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I sat next to Paula Baxter in my typing class in 1976 and remember the day her chair was empty. I remember the search for her by her boyfriend and then when they found her in the leaves by the church.
At that time, I was friends with a Millbrae Police Officer Jack Sully, who was later convicted of the San Francisco Barrel murders in the early 1980's. I wondered if the Millbrae Police department ever thought there could be a connection to him and my classmate PaulaBaxter? Very sad, but seems with all the DNA technology, we could solve all the murders from the past!
They are working on that! As you may have heard, Mary Sullivan, the last woman thought to have been a citim of the Boston Strangler, was exhumed not that long ago to see if they could find a DNA sample on her -- they did, and it matched Albert DeSalvo, the man all these people have been writing books about to try to say he was NOT the Boston Strangler. Well, he definitely killed poor Mary.
Hi TruthandSoul,
do you have any info on....On March 17, two days after Booth’s death, 22-year-old Idelle Friedman was raped and murdered in her San Francisco apartment. A lamp cord had been wrapped around her neck, and she was stabbed with an 8 inch knife.
Friedman had long brown hair, parted in the middle.
I could not find anything. I would like to know where her apartment was.Any ideas?
Ronnie Cascio was my friend. I have been haunted by her death pretty much my whole life. And now I have found your overview of the Gypsy Hill Murders. My gosh, I didn't know so many had died. And I lived right in the middle of it all.
I so would like to tell you about myself and what I know. I was 16 years old when Ronnie was killed. We went to Thornton High School in Daly City together. I had everything in common with all the girls killed. I had long brown hair parted in the middle. I started off working at the golf course as a waitress in the coffee shop there. One day, two men came into the shop. One was very good looking with brown hair sort of feathered on the sides. He was wearing a long brown or black leather coat and what I call a "disco danny" sort of shirt opened down a few buttons with a couple of gold chains around his neck. The other man was older maybe and had a very stocky build. They did not fit in at all with the golf crowd. The younger man came up to me at the counter and asked for change to make a phone call. He looked at me like he wanted to eat me for lunch. I thought he was flirting with me. (What did I know at 16) I gave him the change, probably blushing. And they left.
I never told anyone about this because I didn't connect it to Ronnie's death. I was pretty clueless at 16. But for years I have thought back about that encounter with these men and have even tried to call the Pacifica police and the newspaper to tell someone. The Pacifica police have never called me back and even though I did hear back from a Ms. Larsen from the Pacifica Tribune nothing ever came of it.
The scary thing is I went on to work at Serramonte Shopping Center where one of the other girls was found. I lived right around the corner from the 7-11 store on Mannor drive for most of my young years where Tanya Blackwell disappeared from. All us kids hung out in the golf course having bon fires there and partying. And I always went to Kaiser Permanente Hospital for healthcare. When I was 20 I moved to Santa Rosa.
During those early years I didn't drive and walked everywhere. I had been approached by men in cars that flashed me several times and I started carrying a large butcher knife with me. I remember the last time I had this happen near Pacifica I was walking to work to Serramonte Shopping Center through the skyline area and a man pulled over next to me. I was so used to this happening that before he could do anything I pulled out this big butcher knife and showed it to him and he took off! That was the last time this happened to me until I moved to Santa Rosa.
I thought I was safer there in Santa Rosa and stopped carrying the knife. Wouldn't you know some guy pulled over in his car in Santa Rosa and tried to get me to approach his car to ask for a cigarette with his window down and I said I didn't smoke he took off and then within a week the same guy pulled over next to me while I was walking and opened the car door and asked again if I had a cigarette and this time I yelled at him I DON"T SMOKE! And he took off. It was VERY ODD. I have had a feeling all these years that I dodged a very dangerous situation, more than once.
Sorry this is so long, but I see that your post has been a recent one and I'm hoping still that SOMEDAY, someone will resolve these murders. My friend Ronnie deserves that much. She was a beautiful person, and loved by her family as was the other girls. If anyone knows where she is buried please let me know. I would like to bring flowers to her grave. And if anyone knows where any of her family might be please let me know as I would like to invite them to contact me so I can offer a personal condolence. My e-mail address is myjoyinparadise@live.com
And if anyone knows where her best friend Linda Baird might be, please contact me as well.
Thank you for sharing that! How old were these men that came into the golf course? hair color on one was brown & feathered. What about the other guy?, height, mustache? Was the leather coat a maxi coat?
The man that pulled over next to you when you were on your way to Serramonte..can you remember what kind of car..the color? how old was the guy? dark hair, facial hair? thin or husky?
If you can remember anything else, anything, let me know. I am trying to piece this together because I too am very bothered by this and I think it was someone who walked amongst us so to speak.
Thanks..Kami
Thank you for sharing that! How old were these men that came into the golf course? hair color on one was brown & feathered. What about the other guy?, height, mustache? Was the leather coat a maxi coat?
The man that pulled over next to you when you were on your way to Serramonte..can you remember what kind of car..the color? how old was the guy? dark hair, facial hair? thin or husky?
If you can remember anything else, anything, let me know. I am trying to piece this together because I too am very bothered by this and I think it was someone who walked amongst us so to speak.
Thanks..Kami
The younger man was in his mid to late 20's I think and the other guy looked older maybe in his 30's and he was the husky one and not too attractive with brown hair and I thought it was curly but not sure. And YES the coat on the younger guy was one that went down around his knees. And he had a mustache!
The guy that pulled over next to me I'm afraid I don't remember at all what kind of car or what he looked like. My thinking on that one is that it happened to me several times in the past also and at this point I was pissed about it. And I just wanted him to go away. So without really looking (cause I didn't want to see what he was going to show me) I just flashed the knife and he took off without me looking at him.
I see all these places where all the girls were left and I was hanging out in ALL THESE PLACES. If it were the 2 guys that came into the golf course while I worked there I didn't know them and they were not "pacifica" guys. They looked south city or S.F. guys to me. What irritates me most is in this day and age WHY HAVEN"T THEY CAUGHT HIM or THEM. There has to be some DNA left somewhere! And the last articles written in the news seems like they were back, maybe 1986??? Come on!
I wish there could be a group or something that all the families could come together with all the friends too and talk about this, because people think I'm a little off when I want to talk about it and so I can't. And it's never going to get solved if people let it go and stop talking about it.
Thank you for reading this and giving me some place at least to be heard. I really appreciate it.
I agree with you. The black leather coat was a south city or mission boys look. Always sticking out. I personally think it was someone who worked at the golf course or had some kind of business being around that area. Like a girlfriend or a job..or maybe a jilted lover who was taking out revenge.
I know they must have DNA and of course the hair samples. I wonder if there is a way to find out who was working the golf course at that time. Three of the girls were dumped at golf courses..a caddy maybe? Being stabbed that many times is of a crime of passion..rejected?
I wonder if the original investigator is is alive? Might be worth our while to get a hold of him..
I agree with you. The black leather coat was a south city or mission boys look. Always sticking out. I personally think it was someone who worked at the golf course or had some kind of business being around that area. Like a girlfriend or a job..or maybe a jilted lover who was taking out revenge.
I know they must have DNA and of course the hair samples. I wonder if there is a way to find out who was working the golf course at that time. Three of the girls were dumped at golf courses..a caddy maybe? Being stabbed that many times is of a crime of passion..rejected?
I wonder if the original investigator is is alive? Might be worth our while to get a hold of him..
I don't think it was a jilted lover. And I think Ronnie may have not been the first. This person had some sort of experience prior to this. From what I've read about this stuff is there is usually some sort of gradual increase in acting out. By the time they get to doing the stuff that happened to these 5 girls, there may have already been other, less noticed stuff.
I looked at my tax records and I was working at the golf course around this time. I hate to say this but I've always wondered if these two men were looking for me and when they couldn't find me, they took Ronnie. She wasn't a petite girl. It would have taken someone pretty strong to do this by themselves. No, this person or persons were a true blue psychopath.
And doesn't hair samples have DNA in them??? Why can't they use that? I tried to call Pacifica Police 5 or more years ago and they never even called me back! Personally I think they probably botched the case from the beginning. AND, why didn't they ever come talk to any of us kids at Thornton High or for that matter come to the Golf Course and talk to me there?? I NEVER saw any police on campus asking questions nor did I ever see any police at the golf course asking questions nor did I ever see any police while I was working at Serremonte either! They could have lined us all up after the memorial and asked questions then too and that never happened.
I filed a report with the Daly City Police yesterday just to remind them this is still unsolved. But I doubt I'll hear anything back. I don't know what it is going to take. It needs to be put in the public view again though. That's why I'm continuing to post here. Maybe it will spark something. I've also found her grave site up in Middletown in Lake county. I may bring flowers there and leave a note for her relatives sometime. I don't live in that area anymore but did live in Napa for 17 years and still could get there.
Go to "find a grave" and plug Veronica Cascio and you will see her grave and memorial. Also plug in Paula Baxter and you will see hers. It is very sad because it looks like Paula's mother has posted memorial flowers on the site regularly. She still grieves heavily I can tell. I'm sure all the families do.
If any of you read this, know that you are in my heart and I will continue to try to help find those responsible. In honor of Ronnie, Tanya, Paula, Carol and Denise.
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Important info about Ronnie Cascio
