as, likewise, of the common form "?+ORT," just seems to turn my thoughts to the (to me) rather stand-out trigram near the end of the first row of the Z32 cipher (at cipher position "4-teen"):

But, this is just an observation. It doesn’t lead me anywhere further, at least.

But, this is just an observation. It doesn’t lead me anywhere further, at least.

Again, although little more than just a thought, and to answer myself, I suppose there is a possibility that the three ‘prefixes’ (‘F’, ‘S’ & ‘SH’) in the previous post, coupled with the respective ‘kill count’ (13, 12 & 21), may be intended to point the way to a partial solution to the Z32, as:

Not that I am necessarily inclined towards this idea, but there ya go.

And neither would I be too enamoured of the idea of the ‘SH’ being "near Monticello," but hey.

Somebody might be.

I like Richard’s posts. He is the first one who gets all the facts onto one point.

QT

This article from the April 5, 1971 Napa Valley Register is interesting. Someone made a call from the Markley Cove Resort to report a victim bleeding profusely along the highway between there and the Monticello Dam. When police arrived, there was a lot of blood, but no victim. Thinking it was a "gang fight," they decided "no action had to be taken." It would be interesting to see the police report from this incident, as the caller mentioned "Monticello," and the crime seems to have taken place in April and only a few miles from the Shepard/Hartnell attack.

At this moment in time I am not able (rushed) to locate the source, but recall a series of important finds in regard to the text that was pasted onto the 13-hole postcard and where these were cut from. On the basis that the same might have been the method for the Monticello artefact, I wonder if it would be useful to search for similar potential origins in the papers in the weeks or months before it was sent.

The reason I suppose this might be worthwhile is that I would regard any such find showing that the relevant phrases were cut complete, and not constructed from single cut letters or words, would have a bearing on the specific import of these phrases and how we might interpret what they are intended to convey.

Thus, as example, if the phrase "in the woods dies April" were found complete, in this sense, it would be less likely that the sender of the card were speaking of someone called April whom he had just killed. The likelihood of coincidence would be too high, I would say.

In regard to the phrase "in the woods dies April," by way of example, I could imagine it occurring as the caption to some seasonal picture depicting the change into Spring, such as:

@brubaker

Think this was the best input since a while…Monticello Dam is ~2.1 miles away, area is Z region, too.

The victim might have fled into the woods, still lying there. The incident happened in April, same year of Monticello card (but three months earlier). If somebody is bleeding ‘profusely’, it is not a simple cut anymore. Profusely usually means you end up in hospital or die. Imagine: Profusely might be a liter of blood or so (poor out a liter of water and you’ll see it is the minimum to be ‘profusely’). One liter of blood, however, is already 50% towards unconciousness, imo.

QT

"plenty of blood around" and "splattered on the ground and several
subjects near the resort".

Suggestive of several individual subjects involved in fight, not anything
particularly suggestive of a Z crime.

"plenty of blood around" and "splattered on the ground and several
subjects near the resort".

I thought that part was bizarre. How were multiple people near enough to the crime to have been splattered by blood, but "nobody knew anything"? My best guess is that the journalist wrote "subjects" but meant "objects." Witnesses to gang violence who were unwilling to rat someone out is another possibility, I suppose.

In fact, there was only

‘a subject on the highway bleeding profusely’

who had

‘plenty of blood around splattered on the ground and on several subjects near the resort’

Thus, someone was badly injured – and disappeared. All of this at Z high season, 2.1 miles from Monticello away, at the same lake where Shepard had been stabbed to death. Could have been a regular fight between two guys, not necessarily a ‘gang’ fight (no gang members were seen).

It’d be interesting if the victim was male or female. If the victim was a female, fled into the woods and got missing since, the signature ‘d be very much Z style. With such crime mostly unnoticed, it’d explain the Monticello card with the ‘April’ hint. As no April went missing or died, at that time.

QT

QT, I agree that this incident might be the best fit for the Monticello card: place (Monticello/Lake Berryessa), time (April 1971), and MO (leaving someone to bleed to death) seem compatible. It’s at least worth looking into. If this was a Z crime, there is likely a body somewhere in the 2–4-mile stretch of woods along Highway 128 between the resort and the dam. But whose? I can’t find reports of anyone missing from there around April 4 — it would’ve had to have been someone who wasn’t immediately missed. Maybe the Monticello card was sent out of frustration at a lack of press.

Correct, we still do not know who ‘April’ actually has been.

QT

–

The meaning behind this card was already explained a year ago. It didn’t seem to resonate however.

The meaning behind this card was already explained a year ago. It didn’t seem to resonate however.

Very true Richard, so much doesn’t seem to resonate about this case, unless it can connect to their suspect somehow.

Many posters are new to the case and haven’t read everything, so they ask about information that we posted a long time ago. I like the information you have on your site about the Monticello card.

Every spring the people who lived in Monticello back in the 60’s have a picnic get together. I went to one of them a few yrs back and met many people who had interesting stories about the people and town of Monticello.