Post by WickedWorld on Sept 8, 2015 3:01:51 GMT
I like where you're going with this, but I feel like you're missing an important detail.
EAR/ONS didn't just disappear in 1986. He really disappeared in 1981. His crime spree was frenetic from 1976-79, then started slowing down in 1980, and by the end of 1981 he had completely fallen off the map.
Then he came back, committed one last brutal crime, and disappeared for good.
The question we should be asking is, wtf was he doing from 1981-1986? Would a guy like this really just take 5 years off cold turkey before coming back and doing it again one last time? I find that hard to believe.
In my opinion there's only a few options:
1. He never stopped offending but the authorities have just never connected his crimes during this time. Maybe he was more careful than normal? Maybe he was killing in another state or country?
2. He switched up his M.O. and started committing different types of crimes. Maybe he was kidnapping his victims and dumping the bodies so where else? Who knows?
3. He was in jail or prison on unrelated charges from late 1981-Late 1985 or early 1986.
4. He got married and/or had a kid and decided to clean up his act.
5. He had a close call either with police or with a victim that fought back and he went on hiatus.
6. He decided to retire for good in 1981 but something brought him back for one more.
Personally I think this guy committed other crimes during his recognized series, as well as during his hiatus and after 1986 that we just don't know about. There are so many unsolved homicides from this era, many victims of which have never been identified or never been found, that he very easily could have got away with much more than what is already known. Hell, Sacramento County alone had at least 4 unsolved murders or disappearances of attractive young women, 2 of which were never found, in 1980 alone.
Either way I think the key to finding this guy is figuring out what he was up to from 1981-1986.
Hence, I guess, the enduring mystery of this case.