Gypsy Hill Killing

The Gypsy Hill Killing is a case of five unresolved murders of young women in the county of San Mateo, California on 1976.  The unidentified serial killer was dubbed as “The San Antonio Slasher.”

On the 8th of January, 1976 a body was found in a creek of the Sharp Park Golf Course in the Pacifica.  The body was later identified as Veronica Cascio, 18 years old.  Veronica suffered 30 stabbed wounds.  After a few weeks Tatiana Blackwell, 14, was reported missing.  Her body was discovered on June 6 at the Sharp Park Road near the Gypsy Hill; and just like the first incident, Blackwell was stabbed to death.

The series of murder was followed by the disappearance of Paul Baxter, 17 on the 2nd of February.  Her body was found on February 4, naked in Milbrae, she was sexually assaulted, stabbed to death and bludgeoned with a piece of concrete.  Then on the 1st of April, Denise Lampe, 19 was found dead at Serramonte Center, she was stabbed 20 times.  It was followed by the death of Mrs. Carol Booth who was first reported missing by her own husband on the 5th of March.

Other possible victims (though still debatable) were Michelle Mitchell, 19 (but a mental patient confessed to the crime) and Idell M. Friedman (21) who works at an import firm.  Her body was discovered by a co-worker who started to get worried after she failed to show up at work.

Authorities were able to connect the series of crime to each other and they were convinced that they only have one killer at loose.  All bodies were reportedly found in the woods.  In March 2014, the FBI re-examined the evidence after the DNA result cleared Cathy Woods (mental patient who confessed to the crime) for the murder of Mitchell.  The identity of the killer remains unknown.