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Created page with "The '''murder of Cheri Jo Bates''' is a currently unsolved murder that occurred in Riverside, California on October 30, 1966 and in which an 18-year-old college freshman w..."
The '''murder of Cheri Jo Bates''' is a currently unsolved murder that occurred in [[Riverside, California]] on October 30, 1966 and in which an 18-year-old college freshman was [[stabbing|stabbed]] and [[Slashing (crime)|slashed]] to death on the grounds of [[Riverside City College]], having been lured from her vehicle by her murderer, who had disabled the [[ignition coil]], ignition coil wire and [[distributor]] of Cheri Jo's [[Volkswagen Beetle]]<ref>''The Hunt for Zodiac: The Inconceivable Double Life of a Notorious Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-0-998-62317-7}} p. 88</ref> as a method to lure her from her car as she studied in the college library.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref> The murder itself remains one of Riverside's most infamous [[cold case]]s<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} pp. 212-213</ref> and has been described by some locals as a murder which "stripped Riverside of its innocence".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
Cheri Jo Bates' murder became highly publicized due to both the graphic nature of her death, and the fact she is considered by some investigators to have been the first murder victim of the [[Zodiac Killer]], although this theory has never been definitively confirmed.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 8</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19760915&id=M90fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P9kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1279,960140|title=Lone Officer Continues to Search for Zodiac|access-date=January 18, 2018|newspaper=[[Fort Scott Tribune|The Fort Scott Tribune]]|date=September 15, 1976}}</ref>
==Early life==
Cheri Josephine Bates was born in [[Omaha, Nebraska]] on February 4, 1948. She was the younger of two children born to Joseph and Irene Bates. The Bates family relocated to California in 1957, where her father found employment as a machinist at the [[Corona, California|Corona]] Naval Ordnance Laboratory.
Cheri Jo was a graduate of [[Ramona High School (Riverside, California)|Ramona High School]], had been a former varsity cheerleader,<ref name=freshman>''Co-ed Stabbed to Death on Riverside College Campus'', [[Los Angeles Times]], November 1, 1966, p. 3.</ref> and an honor student with aspirations to become a flight attendant.<ref name=evidence>''Evidence Links Zodiac Killer to '66 Death of Riverside Co-ed'', Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1970, pg. A1.</ref> Following her graduation from Ramona High School, Cheri Jo enrolled at the Riverside Community College and found part-time employment at the Riverside National Bank. Her savings, plus wages from this part-time employment, helped pay for her 1960 lime green Volkswagen Beetle;<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref> a vehicle she was proud to own.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> She lived alone with her father at 4195 Via San Jose (her parents having divorced in 1965).<ref name=freshman/> Cheri Jo's mother also lived in Riverside, and her brother, Michael, served in the [[United States Navy]].<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} p. 163</ref>
===October 30, 1966===
On the morning of October 30, 1966, Cheri Jo and her father attended [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church before the two shared breakfast at a local restaurant.<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} p. 164</ref> In the early afternoon, Cheri Jo opted to visit the college library to both study and to work upon a research paper. She is known to have twice phoned a close friend of hers named Stephanie (at 3:00 and 3:45 p.m. respectively), asking whether she would like to accompany her to the college library to study and retrieve books, although on the occasion of the second phone call, her friend refused. Cheri Jo is believed to have left her house to visit the college library sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref> Her father returned home in the evening to find a note taped to the family refrigerator reading: "Dad—Went to [[Riverside City College|RCC]] Library."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
Shortly before Cheri Jo left her home, she phoned a co-worker of hers at the Riverside National Bank, enquiring as to whether she had seen a term paper bibliography she (Cheri Jo) had misplaced. When her co-worker replied she had not, Cheri Jo replied: "Now I'll have to start all over on my note cards."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref> A subsequent [[Witness|eyewitness]] report given to Riverside investigators indicated Cheri Jo drove her Volkswagen Beetle in the direction of Riverside City College at approximately 6:10 p.m. This eyewitness also claimed her vehicle was closely followed by a bronze 1965 or 1966 model [[Oldsmobile#1960s|Oldsmobile]].<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
According to several eyewitnesses, Cheri Jo studied in the library until the standard closing time of 9:00 p.m.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> A subsequent [[witness statement]] obtained from a female student of Riverside City College given to investigators would claim that a young man whose age she estimated to be either 19 or 20 years old and approximately {{nowrap|5 ft 11 in}} ({{convert|71|in|cm|disp=out}}) in height had been lurking in shadows across the street from Cheri Jo's vehicle and had been staring in the direction of her car at around the standard closing time of the library. Although this witness did not know the individual lurking within shaded areas aside the street, as she had passed him, the two had exchanged brief pleasantries.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref>
==Missing person report==
Cheri Jo's father, Joseph, waited the entire night for his only daughter to return home before filing a [[missing person]] report with [[Riverside Police Department|Riverside police]] at 5:43 a.m. on October 31.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref> He filed this report after phoning Cheri Jo's close friend, Stephanie, in the early morning hours only to be informed that she (Cheri Jo) was not at her residence and had intended to study at the Riverside City College library the previous evening, having held no plans to spend the evening away from home.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref>
==Discovery==
A groundskeeper named Cleophus Martin discovered Cheri Jo's body upon the grounds of Riverside City College at approximately 6:28 a.m. on October 31, 1966.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref> Her body was sprawled face down upon a gravel path between two unoccupied houses on Terracina Drive, close to the library parking lot where she had parked her Volkswagen Beetle the previous evening. She was clothed in a long-sleeve pale yellow print blouse and faded red capri pants and her woven straw bag—containing both her identification and 56 cents—lay alongside her body. Her clothing was undisturbed but was saturated in blood in many areas.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/zodiac-killer-detectives-hope-dna-will-unlock-murderers-id-at-last|title=Zodiac Killer: Detectives Hope DNA Will Unlock Murderer's ID at Last |access-date=October 6, 2018|newspaper=Fox News|date=December 1, 2013}}</ref> She had been repeatedly stabbed in the chest and left shoulder, and had suffered several deep slash wounds to her face and neck.<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} pp. 163-164</ref>
At the crime scene, investigators discovered a cheap, paint-spattered [[Timex Group|Timex]] brand wristwatch with a seven inch circumference just 10 feet from Cheri Jo's body, and the footprint of a shoe produced by [[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|Leavenworth]] prisoners and sold solely in military outlets. The shoe size was between eight and ten.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref>
Cheri Jo's Volkswagen Beetle was parked just 75 yards east of the location where her body was discovered.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> The ignition wiring of the vehicle had been deliberately pulled loose but the ignition key was in place and the driver's window rolled partly down. Three library books on the subject of [[United States government]] were lying on the front seat, and several smeared, greasy [[palm print]]s and [[fingerprint]]s were found upon the vehicle. Investigators would determine these prints did not belong to Cheri Jo or any of her friends or relatives, and believe they may have belonged to her murderer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
===Autopsy===
An [[autopsy]] revealed Cheri Jo had been repeatedly kicked in the head in addition to having receiving two stab wounds to her chest inflicted by a knife estimated to be one-and-a-half-inches wide and three-and-a-half-inches in length.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref> Her left cheek, upper lip, hands and arms had also been cut, with three slash wounds to her throat having severed her [[jugular vein]] and [[larynx]] and almost [[decapitation|decapitating]] her.{{refn|group=n|Cheri Jo's neck had been [[wound|lacerated]] a minimum of seven times in this assault<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 227</ref>}} Cheri Jo had evidently lain upon the ground when she had received the knife wounds to her left shoulder blade and neck.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> Furthermore, she had not been subjected to any form of [[sexual assault]] or robbery within this attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yesterday's Crimes: DNA Profiles and the Murderers Who Might Be Zodiac |date=May 9, 2018 |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/ |publisher=San Francisco Weekly |accessdate=September 30, 2018}}</ref>
Numerous fragments of skin and brown hair<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 229</ref> were also recovered from beneath the fingernails of Cheri Jo's right hand; this evidence having evidently been collected beneath her nails as she clawed at her assailant in a desperate effort to defend herself.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 5-6</ref> The ground surrounding her body was described in her official autopsy report as "looking like a freshly plowed field."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref>{{refn|group=n|The scratches Cheri Jo had inflicted to her assailant's face and/or head had evidently been sufficiently severe that he had left a trail of blood spatterings leading from the crime scene to Terracina Drive, indicating he had walked or ran in the direction of this street after killing her<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref>}}
==Investigation==
Within 24 hours of the murder, investigators had interviewed 75 individuals including numerous students and had begun interviewing military men stationed at a nearby air base. All were subsequently eliminated from the inquiry.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 167</ref> By November 6, all but two of the individuals known to have been in the Riverside City College on the evening of October 30 had been traced and eliminated from the inquiry into Cheri Jo's murder.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> Investigators had also received testimony from two separate individuals who had heard brief female screams emanating from the direction of Terracina Drive on the evening of October 30. From this testimony, plus the conclusion of the [[coroner]], investigators determined Cheri Jo had most likely been murdered at approximately 10:15 p.m. on October 30.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 5-6</ref>
===Deduced murder scenario===
Having interviewed several eyewitnesses, analyzed the [[Real evidence|physical evidence]] present within the vicinity of the crime scene, investigators theorized Cheri Jo's murderer had likely disabled the ignition coil, ignition coil wire and distributor of her vehicle<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> before waiting for her to return from her studying within the college library on the night of her murder; they also believe the perpetrator likely surprised Cheri Jo after she had repeatedly attempted to start her car, before offering her assistance as an initial ruse to lure her from her vehicle before proceeding to attack her within a dimly lit section of Terracina Drive.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> At the time of discovery, both windows of Cheri Jo's Volkswagen Beetle was rolled down, and the keys of her vehicle were still in the ignition, thus meaning she had likely been forced from her vehicle to the scene of her murder while stood aside or sat inside her vehicle.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 225</ref>
{{quote box
| quote = "He is obsessed and pathologically preoccupied with intense hatred against female figures—all the more so if he sees the young woman as attractive. Because of his own unconscious feelings of inadequacy, he is not likely to act out his feelings sexually, but in fantasy, as a rule. The fantasy can take on aggressive aspects ... I would like to emphasize that there is a real possibility that he can become homicidal again."
|source = Evaluation of the mindset of the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, written by the Chief [[Psychologist]] of [[Patton State Hospital]]. July 1967.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 256</ref>
| width = 30em
}}
Although only {{convert|5|ft|3|in|m|2|abbr=on}} in height, Cheri Jo had been an athletic girl. Both an examination of the crime scene and Cheri Jo's subsequent autopsy revealed ample evidence of a ferocious physical struggle having been conducted between Cheri Jo and her murderer; she having evidently scratched her assailant's arms,<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref> face and head and torn his Timex brand wristwatch from his wrist within this struggle.{{refn|group=n|This [[Timex Group|Timex]] brand wristwatch was torn at the strap immediately aside the watchface}}
==Funeral==
On November 4, 1966, Cheri Jo Bates was laid to rest at the Crestlawn Memorial Park in Riverside. Her parents, older brother and several hundred other mourners were present at this service. At the end of the service, Joseph Bates collapsed, repeatedly crying the words, "My girl! My girl!"<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 103</ref>
At the initiative of a Detective Sergeant named David Bonine, a staged re-enactment of Cheri Jo's final hours studying within the community college library was conducted nine days after her funeral in the hope of producing vital eyewitnesses. Present at this re-enactment were 65 people who had actually been in the library on the evening of October 30; all of whom sat or stood where they had actually been on the evening in question.{{refn|group=n|Although several of Cheri Jo's friends had been at the community college library on October 30, none could actually recall seeing her<ref>''Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killers Revealed'' {{ISBN|978-1-440-67812-7}} p. 167</ref>}} All participants who owned a vehicle were asked to park their car in precisely the same spot it had been on the evening of October 30, and all participants wore the same clothing they had on the eveining in question. This initiative did bring forward numerous eyewitnesses, although no fruitful leads were gained. Nonetheless, several individuals stated they had seen a tan-gray [[Studebaker]] vehicle in the close vicinity of the Riverside Community College on the evening in question. Despite extensive appeals by both investigators and the local press, the owner of this vehicle was never traced.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 167</ref>
==Correspondence==
One month after Cheri Jo's murder, identical type-written letters arived at the [[Riverside Police Department]] headquarters and the editorial offices of the ''[[The Press-Enterprise|Press-Enterprise]]''. The author of these letters described in detail how Cheri Jo had been murdered, and how he had disabled her car before watching Cheri Jo repeatedly attempt to switch on the ignition until the battery had drained of power. He had then offered her assistance, claiming his own vehicle was further down the street; thus luring her away from her vehicle. After the two had walked a short distance from her car, he had stated to her, "It's about time." Cheri Jo had replied, "About time for what?" to which he had simply replied,"About time for you to die."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 169</ref> According to the author, he had then clasped his hand over her mouth and pressed a knife against her neck before forcing her to walk to a dimly lit alley, where he proceeded to beat and kick Cheri Jo in their initial struggle before stabbing her to death.
The author of these letters claimed to have known his victim, proclaiming: "Only one thing was on my mind: Making her pay for the brush-offs that she had given me during the years prior." Due to the fact the letter included details of the murder which had not been released to the press—including the fact the ignition coil and middle wire of the distributor of Cheri Jo's vehicle had been disabled—investigators initially believed that the author of the letter may have been the actual murderer,<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 6-7</ref> although later advances in forensic technology confirmed the author of the letter could not have been the perpetrator of the crime.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 218</ref> Furthermore the author of the letter stated he had watched Cheri Jo attempt to activate the ignition to her car for "about two minutes," yet the ignition coil wire of Cheri Jo's vehicle had been disconnected, thus meaning the ignition coil was unable to deliver the spark necessary to ignite the fuel, thus the battery of her vehicle would not drain.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 226</ref>
On April 30, 1967, the ''Press-Enterprise'' printed a further update on Cheri Jo's murder. The following day, both the police and Cheri Jo's father received handwritten letters from an unknown individual, who had scrawled the message "Bates had to die. There will be more" on a single sheet of paper.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-816-04980-7}} p. 321</ref> This letter was also considered by police to have been a distasteful [[hoax]], although at the bottom of each letter was an indecipherable number or letter which was either a "2" or a "Z".<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
{{quote box
| quote = "I have personally spoken to the previous detectives [assigned to] the case, and they genuinely believe that the Cheri Jo Bates case is not related to the [[Zodiac killer|Zodiac]] murders .. they believe it was an acquaintance of [hers], or a scorned love interest."
|source = Detective Jim Simons. Current investigator assigned to the unsolved murder of Cheri Jo Bates. November 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
| width = 30em
}}
==Potential link to Zodiac Killer==
It has been hypothesized that Cheri Jo Bates may have been an early victim—perhaps the first victim—of an unidentified serial killer active in [[Northern California]] from the late 1960s to the early 1970s known as the [[Zodiac Killer]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.com/news/2011/jun/02/murdered-not-forgotten/|title=Murdered but Not Forgotten: Were They Victims of Zodiac Killer? |access-date=October 3, 2018|newspaper=Santa Barbara Independent|date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> and that this unidentified individual may have originated from Riverside and later moved to the San Francisco area.<ref name=evidence/> One of the potential clues supporting this theory was the discovery of a set of lower case initials (''r h'') inscribed below a macabre poem scratched into a desk at Riverside Community College. This poem was discovered by a custodian six months after Cheri Jo's murder, and contains graphic references to repeated assaults upon young women with a bladed weapon. The desk in question was in the college storage area at the time the poem was discovered, although the custodian informed police the desk had been on the library floor at the time of Cheri Jo's murder. Police photographed the inscription and added this piece of [[circumstantial evidence]] to the case file.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 6-7</ref>
Furthermore, the fact the perpetrator subsequently sent correspondence to the police and press, including details of the murder withheld from the public, is reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 217</ref> In addition, Riverside police have also noted similarities between Cheri Jo's slaying and the general modus operandi of a fatal attack upon a young couple attacked at [[Lake Berryessa]] in September 1969—an attack conclusively ascribed to the Zodiac Killer.<ref>''Zodiac Tie To Riverside Slaying Confirmed'', Los Angeles Times, November 17, 1970, p. A1.</ref>{{refn|group=n|Although the Zodiac Killer would claim responsibility for the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in 1971, authorities have never officially linked her murder to those known to have been committed by him<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 42</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/zodiac-killer-detectives-hope-dna-will-unlock-murderers-id-at-last|title=Zodiac Killer: Detectives Hope DNA Will Unlock Murderer's ID at Last |access-date=October 2, 2018|newspaper=Fox News|date=December 1, 2013}}</ref>}}
A writer for the [[San Francisco Chronicle]] named [[Paul Avery]] followed this series of murders from the outset. In November 1970, Avery discovered communications then more than a year old from the Riverside police, which indicated a resemblance to the Zodiac's handwriting style. By this date, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 14 victims, although only five murders committed between December 1968 and October 1969 have ever been conclusively attributed to this individual.<ref>''One Was Not Enough'' {{ISBN|0-553-17605-6}} p. 176-179</ref>
===Alternative theories===
Steve Hodel, in his book ''Most Evil'', claims that his father, [[Black_Dahlia_suspects#George_Hodel|George Hodel]], killed Cheri Jo Bates.<ref>''Most Evil'' (Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel), Steve Hodel
with Ralph Pezullo, [[E.P. Dutton]], [[New York, New York]], September 2009, pp. 110 ''-'' 119.</ref> Hodel also claims that his father was the [[Black Dahlia]] killer, [[The Zodiac Killer]] and [[William Heirens|The Lipstick Killer]], among others.<ref name=SH1>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel - ''New York Times'' Bestselling Author : ''Black Dahlia Avenger'' - Book Information|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/hodel-dahlia-overview.htm|accessdate=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=SH2>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel - ''New York Times'' Bestselling Author : ''Most Evil'' - Book Information|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/hodel-mostevil-synopsis.htm|accessdate=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=SHER>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel's The Evidence Room Blog - Dr. George Hill Hodel- Zodiac Maps, Radians & Riddles- Breaking the Mt. Diablo Code|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/evidenceroom/?p=1062|accessdate=4 April 2013|date=29 August 2010}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
Following Cheri Jo's murder, her family established a memorial scholarship at Riverside Community College. This scholarship, entitled ''The Cheri Jo Bates Memorial Endowed Scholarship,'' is awarded to a student active in various school projects and initiatives, who demonstrates financial needs, undertakes volunteer work, and who majors in music with a B grade average.<ref>[https://rcc.academicworks.com/opportunities/7672 ''academicworks.com'']</ref>
Officially, Cheri Jo Bates' murder remains an unsolved case, and the theory she was a victim of the Zodiac Killer (which has been strongly disputed by the Riverside Police Department) has never been proven.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
With recent advances in technology, investigators have conducted [[DNA analyses|DNA profiling]] upon the skin and hair discovered beneath Cheri Jo's fingernails, and are able to determine that her murderer was a [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] male, although no definite forensic match against existing suspects has been established.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> Despite several suspects having been investigated and eliminated from the inquiry since 1966, the current investigator assigned to the case, Detective Jim Simons, has stated one individual still remains of interest to the investigation, although because tests conducted upon the [[mitochondrial DNA]] of the hair and blood samples found at the crime scene did not match those of this suspect,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 4, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> insufficient [[physical evidence]] exists to link this individual to the crime.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/|title=Yesterday's Crimes: DNA Profiles and the Murderers Who Might Be Zodiac |access-date=October 6, 2018|newspaper=San Francisco Weekly|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>{{refn|group=n|Investigators have stated they cannot state with complete certainty the hair samples retrieved from beneath Cheri Jo's fingernails actually belonged to her murderer<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 4, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>}}
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=n}}
==References==
<references/>
==Cited works and further reading==
* {{Cite book|last1=Douglas|first1=John|last2=Olshaker|first2=Mark|title=The Cases That Haunt Us|year=2012|publisher=Scribner|location=New York|isbn=0-743-21239-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Godwin|first=George|title=Zodiac|year=1993|publisher=Time-Life Books|location=Alexandra, Virginia|isbn=0-783-50012-2|pages=5–47}}
* {{Cite book|last=Graysmith|first=Robert|title=Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killers Revealed|year=2007|publisher=Berkley Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-440-67812-7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Graysmith|first=Robert|title=Zodiac: The Shocking Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer|year=2007|publisher=Titan Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-845-76531-6}}
*{{Cite book|last=Haugen|first=Brenda|title=The Zodiac Killer: Terror and Mystery|year=2011|publisher=Capstone Press|isbn=978-0-7565-4357-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Katz|first=Hélèna|title=Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America|year=2010|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-0-313-37692-4}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Lloyd| first1 = Georgina| title = One Was Not Enough| origyear = 1986 | year = 1993| publisher = Bantam Books | location = Reading, Berkshire| isbn = 0-553-17605-6| pages = 176-181}}
* {{citation|author=Newton, Michael|title=The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes|year=2004|publisher=Checkmark Books|isbn=0-816-04980-7}}
* {{citation|author=Penn, Gareth|title=Times 17: The Amazing Story of the Zodiac Murders in California and Massachusetts, 1966–1981|year=1987|publisher=Foxglove Press|isbn=978-0-961-84940-5}}
==External links==
* 1976 ''[[Fort Scott Tribune]]'' news article [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19760915&id=M90fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P9kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1279,960140 detailing the murder of Cheri Jo Bates]
* [http://www.zodiackiller.com/Bates.html Information pertaining to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates] at zodiackiller.com
* ''[[SF Weekly]]'' news article detailing [http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/ ongoing efforts to identify Cheri Jo Bates' murderer]
Cheri Jo Bates' murder became highly publicized due to both the graphic nature of her death, and the fact she is considered by some investigators to have been the first murder victim of the [[Zodiac Killer]], although this theory has never been definitively confirmed.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 8</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19760915&id=M90fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P9kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1279,960140|title=Lone Officer Continues to Search for Zodiac|access-date=January 18, 2018|newspaper=[[Fort Scott Tribune|The Fort Scott Tribune]]|date=September 15, 1976}}</ref>
==Early life==
Cheri Josephine Bates was born in [[Omaha, Nebraska]] on February 4, 1948. She was the younger of two children born to Joseph and Irene Bates. The Bates family relocated to California in 1957, where her father found employment as a machinist at the [[Corona, California|Corona]] Naval Ordnance Laboratory.
Cheri Jo was a graduate of [[Ramona High School (Riverside, California)|Ramona High School]], had been a former varsity cheerleader,<ref name=freshman>''Co-ed Stabbed to Death on Riverside College Campus'', [[Los Angeles Times]], November 1, 1966, p. 3.</ref> and an honor student with aspirations to become a flight attendant.<ref name=evidence>''Evidence Links Zodiac Killer to '66 Death of Riverside Co-ed'', Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1970, pg. A1.</ref> Following her graduation from Ramona High School, Cheri Jo enrolled at the Riverside Community College and found part-time employment at the Riverside National Bank. Her savings, plus wages from this part-time employment, helped pay for her 1960 lime green Volkswagen Beetle;<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref> a vehicle she was proud to own.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> She lived alone with her father at 4195 Via San Jose (her parents having divorced in 1965).<ref name=freshman/> Cheri Jo's mother also lived in Riverside, and her brother, Michael, served in the [[United States Navy]].<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} p. 163</ref>
===October 30, 1966===
On the morning of October 30, 1966, Cheri Jo and her father attended [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church before the two shared breakfast at a local restaurant.<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} p. 164</ref> In the early afternoon, Cheri Jo opted to visit the college library to both study and to work upon a research paper. She is known to have twice phoned a close friend of hers named Stephanie (at 3:00 and 3:45 p.m. respectively), asking whether she would like to accompany her to the college library to study and retrieve books, although on the occasion of the second phone call, her friend refused. Cheri Jo is believed to have left her house to visit the college library sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref> Her father returned home in the evening to find a note taped to the family refrigerator reading: "Dad—Went to [[Riverside City College|RCC]] Library."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
Shortly before Cheri Jo left her home, she phoned a co-worker of hers at the Riverside National Bank, enquiring as to whether she had seen a term paper bibliography she (Cheri Jo) had misplaced. When her co-worker replied she had not, Cheri Jo replied: "Now I'll have to start all over on my note cards."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref> A subsequent [[Witness|eyewitness]] report given to Riverside investigators indicated Cheri Jo drove her Volkswagen Beetle in the direction of Riverside City College at approximately 6:10 p.m. This eyewitness also claimed her vehicle was closely followed by a bronze 1965 or 1966 model [[Oldsmobile#1960s|Oldsmobile]].<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
According to several eyewitnesses, Cheri Jo studied in the library until the standard closing time of 9:00 p.m.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> A subsequent [[witness statement]] obtained from a female student of Riverside City College given to investigators would claim that a young man whose age she estimated to be either 19 or 20 years old and approximately {{nowrap|5 ft 11 in}} ({{convert|71|in|cm|disp=out}}) in height had been lurking in shadows across the street from Cheri Jo's vehicle and had been staring in the direction of her car at around the standard closing time of the library. Although this witness did not know the individual lurking within shaded areas aside the street, as she had passed him, the two had exchanged brief pleasantries.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref>
==Missing person report==
Cheri Jo's father, Joseph, waited the entire night for his only daughter to return home before filing a [[missing person]] report with [[Riverside Police Department|Riverside police]] at 5:43 a.m. on October 31.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref> He filed this report after phoning Cheri Jo's close friend, Stephanie, in the early morning hours only to be informed that she (Cheri Jo) was not at her residence and had intended to study at the Riverside City College library the previous evening, having held no plans to spend the evening away from home.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref>
==Discovery==
A groundskeeper named Cleophus Martin discovered Cheri Jo's body upon the grounds of Riverside City College at approximately 6:28 a.m. on October 31, 1966.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref> Her body was sprawled face down upon a gravel path between two unoccupied houses on Terracina Drive, close to the library parking lot where she had parked her Volkswagen Beetle the previous evening. She was clothed in a long-sleeve pale yellow print blouse and faded red capri pants and her woven straw bag—containing both her identification and 56 cents—lay alongside her body. Her clothing was undisturbed but was saturated in blood in many areas.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/zodiac-killer-detectives-hope-dna-will-unlock-murderers-id-at-last|title=Zodiac Killer: Detectives Hope DNA Will Unlock Murderer's ID at Last |access-date=October 6, 2018|newspaper=Fox News|date=December 1, 2013}}</ref> She had been repeatedly stabbed in the chest and left shoulder, and had suffered several deep slash wounds to her face and neck.<ref>''The Cases That Haunt Us'' {{ISBN|0-743-21239-8}} pp. 163-164</ref>
At the crime scene, investigators discovered a cheap, paint-spattered [[Timex Group|Timex]] brand wristwatch with a seven inch circumference just 10 feet from Cheri Jo's body, and the footprint of a shoe produced by [[United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth|Leavenworth]] prisoners and sold solely in military outlets. The shoe size was between eight and ten.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref>
Cheri Jo's Volkswagen Beetle was parked just 75 yards east of the location where her body was discovered.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> The ignition wiring of the vehicle had been deliberately pulled loose but the ignition key was in place and the driver's window rolled partly down. Three library books on the subject of [[United States government]] were lying on the front seat, and several smeared, greasy [[palm print]]s and [[fingerprint]]s were found upon the vehicle. Investigators would determine these prints did not belong to Cheri Jo or any of her friends or relatives, and believe they may have belonged to her murderer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
===Autopsy===
An [[autopsy]] revealed Cheri Jo had been repeatedly kicked in the head in addition to having receiving two stab wounds to her chest inflicted by a knife estimated to be one-and-a-half-inches wide and three-and-a-half-inches in length.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref> Her left cheek, upper lip, hands and arms had also been cut, with three slash wounds to her throat having severed her [[jugular vein]] and [[larynx]] and almost [[decapitation|decapitating]] her.{{refn|group=n|Cheri Jo's neck had been [[wound|lacerated]] a minimum of seven times in this assault<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 227</ref>}} Cheri Jo had evidently lain upon the ground when she had received the knife wounds to her left shoulder blade and neck.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> Furthermore, she had not been subjected to any form of [[sexual assault]] or robbery within this attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yesterday's Crimes: DNA Profiles and the Murderers Who Might Be Zodiac |date=May 9, 2018 |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/ |publisher=San Francisco Weekly |accessdate=September 30, 2018}}</ref>
Numerous fragments of skin and brown hair<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 229</ref> were also recovered from beneath the fingernails of Cheri Jo's right hand; this evidence having evidently been collected beneath her nails as she clawed at her assailant in a desperate effort to defend herself.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 5-6</ref> The ground surrounding her body was described in her official autopsy report as "looking like a freshly plowed field."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 166</ref>{{refn|group=n|The scratches Cheri Jo had inflicted to her assailant's face and/or head had evidently been sufficiently severe that he had left a trail of blood spatterings leading from the crime scene to Terracina Drive, indicating he had walked or ran in the direction of this street after killing her<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 213</ref>}}
==Investigation==
Within 24 hours of the murder, investigators had interviewed 75 individuals including numerous students and had begun interviewing military men stationed at a nearby air base. All were subsequently eliminated from the inquiry.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 167</ref> By November 6, all but two of the individuals known to have been in the Riverside City College on the evening of October 30 had been traced and eliminated from the inquiry into Cheri Jo's murder.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> Investigators had also received testimony from two separate individuals who had heard brief female screams emanating from the direction of Terracina Drive on the evening of October 30. From this testimony, plus the conclusion of the [[coroner]], investigators determined Cheri Jo had most likely been murdered at approximately 10:15 p.m. on October 30.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 5-6</ref>
===Deduced murder scenario===
Having interviewed several eyewitnesses, analyzed the [[Real evidence|physical evidence]] present within the vicinity of the crime scene, investigators theorized Cheri Jo's murderer had likely disabled the ignition coil, ignition coil wire and distributor of her vehicle<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 165</ref> before waiting for her to return from her studying within the college library on the night of her murder; they also believe the perpetrator likely surprised Cheri Jo after she had repeatedly attempted to start her car, before offering her assistance as an initial ruse to lure her from her vehicle before proceeding to attack her within a dimly lit section of Terracina Drive.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 5</ref> At the time of discovery, both windows of Cheri Jo's Volkswagen Beetle was rolled down, and the keys of her vehicle were still in the ignition, thus meaning she had likely been forced from her vehicle to the scene of her murder while stood aside or sat inside her vehicle.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 225</ref>
{{quote box
| quote = "He is obsessed and pathologically preoccupied with intense hatred against female figures—all the more so if he sees the young woman as attractive. Because of his own unconscious feelings of inadequacy, he is not likely to act out his feelings sexually, but in fantasy, as a rule. The fantasy can take on aggressive aspects ... I would like to emphasize that there is a real possibility that he can become homicidal again."
|source = Evaluation of the mindset of the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, written by the Chief [[Psychologist]] of [[Patton State Hospital]]. July 1967.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 256</ref>
| width = 30em
}}
Although only {{convert|5|ft|3|in|m|2|abbr=on}} in height, Cheri Jo had been an athletic girl. Both an examination of the crime scene and Cheri Jo's subsequent autopsy revealed ample evidence of a ferocious physical struggle having been conducted between Cheri Jo and her murderer; she having evidently scratched her assailant's arms,<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 6</ref> face and head and torn his Timex brand wristwatch from his wrist within this struggle.{{refn|group=n|This [[Timex Group|Timex]] brand wristwatch was torn at the strap immediately aside the watchface}}
==Funeral==
On November 4, 1966, Cheri Jo Bates was laid to rest at the Crestlawn Memorial Park in Riverside. Her parents, older brother and several hundred other mourners were present at this service. At the end of the service, Joseph Bates collapsed, repeatedly crying the words, "My girl! My girl!"<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 103</ref>
At the initiative of a Detective Sergeant named David Bonine, a staged re-enactment of Cheri Jo's final hours studying within the community college library was conducted nine days after her funeral in the hope of producing vital eyewitnesses. Present at this re-enactment were 65 people who had actually been in the library on the evening of October 30; all of whom sat or stood where they had actually been on the evening in question.{{refn|group=n|Although several of Cheri Jo's friends had been at the community college library on October 30, none could actually recall seeing her<ref>''Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killers Revealed'' {{ISBN|978-1-440-67812-7}} p. 167</ref>}} All participants who owned a vehicle were asked to park their car in precisely the same spot it had been on the evening of October 30, and all participants wore the same clothing they had on the eveining in question. This initiative did bring forward numerous eyewitnesses, although no fruitful leads were gained. Nonetheless, several individuals stated they had seen a tan-gray [[Studebaker]] vehicle in the close vicinity of the Riverside Community College on the evening in question. Despite extensive appeals by both investigators and the local press, the owner of this vehicle was never traced.<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 167</ref>
==Correspondence==
One month after Cheri Jo's murder, identical type-written letters arived at the [[Riverside Police Department]] headquarters and the editorial offices of the ''[[The Press-Enterprise|Press-Enterprise]]''. The author of these letters described in detail how Cheri Jo had been murdered, and how he had disabled her car before watching Cheri Jo repeatedly attempt to switch on the ignition until the battery had drained of power. He had then offered her assistance, claiming his own vehicle was further down the street; thus luring her away from her vehicle. After the two had walked a short distance from her car, he had stated to her, "It's about time." Cheri Jo had replied, "About time for what?" to which he had simply replied,"About time for you to die."<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 169</ref> According to the author, he had then clasped his hand over her mouth and pressed a knife against her neck before forcing her to walk to a dimly lit alley, where he proceeded to beat and kick Cheri Jo in their initial struggle before stabbing her to death.
The author of these letters claimed to have known his victim, proclaiming: "Only one thing was on my mind: Making her pay for the brush-offs that she had given me during the years prior." Due to the fact the letter included details of the murder which had not been released to the press—including the fact the ignition coil and middle wire of the distributor of Cheri Jo's vehicle had been disabled—investigators initially believed that the author of the letter may have been the actual murderer,<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 6-7</ref> although later advances in forensic technology confirmed the author of the letter could not have been the perpetrator of the crime.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 218</ref> Furthermore the author of the letter stated he had watched Cheri Jo attempt to activate the ignition to her car for "about two minutes," yet the ignition coil wire of Cheri Jo's vehicle had been disconnected, thus meaning the ignition coil was unable to deliver the spark necessary to ignite the fuel, thus the battery of her vehicle would not drain.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 226</ref>
On April 30, 1967, the ''Press-Enterprise'' printed a further update on Cheri Jo's murder. The following day, both the police and Cheri Jo's father received handwritten letters from an unknown individual, who had scrawled the message "Bates had to die. There will be more" on a single sheet of paper.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-816-04980-7}} p. 321</ref> This letter was also considered by police to have been a distasteful [[hoax]], although at the bottom of each letter was an indecipherable number or letter which was either a "2" or a "Z".<ref>''Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-845-76531-6}} p. 164</ref>
{{quote box
| quote = "I have personally spoken to the previous detectives [assigned to] the case, and they genuinely believe that the Cheri Jo Bates case is not related to the [[Zodiac killer|Zodiac]] murders .. they believe it was an acquaintance of [hers], or a scorned love interest."
|source = Detective Jim Simons. Current investigator assigned to the unsolved murder of Cheri Jo Bates. November 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
| width = 30em
}}
==Potential link to Zodiac Killer==
It has been hypothesized that Cheri Jo Bates may have been an early victim—perhaps the first victim—of an unidentified serial killer active in [[Northern California]] from the late 1960s to the early 1970s known as the [[Zodiac Killer]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.com/news/2011/jun/02/murdered-not-forgotten/|title=Murdered but Not Forgotten: Were They Victims of Zodiac Killer? |access-date=October 3, 2018|newspaper=Santa Barbara Independent|date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> and that this unidentified individual may have originated from Riverside and later moved to the San Francisco area.<ref name=evidence/> One of the potential clues supporting this theory was the discovery of a set of lower case initials (''r h'') inscribed below a macabre poem scratched into a desk at Riverside Community College. This poem was discovered by a custodian six months after Cheri Jo's murder, and contains graphic references to repeated assaults upon young women with a bladed weapon. The desk in question was in the college storage area at the time the poem was discovered, although the custodian informed police the desk had been on the library floor at the time of Cheri Jo's murder. Police photographed the inscription and added this piece of [[circumstantial evidence]] to the case file.<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} pp. 6-7</ref>
Furthermore, the fact the perpetrator subsequently sent correspondence to the police and press, including details of the murder withheld from the public, is reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer.<ref>''America's Jack The Ripper: The Crimes and Psychology of the Zodiac Killer'' {{ISBN|978-1-365-88573-0}} p. 217</ref> In addition, Riverside police have also noted similarities between Cheri Jo's slaying and the general modus operandi of a fatal attack upon a young couple attacked at [[Lake Berryessa]] in September 1969—an attack conclusively ascribed to the Zodiac Killer.<ref>''Zodiac Tie To Riverside Slaying Confirmed'', Los Angeles Times, November 17, 1970, p. A1.</ref>{{refn|group=n|Although the Zodiac Killer would claim responsibility for the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in 1971, authorities have never officially linked her murder to those known to have been committed by him<ref>''True Crime: Unsolved Crimes'' {{ISBN|0-7835-0012-2}} p. 42</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/zodiac-killer-detectives-hope-dna-will-unlock-murderers-id-at-last|title=Zodiac Killer: Detectives Hope DNA Will Unlock Murderer's ID at Last |access-date=October 2, 2018|newspaper=Fox News|date=December 1, 2013}}</ref>}}
A writer for the [[San Francisco Chronicle]] named [[Paul Avery]] followed this series of murders from the outset. In November 1970, Avery discovered communications then more than a year old from the Riverside police, which indicated a resemblance to the Zodiac's handwriting style. By this date, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 14 victims, although only five murders committed between December 1968 and October 1969 have ever been conclusively attributed to this individual.<ref>''One Was Not Enough'' {{ISBN|0-553-17605-6}} p. 176-179</ref>
===Alternative theories===
Steve Hodel, in his book ''Most Evil'', claims that his father, [[Black_Dahlia_suspects#George_Hodel|George Hodel]], killed Cheri Jo Bates.<ref>''Most Evil'' (Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel), Steve Hodel
with Ralph Pezullo, [[E.P. Dutton]], [[New York, New York]], September 2009, pp. 110 ''-'' 119.</ref> Hodel also claims that his father was the [[Black Dahlia]] killer, [[The Zodiac Killer]] and [[William Heirens|The Lipstick Killer]], among others.<ref name=SH1>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel - ''New York Times'' Bestselling Author : ''Black Dahlia Avenger'' - Book Information|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/hodel-dahlia-overview.htm|accessdate=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=SH2>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel - ''New York Times'' Bestselling Author : ''Most Evil'' - Book Information|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/hodel-mostevil-synopsis.htm|accessdate=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=SHER>{{cite web|title=Steve Hodel's The Evidence Room Blog - Dr. George Hill Hodel- Zodiac Maps, Radians & Riddles- Breaking the Mt. Diablo Code|url=http://www.stevehodel.com/evidenceroom/?p=1062|accessdate=4 April 2013|date=29 August 2010}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
Following Cheri Jo's murder, her family established a memorial scholarship at Riverside Community College. This scholarship, entitled ''The Cheri Jo Bates Memorial Endowed Scholarship,'' is awarded to a student active in various school projects and initiatives, who demonstrates financial needs, undertakes volunteer work, and who majors in music with a B grade average.<ref>[https://rcc.academicworks.com/opportunities/7672 ''academicworks.com'']</ref>
Officially, Cheri Jo Bates' murder remains an unsolved case, and the theory she was a victim of the Zodiac Killer (which has been strongly disputed by the Riverside Police Department) has never been proven.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
With recent advances in technology, investigators have conducted [[DNA analyses|DNA profiling]] upon the skin and hair discovered beneath Cheri Jo's fingernails, and are able to determine that her murderer was a [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] male, although no definite forensic match against existing suspects has been established.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 1, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> Despite several suspects having been investigated and eliminated from the inquiry since 1966, the current investigator assigned to the case, Detective Jim Simons, has stated one individual still remains of interest to the investigation, although because tests conducted upon the [[mitochondrial DNA]] of the hair and blood samples found at the crime scene did not match those of this suspect,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 4, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> insufficient [[physical evidence]] exists to link this individual to the crime.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/|title=Yesterday's Crimes: DNA Profiles and the Murderers Who Might Be Zodiac |access-date=October 6, 2018|newspaper=San Francisco Weekly|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>{{refn|group=n|Investigators have stated they cannot state with complete certainty the hair samples retrieved from beneath Cheri Jo's fingernails actually belonged to her murderer<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pe.com/2013/11/30/riverside-co-ed8217s-1966-slaying-still-a-mystery/|title=Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery |access-date=October 4, 2018|newspaper=Press Enterprise|date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>}}
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=n}}
==References==
<references/>
==Cited works and further reading==
* {{Cite book|last1=Douglas|first1=John|last2=Olshaker|first2=Mark|title=The Cases That Haunt Us|year=2012|publisher=Scribner|location=New York|isbn=0-743-21239-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Godwin|first=George|title=Zodiac|year=1993|publisher=Time-Life Books|location=Alexandra, Virginia|isbn=0-783-50012-2|pages=5–47}}
* {{Cite book|last=Graysmith|first=Robert|title=Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killers Revealed|year=2007|publisher=Berkley Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-440-67812-7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Graysmith|first=Robert|title=Zodiac: The Shocking Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer|year=2007|publisher=Titan Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-845-76531-6}}
*{{Cite book|last=Haugen|first=Brenda|title=The Zodiac Killer: Terror and Mystery|year=2011|publisher=Capstone Press|isbn=978-0-7565-4357-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Katz|first=Hélèna|title=Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America|year=2010|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-0-313-37692-4}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Lloyd| first1 = Georgina| title = One Was Not Enough| origyear = 1986 | year = 1993| publisher = Bantam Books | location = Reading, Berkshire| isbn = 0-553-17605-6| pages = 176-181}}
* {{citation|author=Newton, Michael|title=The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes|year=2004|publisher=Checkmark Books|isbn=0-816-04980-7}}
* {{citation|author=Penn, Gareth|title=Times 17: The Amazing Story of the Zodiac Murders in California and Massachusetts, 1966–1981|year=1987|publisher=Foxglove Press|isbn=978-0-961-84940-5}}
==External links==
* 1976 ''[[Fort Scott Tribune]]'' news article [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1906&dat=19760915&id=M90fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P9kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1279,960140 detailing the murder of Cheri Jo Bates]
* [http://www.zodiackiller.com/Bates.html Information pertaining to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates] at zodiackiller.com
* ''[[SF Weekly]]'' news article detailing [http://www.sfweekly.com/news/yesterdays-crimes-news/yesterdays-crimes-dna-profiles-and-the-murderers-who-might-be-zodiac/ ongoing efforts to identify Cheri Jo Bates' murderer]