The Unsolved Murder of Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber: The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killings and California's Vanishing Girls
A chilling true crime investigation into one of California's most haunting unsolved cases.
On a cold February night in 1972, two young girls disappeared after a night of skating.
Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber-just twelve and thirteen years old-never came home. Months later, their skeletal remains were discovered in the dense brush off Franz Valley Road in Northern California. Their deaths weren't an isolated tragedy. They were the beginning of a nightmare.
What followed was a string of disappearances and murders that would leave a quiet California county forever changed.
Over two years, the bodies of multiple young women were discovered in remote locations across Sonoma County. Many had been hitchhiking. All were young, with long brown hair. Some were bound. Some were raped. All were discarded. And none of their killers were ever brought to justice.
This book is not just a retelling-it is an immersive forensic reconstruction.
Through vivid narrative, investigative detail, and exclusive archival records, The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Slayings guides readers through every corner of this forgotten case. From the first panicked 911 call to the last discovered body, it lays out the full timeline of victims-including Kim Allen, Jeanette Kamahele, Lori Kursa, Carolyn Davis, Teresa Walsh, and an unidentified Jane Doe. It also analyzes key suspects: from Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer to lesser-known figures like Frederick Manalli, a creative writing teacher with sinister secrets.
What You'll Discover in This Book:
A detailed forensic analysis of each crime scene, binding technique, and autopsy report
Side-by-side suspect evaluations, including law enforcement records, timelines, and profiling insights
A haunting narrative that honors each victim, giving voice to the forgotten
A critical examination of law enforcement missteps, media distortion, and the cultural stigma surrounding runaways
Never-before-organized connections between victims, geography, and investigative failures
Why This Case Still Matters
More than fifty years later, the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders remain one of the most disturbing series of unsolved true crime cases in the United States. For the families who never found justice, and for the communities that still bear the scars, the questions remain:
Who killed them?
Why were these girls targeted?
And why has it taken so long for anyone to listen?
This book is a call to remember, a challenge to silence, and a meticulous examination of a killer who may still be unaccounted for.
Perfect for readers of:
Ann Rule and classic narrative true crime
Cold case reconstructions like The Cases That Haunt Us
Historical crime buffs and 1970s American noir
Anyone drawn to stories that demand answers-and refuse to forget the victims
Some books entertain. This one remembers. And demands that you do, too.
If you believe every victim deserves a name, a story, and the truth-this is the book for you.
Related Subjects
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