Santa Rosa Hitchhiking Murders: Dumping Grounds of the Innocent

It seems inconceivable to imagine an era when hitchhiking was an acceptable alternative for those without cars or were underage to drive. Within Sonoma County, young women began disappearing during the early 1970s. Their bodies would be discovered dumped in various rural areas and waterways. Most had been sexually violated and some simply left out in the elements. Over the passing decades, serial killers such as Ted Bundy, the Zodiac and the Mount Tamalpais stalker have been suspected, but none of these psychopaths have ever been directly linked.

Only one victim, Theresa Walsh would reach the age of majority and she was only 23. Walsh intended to hitchhike south from Garberville to Malibu to visit her family for the Christmas holiday. She was last seen the day that she departed. Forensic evidence and fewer hitchhikers have lessened the probability of future serial killers. These young women have become as forgotten as the grounds in which they were unceremoniously dumped.