GSK Map

[Deleted]

Sept 30, 2014 6:05:22 GMT northernjustice said:

Sept 29, 2014 23:26:22 GMT @trig said:

I just took a good look at the GSK map and the writing contained within the lake boundary, with the help of Photoshop zoom tools. My impression of the first two lines is "lake spot line" I'm not so sure of that, but I'm more confident that the next lines contain "Lake Being d[unreadable]" So, could that possible say "lake being drained" ? It would make sense of that big X being there that the plan for the lake was draining and landfill. Very possible that looking for a lake is the wrong way to go.

That's an interesting take. Where do you see the words "line" and "being"?

The Lake ____ is the most frustrating part of this. I first saw "Lake Spope" and that's what I always end up with. That or "Lake Pope", as the second time it's written it's hard to tell if the word Lake is underlined or if it's a very sloppily written first letter. The first time it's written it seems like it's a lowercase "s" at the beginning, but it also looks like an "o", though it could be just a mark that looks like a letter given the poor resolution.

I have also considered the possibility of it saying "Lake Topo", as topo is often used as shorthand for "topographic", and this certainly is a topographical map of a lake. It definitely doesn't say that, though. Really too bad we can't get a higher quality scan.

The question is also why did he appear to write the same thing twice and why are they written so differently? Even if he is eventually caught, this is likely an answer we'll never get.

And privatecitizen, that is a good point. One thing about that little area that interests me is the diagonal road creating a triangle in the bottom right. There is no practical purpose for it, so you could assume it's a service road of some kind.

If I get a chance I'll create a graphic that darkens the text that I interpret.   I'm more sure of the second line.  It starts with a capital D or B, and the last letter of the first word is pretty clearly "g"  There is also a dot over the vowels of the word.  I looked at it a long time and when I started running down words that could fit, "Being" - although hastily written - was obvious.  I'm pretty sure of it.   For argument's sake, let's say I'm right - then wouldn't there need to be some sort of clearance obtained from the California Dept of Conservation, and permits granted and all that to proceed with that kind of sensitive work, 1978-79?  Also, it would suggest that it's a live map and not some kind of mock up or community planning assignment.  

Also, it wouldn't be "topo" as water bodies as entities would fall under "Hydro"

[pendleton]

It wouldn't be considered a hydrographic map either as there is no hydrographic information present.

[Deleted]

Sept 30, 2014 13:51:50 GMT pendleton said:

It wouldn't be considered a hydrographic map either as there is no hydrographic information present.

What I meant to convey was a lake is a hydro feature, so "topo" would not apply to anyone who creates these things.  

ok, the graphic above is more convincing on my full screen, and I don't have time to be picky, but on first glance, does it have promise?

[northernjustice]

Sept 30, 2014 12:18:08 GMT pendleton said:

Sept 30, 2014 6:05:22 GMT northernjustice said:

The map is in no way a topographic map as it contains no topography or contour lines.

I was using it in a very general sense to refer to it showing the top view of the land, but in a technical sense you are absolutely right.

[gskonstracker]

Jul 13, 2013 4:46:28 GMT gskonstracker said:

I have been looking at other urban areas in the US for neighborhoods that would look like this. I believe that Chicago is a really good fit. I'm going to be looking hard in this community, any help with this would be appreciated. I have found a neighborhood that looks kind of like the map, I don't see the freeway exit, otherwise it is really close.




www.lakelubbers.com/illinois-lakes-L24/

[jigisup]

Here is yet another lake feature in California that is a possibility for the basis of the map: Lake Laguna in San Luis Obispo County. This lake is off the 101 freeway about 1.5 hrs. north of Goleta. Here are some reasons why Lake Laguna should be considered: 1) Right off the Highway 101 artery between northern and southern California; 2) There is a long-time off-leash dog park near the lake; 3) Cal State SLO has the City & Regional Planning program at Cal Poly, which has been part of its top-ranked College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Since I first saw the map last year, I thought it was a homework or job assignment for a wannabe developer, using an existing lake as the basis for a higher-end type lakefront
development.
 Attachment Deleted

Like many of the other ideas that have been floated in this thread, not many of the external features, like commercial buildings, etc., appear to match up. However, it is possible the only part of the map that was not imagined is the lake. In the mid 1970s, the drought had reduced the lake to a mud puddle. (During the current drought, the lake has shrunk again, with massive die-offs of fish due to eutrophication.) Did the author of the map dream of turning a mud puddle into a multimillion-dollar lake development? 

[jigisup]

SFbay: I think there is a fair chance that looking for the "landmarks" from the commercial part of the map in real geography is not going to shed light on EAR-ONS. It is very possible that this was a homework assignment in residential development 101 -- teacher says, here's a plan for commercial development next to a lake -- come up with a residential plan to complement it. Also, as a rule commercial development happens after residential development in an area has occurred.

I am going to look at the area of Danville to which you speak.

[woofytreats]

I looked at Central Contra Costa in total regarding this map some time back and using the freeway and off ramp loop as a reference I didn't come up with anything. I'm of a mind that this map is either an assignment, a fantasy obfuscation, or is for another locale than anywhere in Central Contra Costa County. I began driving I-680 through this area in 1979 when I got my drivers license so I've tried to remember it "as it was". Some of the off ramp / interchanges have been changed and / or expanded since that time but that is mostly south of Danville. I looked at areas around Lafayette / Orinda also but there are only a couple newer off ramps / interchanges in that area. The main 680/24 interchange that routes traffic to either Oakland/SF, south to San Jose, or north to Sacramento was changed drastically in the 1990s but I don't think this factors into what's presented on that map.

In 1978/79 there was only one elementary school near where the map / papers were found and Charlotte Wood Middle School didn't move into that area until 1991 ( when it relocated from a location closer to downtown ). However, many kids and some adults used these dormant railroad tracks to cut through the area. I still think this material is more likely NOT from the EAR than dropped by him but that's my bias. We still don't know the full context, condition, etc. under which these papers were found. The lake always throws me...although everything else does too.

There were suspicious but unconfirmed incidents involving an assailant in a mask near Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek ( which has a small lake ) but neither the freeway or house locations seem to support this area. I still think one of the most interesting things that I've read on this board was Drifter's wife's off-the-cuff graphology review of the "Mad" paper. Unlike handwriting analysis, I take a lot more stock in graphology as a tool. Given her review, someone would be more tempted to believe that this paper could have been written by the EAR and give credence to the map.

[woofytreats]

sf,

At this late date, I wouldn't disagree and would second that emotion...I think these papers were entered as secondary evidence and some of the circumstance around it has probably been lost to time. It's generally web sleuths and authors that have assigned a particular value to it and we don't know if that's right or wrong. My guess is that rightly or wrongly LE didn't consider it worthy of public exposure and that might have possibly been due to reasons that are no longer clear. However, thirty five years on, it's found in the CoCo County evidence room and magnified to the extent that people think that something in these papers or map is going to absolutely break the case...even if these papers weren't ever in the EARs possession. Apparently, most LE doesn't believe that EAR/ONS and the VR are the same person ( I believe that's true of Detectives Crompton and Shelby for two ) ...I'd be interested in knowing how LE past and present feel about the map / papers...I believe Larry Pool has called the map a "fantasy" ( apparently attributing it to EAR/ONS ). I wonder how many in LE would commit one way or another to these documents and why??? My guess is that current LE is along for the ride with these papers just like the rest of us.

[northernjustice]

Nov 11, 2014 6:55:20 GMT sfbay said:

Something to consider about it being a "fantasy" drawing:

By the time EAR was in Contra Costa, he was well beyond the need to fantasize about such things. In fact, we now know that he was feeling so confident (or bored?) of his burglary + rape operations that he was planning to up the stakes and kill in Goleta. If he was anything like Rader or any of the other sick predators we know of, then he likely got off on the recon and planning just as much as he did during the execution of the plan itself.

Fantasizing to the point where you're drawing fake neighborhoods that you dream of attacking is something maybe a person who has never actually acted on these things might do. In this case, you're talking about a guy who had actually carried out the act 40+ times.

I'm thinking he wouldn't waste his time or energy drawing maps of fake places at that point... not for that purpose anyway. He could have very well been in a profession where such rough drawings were commonplace and required.

If the map was a fantasy, it doesn't mean it was drawn around the time it was found. He may have had a cluttered car and some old papers flew out the door in his haste. Hell, he may have lived in his car and it was filled with all kinds of junk from his personal history. Hard to say.

I do strongly believe the papers are his. The violently scrawled "Punishment" is a huge indicator (look at how hard he was pressing down at the end of the word), as are the repeated references to his anger and hatred in the school story. It is the work of a troubled person and for it to be found at the spot where the dogs lost his scent is very telling.

[woofytreats]

I don't know how someone could attribute the map as being a "fantasy" when the whole set of papers largely offer a set of intangibles that can't be directly tied to the EAR with certainty. I can pull things both pro and con from these documents but I think that possibly the more telling information would involve the specifics of where, how, weather conditions, etc. that doesn't appear in ST, HAP, or the LA Magazine article. We know that the papers were found near the railroad tracks but apparently on the street near Liberta Ct. where the dogs lost the scent. That doesn't tell me that there was frost on the ground ( definitely a possibility in Danville in December ) and the papers were pristine. Were they found later that morning ( where the dogs lost the scent ) in further investigation or on the first pass with the dogs? It doesn't tell me that they were blown under a bush and retrieved by investigators, etc. You might be able to derive some things if you had more complete information like that.

Based on the number of suspicious cars and the number of dead ends that were generated from those cars, my guess is that he didn't live in his car...but that's not to say that the papers didn't fall out of a car he was using that night. I would have to agree that the content of those papers certainly dovetails nicely into this case but I remain skeptical.

[Deleted]

Didn't someone post that Larry Pool said the x's on the map matched the trees in the culdesacs or medians near the Witthuhn's home? I don't see how he's coming to that conclusion.

[northernjustice]

Nov 11, 2014 17:47:10 GMT @privatecitizen said:

Didn't someone post that Larry Pool said the x's on the map matched the trees in the culdesacs or medians near the Witthuhn's home? I don't see how he's coming to that conclusion.

There was a post about that, but it doesn't make any sense to me and I can only imagine he was being misinterpreted.

[michravera]

Jan 11, 2014 11:30:34 GMT portofleith said:

Jan 9, 2014 22:21:39 GMT fixintogo said:

I am just posting my two cents and a little background on the teenage scene in East Sacramento. When I saw the map, the first thing I thought about was Campus Commons. It is very close to College Greens and would have provided many opportunities for EAR. Campus Commons was a high-end (at the time) condominium complex. It was very large and easy to get lost in. There was a circular drive going around inside the complex, and if I was going to visit a friend or to a party there, I had to figure out how to get onto that drive and then my friend would tell me where their house was from there (as I recall, it's been many years and I moved away from Sacto in 1980).

There was a pool and a jacuzzi, and we teenagers would talk about sneaking into the jacuzzi at night. My friend and I tried it once and were immediately caught by the guard.

The map could be a teenager's view of Campus Commons. It is missing some key pieces: Howe Avenue, a major thoroughfare, isn't on it or is in the wrong place (perhaps it is above University). Howe Avenue was busy and you avoided riding your bike on it, so if you were a new driver, you might forget it (I was always confused about that, even though I lived a few blocks away). There was a big open field that isn't on the map either. The freeway is on the wrong side. There are far more houses/condos than what is on the map. I don't see a stream now at Campus Commons and I don't know if there ever was one. But the circular drives are right on the money. Those are homes that fit the EAR profile. Weird that he never was known to hit there, but then again, many rapes probably weren't reported. There is a lake and a pool there (the word under Lake could be pool). The lines around the lake would actually be streets. The culdesacs are there, and some have center planters.

Also, if he was more comfortable with College Greens, you would think he would have Howe Avenue and the freeway correct, as those were the major routes across the river to College Greens. But what if someone else drew this map for him? For a party or to get to the jacuzzi (Lake/Pool)? Just seems like there are different types of handwriting for the word "Lake." And maybe the punishment is for whoever gave him the map.

There, I got that off my chest. Maybe I can sleep now. Except that now I realize that the circles at the top (Adler Circle, Santa Maria Way) might be the more important part of this map.

How do I attach a picture of the map?

Fixn2go-  Campus Commons is very near the two College Greens attacks #18 and #27.  Was Howe Avenue the only river crossing then?

Once you got East of the I-80/29th-30th street crossing (later called "Business 80/CASR-51"), you had H Street/Fair Oaks, the Guy West Bridge (foot/bike/equestrian only), Howe Ave, Watt Ave and then Sunrise Blvd. A bike/foot/equestrian bridge was built in the early 1980s at Rod Beaudry Dr (was the planned route of CASR-143 before the right of way was sold off).

However, most of the time, it wasn't impossible to SWIM across the American river at any point between 29th Street and Sunrise Blvd. I know this because I often did it. I met at least three girlfriends that way. I may have been a GOOD swimmer (was on High School and summer park teams), but I never even qualified for Sub-Sectionals (the next level up from our City District Championships). I usually left our City District Championships with finals credentials, but no medals. So, there were at least 500 swimmers in the Sacramento metro area who were "at least approximately as good" of a swimmer as I was. ... and you didn't need to be nearly as good as I was to swim across the river. One of the girlfriends that I met this way actually swam back over to my side with me and then back with me to her side. If she could do it (she was probably 20% slower than I was), that would have put it within the capability of "most physically fit males who could swim". We don't know whether EAR could swim or if he ever used this as a method of escape, but what if he stashed a bike and clothes on the other side of the river, fled with enough of a head start, swam across the river at one of the easy points and picked up a bike there, burned, discarded, or floated his perp clothes downstream? It's hard to pick a person out of the river even with FLIR (which they didn't have back then), much less just by helicopter (which they rarely used at night back then) even with a spotlight.

Even, if he had been caught, there was "I was just going for a swim" unless he had been under surveillance. We know that didn't happen!

[whiteknuckle]

Was the culdesacs at the bottom of the map the target? There's x's around them and maybe the background is the escape route. If it didn't say lakeside apt. in the map regarding the lake I'd also wonder if it was a greenbelt that dropped down and that paths leading out of it, or maybe there was a pond down there or a stream. Also regarding the tennis courts on the map, I also wonder if the rapist/killer was a tennis player? Playing tennis in different neighborhoods would be a good cover. This is a guy who seemed to thrive off having a plan so blending in was just as important and in affluent neighborhoods who would question the tennis player. He even wore tennis shoes. Also, I remember hearing he had large calves and tennis really works your calves. Also, perhaps some of the map up above indicates places he was planning on parking his car. Making a clean, undetected escape was probably very important, so the neighborhood could've indicated that as well. 


This kid probably hung out at the library to gather information and it seems like he must have been a boy scout unless he was really that independently taught. I think serial killers make their most mistakes or revealing information in the earliest crimes. So, I think the earliest crimes would have more revealing information about their location and whatnot. Oh, and I bet the guy is a an insomniac! So, if he is still alive trying to live a somewhat normal life I bet he's on sleep medication or has been on it.