CA CA - The Doodler *UNSOLVED*

So, After All... Who is the Black Doodler? | True Crime Magazine
"On January 27, 1974, the body of Gerald Earl Cavanaugh, 49, was found on Ocean Beach, with the tide threatening to drag his corpse out to sea. Cavanaugh had been stabbed several times. The coroner’s report described him as “never married” — a polite way of implying that he was homosexual.

[jump] Cavanaugh was the first known victim of the Doodler, a serial killer who preyed on gay men in the Castro in 1974 and 1975. Also called “The Black Doodler” because of the color of his skin, he met his victims in bars and restaurants, then lured them in by sketching their likenesses on cocktail napkins. Once the Doodler made it home with his intended victim, he stabbed him to death and dumped the body on the beach."
 
'Doodler killer' cold case has renewed interest in San Francisco
June 24 2018
'Doodler killer' cold case has renewed interest
"The case went cold, but now the San Francisco Police Department is back on track, KRON reported.

"We're going back trying to locate victims, following up on evidence, trying to locate potential witnesses," said Sgt. Michael Andraychak with San Francisco PD.

There were an additional three men who survived violent attacks. Authorities won't go into details about how the men were hurt, or if a weapon was used.

But they have reason to believe there may be a connection between those attacks and the serial killer case.

"We have not established a definite connection, but we're actively working those cases to locate the suspect, bring that person to justice, get justice for the victims," Andraychak said."

At least one victim recounted meeting the suspect in an all-night diner in the city.
 
Police had a guy in custody a couple of months ago, according to KTVU. I guess they couldn't find evidence against him. I wonder if he is the same suspect they almost arrested forty years ago. It seems to me, the Doodler would have died of AIDS. Because he was seducing gay men in San Francisco in the 1970s, I would be very surprised if he is still alive.
 
I have not heard any more on this case.. but was thinking of Samuel Little because of all his sketches of all the women..

the doodler murders - Bing video

Doodler - Wikipedia

It is believed that the Doodler killed up to 14 people. A consistent method used in several of the killings was stabbing the victims in the front and back of their bodies. Police theorized that the victims had all died after meeting with the suspect near the locations where their bodies were recovered. Police initially believed there could have been as many as three different perpetrators during early stages of the investigation.

Gerald Cavanaugh
Gerald Earl Cavanaugh, a Canadian-American immigrant, is believed to be the Doodler's first victim. He was 49 at the time of his slaying, which had occurred by stabbing. Cavanaugh's fully clothed body was located on January 24, 1974, lying face-up on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, in the early hours of the morning. He had died hours before. He was determined to have been conscious at the time he was killed and had attempted to resist his killer because he had self-defense wounds. He initially remained unidentified, being temporarily known as "John Doe #7" by the medical examiner. He was a single man with few details about his personal life.

Joseph "Jae" Stevens
Joseph Stevens, best known by the nickname "Jae" was discovered by a woman walking along Spreckels Lake, located in San Francisco on June 25, 1974. Stevens was 27 and had died shortly before his body was found; he had been witnessed at a club the previous day. He was employed as a "female impersonator" and comedian. Officers suspected that Stevens was alive at the time he had been at Spreckels Lake, possibly transporting himself to the area with his killer.

Klaus Christmann
Klaus Christmann, a German-American immigrant, was discovered by a woman walking her dog on July 7, 1974. His death had been somewhat more violent than the previous murders because he had considerably more stab wounds than Stevens and had been slashed in the throat several times. The body was fully clothed. Christmann, unlike the previous victims, was married and had children. The fact that he had a "make-up tube" on his person when he died suggested to police he may have been a closeted gay man.

He remained unidentified briefly while police were investigating the cases, which they had believed were related after the third murder. He was buried in his native country.

Frederick Capin
Frederick Elmer Capin, aged 32, was discovered on May 12, 1975 in San Francisco. He had been stabbed, like the other victims, dying from strikes to his aorta. It is believed his body had been moved approximately 20 feet as disturbances in the nearby sand indicated. Capin was identified through fingerprints when these were matched to those taken "by the state" due to his occupation as a nurse. He also had served in the United States Navy, earning medals while serving in the Vietnam War.

Harald Gullberg
Harald Gullberg, aged 66, was a Swedish-American immigrant who was discovered on June 4, 1975 in a decomposed state about two weeks after his death in Lincoln Park. He remains slightly inconsistent with the other homicides because he was far older than the others, his underwear had been taken by his killer and his pants were unzipped. Gullberg is believed to be the final victim of the Doodler. While he remained unidentified, he was known as "John Doe #81."



composite-sketch-of-the-doodler.jpg
 
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I wonder what happened that he stopped killing? He was arrested and let go. I wonder if they watched him after that or if he moved someplace else and continued to do the same?

Something that goes through my head is there were 3 witnesses but nobody wanted to testify. Couldn't they have disguised the witnesses for them to be able to publicly testify? I don't know it's just a thought. It's crazy to let this killer go free like that. Just thinking out loud
 
Police had a guy in custody a couple of months ago, according to KTVU. I guess they couldn't find evidence against him. I wonder if he is the same suspect they almost arrested forty years ago. It seems to me, the Doodler would have died of AIDS. Because he was seducing gay men in San Francisco in the 1970s, I would be very surprised if he is still alive.


Yes I have been wondering that also.. but also thinking maybe they thought the Doodler was Samuel Little who has been inthe news recently
CA - CA + more - SAMUEL LITTLE aka Samuel McDowell, 1970's thru final arrest 2012
 
San Francisco police seek the ‘Doodler’ — 1970s serial killer who targeted gay men
doodler-sketches.jpg


This pair of sketches provided by the San Francisco Police Department, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, shows what a serial killer might look like now in a cold case involving at least five stabbing deaths of gay men in the mid-1970s. San Francisco Police Department via AP

At a news conference, police released a pair of images that showed a 1975 sketch of the man and an “age-progression” showing what he might look like now."
"Police described the killer as an African-American male, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall with a lanky build who was likely in his early 20s during the attacks."

"Police on Wednesday also announced a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the killer and released audio of an anonymous call made to police on Jan. 27, 1974, reporting a body found near Ocean Beach in San Francisco."
 
Feb 6, 2019
Veronica De La Cruz reports on SFPD releasing new sketch of infamous 'Doodler' suspect, pursuing DNA testing (2-6-2019)

I wondering if he moved to another location after he was arrested and let gone side things got hot in San Francisco.

it WOULD be interesting to know if there were other gay trans unsolved Identified Or Unidentified that were found stabbed and dumped in remote places with the same MO as the ones in San Francisco. But nobody has ever made the pattern and matched them up to this guy.

I just find it a bit odd that he Just Stopped after he was detained.
 
I have not heard any more on this case.. but was thinking of Samuel Little because of all his sketches of all the women..

the doodler murders - Bing video

Doodler - Wikipedia

It is believed that the Doodler killed up to 14 people. A consistent method used in several of the killings was stabbing the victims in the front and back of their bodies. Police theorized that the victims had all died after meeting with the suspect near the locations where their bodies were recovered. Police initially believed there could have been as many as three different perpetrators during early stages of the investigation.

Gerald Cavanaugh
Gerald Earl Cavanaugh, a Canadian-American immigrant, is believed to be the Doodler's first victim. He was 49 at the time of his slaying, which had occurred by stabbing. Cavanaugh's fully clothed body was located on January 24, 1974, lying face-up on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, in the early hours of the morning. He had died hours before. He was determined to have been conscious at the time he was killed and had attempted to resist his killer because he had self-defense wounds. He initially remained unidentified, being temporarily known as "John Doe #7" by the medical examiner. He was a single man with few details about his personal life.

Joseph "Jae" Stevens
Joseph Stevens, best known by the nickname "Jae" was discovered by a woman walking along Spreckels Lake, located in San Francisco on June 25, 1974. Stevens was 27 and had died shortly before his body was found; he had been witnessed at a club the previous day. He was employed as a "female impersonator" and comedian. Officers suspected that Stevens was alive at the time he had been at Spreckels Lake, possibly transporting himself to the area with his killer.

Klaus Christmann
Klaus Christmann, a German-American immigrant, was discovered by a woman walking her dog on July 7, 1974. His death had been somewhat more violent than the previous murders because he had considerably more stab wounds than Stevens and had been slashed in the throat several times. The body was fully clothed. Christmann, unlike the previous victims, was married and had children. The fact that he had a "make-up tube" on his person when he died suggested to police he may have been a closeted gay man.

He remained unidentified briefly while police were investigating the cases, which they had believed were related after the third murder. He was buried in his native country.

Frederick Capin
Frederick Elmer Capin, aged 32, was discovered on May 12, 1975 in San Francisco. He had been stabbed, like the other victims, dying from strikes to his aorta. It is believed his body had been moved approximately 20 feet as disturbances in the nearby sand indicated. Capin was identified through fingerprints when these were matched to those taken "by the state" due to his occupation as a nurse. He also had served in the United States Navy, earning medals while serving in the Vietnam War.

Harald Gullberg
Harald Gullberg, aged 66, was a Swedish-American immigrant who was discovered on June 4, 1975 in a decomposed state about two weeks after his death in Lincoln Park. He remains slightly inconsistent with the other homicides because he was far older than the others, his underwear had been taken by his killer and his pants were unzipped. Gullberg is believed to be the final victim of the Doodler. While he remained unidentified, he was known as "John Doe #81."



composite-sketch-of-the-doodler.jpg


I have read that he killed up to 14 but I have not found any information on any other people other than these people. I have been looking to see if I found a timeline other than the one I posted above but have not.

Also I wonder if they kept any copies of the sketches that he was drawing to see the style of his drawings. Has anyone seen anything published on his actual sketches?
 
I came across this which I thought was interesting But never heard of before.


A week after Steven’s murder the New York Times announced the first named suspect in the case; Daniel Olivo, age 30, arrested for the rape of a 5-year old boy in a Bronx park on August 20th, three days after the Cropper murder.
After luring the child to a secluded area on the pretext of playing ball
Olivo pounced on the victim and committed an act of sodomy.
The child managed to escape after the attack and alerted his father, a hot dog vendor stationed nearby.

According to the Times, Olivo—standing 5’7” and weighing 140 pounds—was “Hispanic in appearance” with a pockmarked complexion and noticeable limp.
Investigators were unable to develop any information linking Olivo to the Charlie Chop-off crimes, however, and he was eventually dropped as a suspect.



Charles in Charge: a Charlie Chop-off Reinvestigation

charlie6.jpg
 
Yes I have been wondering that also.. but also thinking maybe they thought the Doodler was Samuel Little who has been inthe news recently
CA - CA + more - SAMUEL LITTLE aka Samuel McDowell, 1970's thru final arrest 2012
But Samuel Little had a completely different MO, he was a semi-pro heavyweight boxer who knocked out his victims with one punch to the jaw and then masterbated on top of them. If they woke up he strangled them to death. Only one woman did he kill in "water" and it still involved strangling her in the water, a combo of strangulation and drowning. He never admitted to killing any men and never used a weapon other than his lethal hands.
 
But Samuel Little had a completely different MO, he was a semi-pro heavyweight boxer who knocked out his victims with one punch to the jaw and then masterbated on top of them. If they woke up he strangled them to death. Only one woman did he kill in "water" and it still involved strangling her in the water, a combo of strangulation and drowning. He never admitted to killing any men and never used a weapon other than his lethal hands.
A good suspect (maybe already ruled out) is Vaughn Greenwood, the Skid Row Slasher: Vaughn Greenwood: American serial killer - Biography, Life, Family, Career, Facts, Information
 
Not a bad suspect, but the men seemed older in Greenwood's murders. It's amazing that police had someone who fit the description, had a knife and a sketchbook, and a counselor/priest comes forward and says " yes, this guy confessed to me" and then...NOTHING.

Seems to me that it just wasn't a priority for the SFPD. The case was literally handed to the and they dropped the ball. Did they actually follow this guy later and track his movements??
 
All the victims were homosexual. My bet is that the culprit was a religious fanatic, somebody who hated gays because of their sexual behaviour (seen as sinful and indecent)
Just my opinion, of course.
So sad he was never apprehended.
I hope the new DNA technology is gonna help to find this maniac.
 
But Samuel Little had a completely different MO, he was a semi-pro heavyweight boxer who knocked out his victims with one punch to the jaw and then masterbated on top of them. If they woke up he strangled them to death. Only one woman did he kill in "water" and it still involved strangling her in the water, a combo of strangulation and drowning. He never admitted to killing any men and never used a weapon other than his lethal hands.
Thanks for the info :)
I thought Samuel Little could have been a good suspect but unfortunately he's a different kind of psycho
 

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