Cheri was found between Teracina 3680 and 3692, two unoccupied buildngs that were used as storage by the library. Detectives check out the location from the porch, so as not to disturb potential crime scene evidence.

The news was devastating for Joseph and the Bates family. He had reported his daughter missing at 5:43 AM when he awoke and found she had not returned home from the previous evenings trip to the library.

In fact no one could remember seeing Cheri Jo Bates after around 6:15 PM that evening.

Several witness reported hearing screams and then a muted scream between 10:15 and 10:45 PM, and then a sound similar to an old car starting up. The autopsy conclusions also tend to support a time of death in this range.

There appears to be approximately four missing hours in her timeline for that fateful evening.

Wherever she was and whoever she was with are most likely the keys to unlocking this mystery.

On the Sunday two weeks after the attack, RPD invited back everybody who had been to the RCC library that night for a re-creation. Police closed off the library area between 5 and 9 PM. Approximately 65 people attended, wearing the same clothing as they had that evening. This provided useful information to the investigation but still did not lead to her killer.

State document examination expert Sherwood Morrill would go on to conclude that he believed the author of the hand written Riverside material (letters and desk poem) were written by the Zodiac killer. Other experts would later disagree with this finding, leaving the involvement of California’s most notorious serial killer up in the air.

Riverside Police Department do not believe Zodiac responsible. They believe they know who killed her but lack the proof. Their suspect was tested against DNA found on Cheri Jo in 1999 for a conclusive no-match.

Other suspects and theories have developed over the years, yet we are no closer to knowing what happened to Cheri Jo Bates that evening. It appears the only person who knows was the person responsible for perpetrating it.

Click here for interactive location marker map, via google earth.

Click here for a location picture gallery.

In this section, we will explore various aspects of the case evidence, from the autopsy conclusions/physical evidence, to the crime scene evidence and communiques. 

He determined that she had been dead for approximately 9-12 hours prior to her body temperature being taken at 9:23 AM. This puts the estimated time of death between 9:23 PM the night before and 12:23 AM that morning.

The blade used was determined to be minimum  of ½ inch wide and 3 ½ inches long. There were no tell tale marks that it had been plunged “up to the hilt.”

The gastric contents suggested she had eaten a supper type meal, probably not more than 2-4 hours before death.

There was no evidence found of rape or sexual assault.

Cause of death was determined to be blood loss due to the severed right carotid artery.

The full autopsy report and diagrams can be viewed in the resource center.

Eleven finger and four palm prints, some described as “greasy” were found on the driver’s door of Cheri’s car.

Four finger and three palm prints remain unidentified. These prints are confirmed as being on file with the FBI in this letter from RPD to Earl Randol, NCSD, in October 1969.

According to a 1974 FBI report, there were two unidentified latent lifts from Riverside communications: One from the Confession letter envelope marked “Homicide detail, Riverside” and one from the RPD’s copy of the “She had to die” letter. 

These prints to compared to the unidentified prints found on the VW car door. No match was effected.

Detectives found drops of blood leading from the crime scene to Terracina Drive. This led them to believe the killer came this way after the murder.

This information was confirmed on the "zodiac killer site" public forum by Zodiac historian Misty Johansen “Tahoe27” (who also appeared on the show as a consultant). Mains had told her that two blood drops were tested, one from the front and one from the back of the pants. The male DNA “was found from the drop of blood… not from the M-Vac’ed pants. It was not familial DNA.”

They also collected DNA from the Timex watch which was not Cheri’s and couldn’t have been family.

The publicly available FBI reports on the Riverside DNA can be seen in full in the resource center.

Shoe prints at the scene indicated that Cheri and her killer walked into the alley side by side at a normal pace. The prints believed to be those of the killer, were found to fit a size 8-10 shoe.

They were determined to be a B.F.Goodrich design, mens four-eighths inch washer type heel. Like the watch, they could be traced back to a military PX. The shoes are believed to be very similar to these.

On November 30th, 1966, one month after the murder, copies of an anonymous typed “confession” letters arrived at Riverside Police Department and the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper. The addresses were hand drawn in felt pen and the envelopes were devoid of postage.

The copies received were said to be carbon copies of the original, possibly fourth or fifth copy, and difficult to read. They were typed on 8 inch wide teletype paper which had been torn at both ends.

Law Enforcement believed the letter was from the killer, despite early news reports stating their uncertainty about authorship.

Typed in all caps, it reads:

                                                                                                   THE CONFESSION

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BY_________________________________

SHE WAS YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL.   BUT NOW SHE IS BATTERED AND DEAD.   SHE IS NOT THE FIRST AND SHE WILL NOT BE THE LAST.   I LAY AWAKE NIGHTS THINKING ABOUT MY NEXT VICTIM.   MAYBE SHE WILL BE THE BEAUTIFUL BLOND THAT BABYSITS NEAR THE LITTLE STORE AND WALKS DOWN THE DARK ALLEY EACH EVENING ABOUT SEVEN.   OR MAYBE SHE WILL BE THE SHAPELY BLUE EYED BROWNETT THAT SAID NO WHEN I ASKED HER FOR A DATE IN HIGH SCHOOL.   BUT MAYBE IT WILL BE NOT BE EITHER.   BUT I SHALL CUT OFF HER FEMALE PARTS AND DEPOSIT THEM FOR THE WHOLE CITY TO SEE.   SO DON’T MAKE IT TO EASY FOR ME.   KEEP YOUR SISTERS, DAUGHTERS, AND WIVES OFF THE STREETS AND ALLEYS.   MISS BATES WAS STUPID.   SHE WENT TO THE SLAUGHTER LIKE A LAMB.   SHE DID NOT PUT UP A STRUGGLE.   BUT I DID.   IT WAS A BALL.   I FIRST PULLED THE MIDDLE WIRE FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR.   THEN I WAITED FOR HER IN THE LIBRARY AND FOLLOWED HER OUT AFTER ABOUT TWO MINUTS.   THE BATTERY MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT DEAD BY THEN.   I THEN OFFERED TO HELP.   SHE WAS THEN VERY WILLING TO TALK WITH ME.  I TOLD HER THAT MY CAR WAS DOWN THE STREET AND THAT I WOULD GIVE HER A LIFT HOME.   WHEN WE WERE AWAY FROM THE LIBRARY WALKING, I SAID IT WAS ABOUT TIME.   SHE ASKED ME “ABOUT TIME FOR WHAT”.   I SAID IT WAS ABOUT TIME FOR HER TO DIE.   I GRABBED HER AROUND THE NECK WITH MY HAND OVER HER MOUTH AND MY OTHER HAND WITH A SMALL KNIFE AT HER THROAT.   SHE WENT VERY WILLINGLY. HER BREAST FELT VERY WARM AND FIRM UNDER MY HANDS, BUT ONLY ONE THING WAS ON MY MIND.   MAKING HER PAY FOR ALL THE BRUSH OFFS THAT SHE HAD GIVEN ME DURING THE YEARS PRIOR.   SHE DIED HARD.   SHE SQUIRMED AND SHOOK AS I CHOAKED HER, AND HER LIPS TWICHED.   SHE LET OUT A SCREAM ONCE AND I KICKED HER HEAD TO SHUT HER UP.   I PLUNGED THE KNIFE INTO HER AND IT BROKE.   I THEN FINISHED THE JOB BY CUTTING HER THROAT.   I AM NOT SICK.   I AM INSANE.   BUT THAT WILL NOT STOP THE GAME.   THIS LETTER SHOULD BE PUBLISHED FOR ALL TO READ IT.   IT JUST MIGHT SAVE THAT GIRL IN THE ALLEY.   BUT THAT’S UP TO YOU.   IT WILL BE ON YOUR CONSCIENCE, NOT MINE.   YES I DID MAKE THAT CALL YO YOU ALSO.   IT WAS JUST A WARNING.   BEWARE…I AM STALKING YOUR GIRLS NOW.

        C.C. CHIEF OF POLICE           

                  ENTERPRISE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

An FBI report from 1974 states that a latent was found on the envelope of the RPD copy of the letter.

Some of the information given by the writer contradicts what the evidence tells us (for instance, she put up an almighty struggle, in spite of the writers statement that she "did not put up a struggle"). 

If this letter is from the killer, it could be an attempt to deliberately cast doubt on events and manipulate the investigation.

On April 30th 1967, exactly 6 months following the murder, three handwritten letters arrived at RPD, The Press-Enterprise, and Joseph Bates home, respectively. All three bore the same message “BATES HAD TO DIE THERE WILL BE MORE” (Joseph Bates’ copy replaces “Bates” with “She”).

In the early 1970’s, State questioned documents examiner Sherwood Morrill concluded that the writer of the three letters was the Zodiac killer. This was called into question later, when other experts examined the material and came to a different conclusion.

In 1974, The FBI reported finding a latent on the letter sent to RPD.

The envelopes each contained 2 x 4c stamps. As standard postage in the U.S. was 5c in 1966, one stamp of the denomination used would not have covered postage.

***UPDATE*** Author of the 1967 "had to die letters" identified by RPD!!!

Click here to read the update.

Big thanks to researcher and former lab technician Eduard Versluijs for contributing the following information.

On inspection of the (computer enhanced) Enterprise copy of the “Bates had to die…” letter there is a discernible stain effect on the surface. Eduard says this is the tell tale signs of Ninhydrin being used on the paper in an attempt to identify fingerprints.

Eduard points out the edges of the paper, where little to no staining appears. Taking into account the translucent nature of the solution and applying logic of process, he concludes that the letter was sprayed with Ninhydrin and that the entire surface was not covered properly. Most likely due to unintentional error, with the technician perhaps believing they had covered the whole document (when in actual fact, the solution was concentrated away from the document edge, as if to mitigate against spraying solution outside the document).

It must be noted that law enforcement departments and lab scientists were not aware of the potential repercussions of destroying DNA evidence by using the Ninhydrin. In these pre-DNA days of criminal investigation, fingerprints were an important tool in establishing identification.

Another very interesting observation made by Eduard: Indented writing can be clearly seen in the enhanced picture of the RPD copy of the “Bates had to die…” letter (below) especially in the central ink “strip.”

Impression testing can be carried out without damaging the evidence. Was this testing ever carried out by RPD?

"Had to die" letters author identified! Read here.

In December 1966, a janitor found an eerie poem, written in ball-point pen onto the underside of a folding desk top, in the RCC library.

It read:

Sick of living/unwilling to die

cut.

clean.

if red /

clean.

blood spurting,

⁠dripping,

⁠spilling;

all over her new

dress.

oh well.

it was red

anyway.

life draining into an

uncertain death.

she won't

die.

this time

someone ll find her.

just wait till

next time.

rh

As with the other handwritten communications related to the Riverside case, Sherwood Morrill authenticated the poem as the work of the Zodiac killer in November 1970, only to have this conclusion brought into question in later years by other State and Federal experts.

Here we will look at some of the different theories pertaining to the case that have been explored over the years.

No more is mentioned until Paul Avery broke the news of a possible Zodiac connection in the San Francisco Chronicle, November 16th, 1970. His uncovering of the desk poem and “had to die” letters led to Questioned Documents Expert Sherwood Morrill comparing “the Riverside material” to the authenticated Zodiac letters on that same day.

The next day, an article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle with the headline: “Zodiac link is definite.” Morrill had concluded that Zodiac was the author of the Riverside material.

Riverside Police Captain Irv Cross acknowledged the link, but still remained unconvinced that Zodiac was responsible for the actual murder in the press.

However, with RPD having expressed their belief that the Confession letter writer was “definitely” the killer, Sherwood Morrill had now officially linked the cases via handwriting and thus included them canonically in the bay area Zodiac investigation.

On November 18th a meeting was held at Riverside Police Department to discuss and share information between the Zodiac and Cheri Jo Bates investigations.

Mel Nicolai prepared a DOJ report on January 22nd 1971 which included Riverside as part of the Zodiac series.

Morrill’s 1970 conclusion came under the microscope even further on May 11th 1978, when state expert John Shimoda concluded the Riverside material was not the work of Zodiac. This conclusion came less than 3 weeks after Morrill had authenticated the latest “Zodiac” letter to arrive at the Chronicle on 24th April (3 state experts would later declare that letter a forgery, the FBI all but stated their belief in this conclusion in their publicly available reports).

Five days after Shimoda’s examination, SFPD made a request of the Bureau to compare all of the material again, to quote: “settle the disputed authorship.” The material was received on May 18th.

The FBI’s conclusion, reported on May 30th:

“The hand printing on the Q85 through Q100 letters shows a wide range of variations and various writing speeds, additionally, portions of the material, particularly the three Riverside letters, may have been disguised or deliberately distorted.

For the above reasons, the hand printing examination of these letters was inconclusive. However, sufficient hand printing characteristics were noted in the Q85 [illegible] Q100 letters which indicate that one person may have prepared all of the letters including the Riverside letters and the message found on the desk top in the Riverside library.”

In the days after the murder, a Los Angeles television station recorded a conversation between two girls who stated they were friends of Cheri’s and that she had told them she was “going to meet her boyfriend” that night.

This was related in the media at the time. Upon further investigation it was proved to be completely untrue. There is simply no rational basis to believe that [a] Cheri planned to do anything that evening other than check out library books and [b] she would be involved with anyone other than her boyfriend – this would also be outrageously out of character for her, from all accounts. Dennis Highland was confirmed as being in San Francisco that weekend.

Two key pieces of evidence found near the crime scene were traced to military establishments. March Air Force Base is only a short drive south east of the city of Riverside.

Recall what Richard Lorenzi says about Riverside in the introduction:

“Riverside was an air force city.”

A few miles north east of Riverside, and just to the east of San Bernardino was the Norton Air Force Base.

 Primarily a logistics and storage base, Norton was also undergoing some major changes in 1966.

The LAADS and the DC-17 were inactivated, and the SAGE Direction Centre closed, along with the other Air Defense Command facilities at Norton.

Norton was placed on the Department of Defence closure list in 1989. The last base facilities closed in 1995, the remaining aviation facilities converted into San Bernardino International Airport.

A brief history of the base can be found here.

It is not clear when, or how the above letter, dated November 1st 1967, surfaced in the public domain.

Theories pertaining to this letter began to originate among some amateur researchers.

It was proposed that the killer of Cheri Jo Bates had sent the letter under the pseudonym “Patricia Hautz.”

Others noticed a resemblance between some of the writing on the envelope, and that of the Zodiac killer, also pointing out the use of the rare ‘Z’ in the given name.

She provided hand writing examples which indeed match the writing on the envelope. Patricia herself agreed that it was her own handwriting.

We can therefore conclude that the letter can definitely be attributed to Patricia and that it has no incriminating characteristics. The full story of Michael Butterfields interaction with Patricia Hautz can be read here.

Many persons of interest have been discussed in the case. 

Two of them have received more attention than the others, by RPD and the amateur community. We will look at these two more in depth, then summarize some of the others looked at over time.

The first possible indirect mention of Barnett by RPD that I could find was in a news article dated November 17th 1970. RPD’s Irv Cross, in reply to the Zodiac connection made by Sherwood Morrill the previous day, states their belief that a local man was responsible, that he was currently serving time on unrelated charges and that they did not possess enough evidence to convict him in the Bates case.

In March 1971, they appeared to elaborate a little in the San Bernadino Sun, stating that he was in custody only a short time after the murder.

Barnett married in 1972 but was divorced 2 years later. (Note: these two sources have been edited for privacy but are legitimate). It appears he was still in California at least in 1974.

The focus appeared to hone in on Barnett once again in May 1982. News reports related that “more witnesses” had told police that he had confessed the killing to them. Barnett had moved overseas by this point. On August 15th 1984 he filed a public application for a license for the Denny’s restaurant in Singapore. It can be confirmed that he was managing that restaurant in October 1984.

It is not known exactly when he left the United States.

As discussed in the DNA section of this article, RPD sent evidence to the lab for DNA comparison to Barnett, which came back as a conclusive non-match.

The most publicized suspect outside of law enforcement is Ross Mercer Sullivan.

Sullivan passed away in Santa Cruz on September 29th 1977.

According to his registration card, Sullivan enlisted in 1959. I do not know when his service terminated, although it seems unlikely he was in the military after 1963 when the Timex Marlin watch found at the crime scene was manufactured.

On paper, he appears to be a very good suspect. However the physical evidence (fingerprints, hair) do not match and he apparently had an alibi. RPD have expressed no interest in him after 1978. The last public reference to his viability as a suspect came from the Inland Empire magazine in 2016.

An interesting theory by researcher Ricardo Gomez regarding Rolland Taft and the desk lid poem found in the RCC library can be found here

Other notable persons of interest are mentioned in articles by the San Bernadino Sun in December 1966, and the Inland Empire magazine in May 2016.

A "heavyset bearded man" identified as being seen in the library that night but who did not return for the re-enactment is a sought after person of interest in the case.

On July 9th 2011, the L.A. Times reported that former RPD Captain Granville “Bud” Kelley, lead investigator of the Cheri Jo Bates case for some years, had been arrested at his home on child molestation charges relating to an incident with a child in 2003.

Cheri's personal diary was found among his possessions when his home was searched by law enforcement. No explanation has ever been given as to why Kelley kept key potential evidence at his place of residence, long after his retirement.

Kelley seemed convinced that “Bob Barnett” was Cheri’s killer. He didn't publicly say as much but he did take his opportunities to push the suspect, like his 1999 interview with Tom Voigt and a 1996 interview with Isaiah Akin.

With all due respect to Riverside Police Department and their dedicated, hard-working staff, I believe a full investigation/audit into the career of Bud Kelley needs to be undertaken.

This, of course, does not in any way undermine efforts of the other detectives who have worked the case.

There is hope, that as technology improves throughout the 21st century, the ability to solve cases like Cheri’s will improve dramatically. Dozens of cold cases are being solved every year with the advancements in forensic science.

The advent of social media, and RPD’s willingness to employ it as part of their expanding toolbox, could well be a factor in creating networks of information, leading to someone coming forward where they may not have felt otherwise comfortable doing so.

That is one of the aims of this article. Reaching out to people who might feel as though their story hasn’t been heard properly yet. We care about Cheri Jo Bates and about this investigation. We want to see justice done and (if still alive) a murderer put in prison where he belongs.

I would love nothing more than to see law enforcement, passionate amateur researchers and the Riverside community working together to create a network of information and possible leads. Cheri probably would have loved to see that.  

This case is solvable, that's something I believe in strongly. If the least that can be done is to continue publicizing and discussing it, then it's something we can all be a part of. 

Rest easy, beautiful young lady.

[For those interested in discussion, join us on Facebook in: "The Cheri Jo Bates Discussion Group."]

NEW CHERI JO BATES FBI FILES

In March 2025 I filed an FOIA request to the FBI for serial number 32-27195, latent case 73096. In late November 2025 the FBI released 50+ new files under this serial number, pertaining to the latent fingerprint evidence in the case.

Here is a link to the new files in pdf format: CHERI JO BATES 32-27195 FILES

I have created a series of videos on my You Tube channel discussing the new files. These can be viewed below.

A collection of case related resources for reference and further in-depth reading. Includes medical reports, FBI, DOJ and Riverside documents, a selection of newspaper articles, and relevant location maps/picture gallery. 

For a visual presentation of the case I recommend you check out Ross Geraci's Planet X series you tube video here