Here's my contribution:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_Night_Stalker
The East Area Rapist assaulted 50-odd women around Sacramento beginning in 1976. He was extremely methodical and organized; he would case victims' houses for weeks before making an attack, doing things unloading weapons and unlocking windows for easier access later. He was described as appearing extremely young, perhaps in his late teens, when the attacks began. He apparently attempted to mislead police by telling his victims that he needed drugs or money for drugs, and by "letting slip" other presumably false details about his real identity. (In one instance, he stole codeine tablets from a victim that were later found discarded in a neighbor's yard.)
There are a lot of strange details to this case. For instance, at a town hall meeting held (in 1977, I think) to address the rapes, one area resident stood up and berated the police for mishandling the investigation, claiming that they must be concealing some information about the attacks, because no man would sit passively by and allow his wife to be assaulted. Then, seven months later, the rapist targeted this man and his wife. Quite possibly a coincidence, but, even so, remarkably weird. There are also various letters and phone calls that may or may not have come from the rapist. There were numerous close calls-- police pursuing a masked man riding a bicycle near a possible ERA crime but losing track of him, residents encountering suspicious people resembling descriptions of the rapist in areas where homes were later attacked, etc. etc.
Anyway, from 1979-1986 there were 12 murders in Southern California attributed to a killer later called the Original Night Stalker. DNA testing later showed that the Original Night Stalker and the East Area Rapist were the same person.
In 2016, the FBI revived the investigation and announced a $50,000 reward.
www.themoscowtimes.com
