On the morning of Halloween, 1966, a groundskeeper at Riverside City College discovered the body of a young woman, sprawled face-down on a gravel drive-way between two campus buildings. The victim was Cheri Jo Bates, an 18-year-old freshman who had spent the previous evening studying at the campus library. Her killer had stabbed her several times in the back and chest; slit her throat; and disappeared into the night. The search for Cheri Jo Bates’s killer stalled until 1970, when her murder was linked to a series of killings committed in the San Francisco Bay Area by a man who proclaimed himself “the Zodiac.” For more than 50 years, the elusive Zodiac has been pursued by state and federal law enforcement agencies, journalists, and even amateur sleuths. He has been the subject of best-selling books and Hollywood films. Yet, the Zodiac has never been apprehended, and the murders he took credit for remain unsolved. The Zodiac has never been definitively linked to Cheri Jo Bates’s murder, but to this day, many remain convinced that she was the Zodiac’s first victim. Others believe that Cheri Jo’s killer was someone she knew. His identity remains unknown, and Cheri Jo Bates’s murder remains unsolved.
The investigation into the murder of Cheri Jo Bates remains active. If you have any information that could aid investigators in their search for Cheri Jo’s killer, please contact the Riverside Police Department.
RPD (Non-Emergency): 951-354-2007
RPD (General Information): 951-826-5700
Anonymous We Tip Hotline: 800-472-7766
Send us an email at feedback@ccspod.com! And follow us on Twitter, @theccspod!
Our recommendations for this episode:
-the book Booze and Vinyl https://amzn.to/2Nh2uNl
-The Twitter account @ratemyskyperoom
Sources:
-AP, “Coed Slain on California Campus.” Salt Lake Tribune, 1 November 1966. https://bit.ly/3sdQLOh
-AP, “Is Riverside Killing Connected to Zodiac?” Santa Cruz Sentinel, 17 November 1970. https://bit.ly/3qEJuqn
-Chuck Buck, “High-School Filmmaking with a Mystery Ending.” RACmonitor, 7 May 2020. https://bit.ly/3uiwb13
-Robert Graysmith, Zodiac. Berkley, 1986.
-Suzanne Hurt, “After 50 years, Zodiac hunters, police still seeking Cheri Jo Bates’ killer.” Press Enterprise, 6 November 2016. https://bit.ly/3sdjEtP
-Henry Mendoza, “Zodiac Linked to Woman’s Murder.” San Bernardino Sun, 17 March 1971. https://bit.ly/3pAaR3D
-Valerie Osier, “Coed’s 1966 slaying still a mystery.” Press Enterprise, 30 November 2013. https://bit.ly/3pEmpmg
-UPI, “Riverside Police Continue Investigation.” Redlands Daily Facts, 2 November 1966. https://bit.ly/37v06t2
-A little history of the town of Riverside https://bit.ly/3bp1H4S
-“Coed Stabbed to Death on Riverside College Campus.” Los Angeles Times, 1 November 1966. https://bit.ly/3qEwzVv
- “Findings Point to White Male as Coed Slayer.” San Bernardino Sun, 9 November 1966. https://bit.ly/3kfOwr2
-Photos of the typed “Confession” letter from 1966, the handwritten notes from 1967, and other official documents and photos related to the case https://bit.ly/3budsal
-“Riverside Coed Slain on Campus.” San Bernardino County Sun, 1 November 1966. https://bit.ly/3k6xbkd
-The Cheri Jo Bates Memorial Endowed Scholarship at RCC https://bit.ly/2Zy4ao7
-The newspaper write-up about Ross Sullivan and Chuck Buck’s student film https://bit.ly/37yfxk2
-History Channel series from 2017, “The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer.” Available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3uiHkyU
-Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks, “Monster: The Zodiac Killer.” https://bit.ly/3aBIptF