SACRAMENTO, Calif. — He was initially dubbed the East Area Rapist after beginning his crimes in Northern California. He later became known as the Original Night Stalker after a series of slayings in Southern California.
Now called the Golden State Killer, he has been linked through DNA and other evidence to at least 12 homicides, 45 rapes and dozens of burglaries across California in the 1970s and 1980s.
“This serial offender was probably one of the most prolific, certainly in California and possibly within the United States,” Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Sgt. Paul Belli said at a news conference where authorities announced a $50,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of the elusive serial killer.
Authorities decided to publicize the case in advance of June 18 – the 40th anniversary of his first known assault in Sacramento County.
Belli said investigators are looking for clues concerning other crimes in California and elsewhere that he may have committed.
An FBI website at fbi.gov/sacramento features maps, sketches and interviews involving the case, and the killer has been made a top priority on the agency’s major crimes tip line, 800-CALL-FBI.
The case is also being featured on social media, digital billboards and radio public service announcements.
The effort marks the latest of numerous attempts to identify the man who started terrorizing suburban bedroom communities in 1976 and 1977 east of Sacramento and as far south as Stockton and Modesto.
The masked rapist, armed with a gun, would break into homes while single women or couples were sleeping. He would tie up the man and pile dishes on his back, then rape the woman while threatening to kill them both if the dishes tumbled.
His victims ranged in age from 13 to 41. He often took souvenirs, notably coins and jewelry.
It wasn’t until 2001 that new DNA testing linked him to at least six Southern California homicides between 1979 and 1986. Investigators believe he also committed another four homicides in the region.
The killer was described at the time as white, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with blonde or light brown hair.
If he’s still alive, he would likely be 60 to 75 years old.
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