Identified! CA - Laurel Canyon, WhtFem 358UFCA, 20-23, Nov'69 - Reet Jurvetson

[weegee]

Have jumped down the rabbit hole a bit on this one. I watched the fifth estate video and two things jumped out at me. The first being the number of times she was stabbed , even doing that motion ten times seems extreme, 150 is crazy. The second thing was that the murder weapon was a pen knife. That sort of rules out Manson for me, did they not go armed with much larger weapons to the Tate murder? It also seems like something you would have at hand, pointing to an unplanned attack, a struggle escalated and he has pulled out the pen knife. It could also explain the number of wounds, if there was a struggle he may have struck her several times to try and subdue her, or kill her. I imagine it takes a lot longer with a pen knife than a kitchen knife say, especially if she was fighting back. The number of wounds, and weapon, makes me think it was unplanned, if you had planned it would you not go armed with a bigger knife and deal more direct blows, les frenzied. What it all says to me is the killer is someone who she knew and that an argument escalated to the point of extreme rage and close weapon at hand was pulled out and used. All just my brain dump and opinion. Could be totally off the mark.

 

[Susikatze]

I also totally doubt there is any connection to Manson. Evidence for it is anyway flimsy at best.

That overkill of stab wounds is usually an indication for a murder driven by emotions. Whether it was her boyfriend or a random stranger who picked her up and killed her because she did not want to sleep with him, no idea. Was she sexually assaulted?

 

[dotr]

I also totally doubt there is any connection to Manson. Evidence for it is anyway flimsy at best.

That overkill of stab wounds is usually an indication for a murder driven by emotions. Whether it was her boyfriend or a random stranger who picked her up and killed her because she did not want to sleep with him, no idea. Was she sexually assaulted?

No mention or suggestion that Reet was sexually assaulted and she was found fully dressed and wearing boots, imo.

 

[ks-ch]

so aggravating. "Gee whizz, I haven't heard from my daughter in 10 years, I guess now I will finally write that Ad" Screaming / banging my head on wall. whyyyyyyyy! !!!!! ehhhhh!

Dude, what a disrespectful attitude, calm down, this is 1979, imagine having no internet, not being a native speaker and being a refugee (oftentimes equals scarce income), not knowing what jurisdiction to refer to, and I assume, living during the times when it had been very common to lose connection to the family because of whatever reason. You are not in a position to judge.

 

[Georgia8]

Dude, what a disrespectful attitude, calm down, this is 1979, imagine having no internet, not being a native speaker and being a refugee (oftentimes equals scarce income), not knowing what jurisdiction to refer to, and I assume, living during the times when it had been very common to lose connection to the family because of whatever reason. You are not in a position to judge.

 

[Georgia8]

They were political refugees very well off I think the previous was correct there is something strange here. I am thinking increasingly that GG and family had a very strong suspicion Jane Doe was Reet but held off till T.J. was deceased.

By the way Reet would be entrepeneur Steve Jurvetson's (born 1967) aunt I wonder if he ever demonstrated curiosity in finding out what happened to his aunt. He would possibly have been born around time Reet had run away a previous time to Toronto presumably to stay with her aunt correct? Oddly on family pics T.J.'s wife also T.J. does not seem very pregnant one month before the birth of S.V. but I have just seen a case of that on the very floor of my apartment, couldn't tell.

Glasses: CBC article linked not too long ago above speaks of the killer leaving the glasses behind. But as I understand it they were down the hill near Reet's body. How did they get there? How common were those glasses, for example in photos of the brother he appears to be wearing similar glasses no? I can only think the killer went down there at some point possibly to try to pry the body from that bush (but there would have been other evidence of his presence?) OR that they have nothing to do with Reet at all. Maybe they had blood on them? Otherwise why would LE think they were connected to Reet?

We are always doomed to follow possibly misleading MSM but there seems to have been some ambiguity in the brother having sent someone to check on Reet at her apartment and a separate account, important, that he went himself. In which case he would have met Jean or the Jeans. Or at least have been told by the super/manager who was renting the apartment. I am pretty sure he went himself. Very strange to me lots missing here.

We have no evidence of any of this of course Now for the ad why does it state widowed mother. Just to inform Reet of her Dad's death or, more likely, some hope that Reet would be more comfortable calling with her Dad gone. I don't know though.

Do you see anywhere that Reet was hoping to visit her baby nephew as well in Arizona? I think they just had the one child.

Finally what are the chances the bra was planted in the evidence box later? There is something strange about blood....surely that bra would be first soaked and then caked in blood? So many stab wounds. Unless post mortem something I do not think we know. Illustrations show at least some stab wounds in the back. I wonder where she was stabbed first?

 

[Georgia8]

They were political refugees very well off I think the previous was correct there is something strange here. I am thinking increasingly that GG and family had a very strong suspicion Jane Doe was Reet but held off till T.J. was deceased.

By the way Reet would be entrepeneur Steve Jurvetson's (born 1967) aunt I wonder if he ever demonstrated curiosity in finding out what happened to his aunt. He would possibly have been born around time Reet had run away a previous time to Toronto presumably to stay with her aunt correct? Oddly on family pics T.J.'s wife also T.J. does not seem very pregnant one month before the birth of S.V. but I have just seen a case of that on the very floor of my apartment, couldn't tell.

Glasses: CBC article linked not too long ago above speaks of the killer leaving the glasses behind. But as I understand it they were down the hill near Reet's body. How did they get there? How common were those glasses, for example in photos of the brother he appears to be wearing similar glasses no? I can only think the killer went down there at some point possibly to try to pry the body from that bush (but there would have been other evidence of his presence?) OR that they have nothing to do with Reet at all. Maybe they had blood on them? Otherwise why would LE think they were connected to Reet?

We are always doomed to follow possibly misleading MSM but there seems to have been some ambiguity in the brother having sent someone to check on Reet at her apartment and a separate account, important, that he went himself. In which case he would have met Jean or the Jeans. Or at least have been told by the super/manager who was renting the apartment. I am pretty sure he went himself. Very strange to me lots missing here.

We have no evidence of any of this of course Now for the ad why does it state widowed mother. Just to inform Reet of her Dad's death or, more likely, some hope that Reet would be more comfortable calling with her Dad gone. I don't know though.

Do you see anywhere that Reet was hoping to visit her baby nephew as well in Arizona? I think they just had the one child.

Finally what are the chances the bra was planted in the evidence box later? There is something strange about blood....surely that bra would be first soaked and then caked in blood? So many stab wounds. Unless post mortem something I do not think we know. Illustrations show at least some stab wounds in the back. I wonder where she was stabbed first?

 

[Georgia8]

One way to look at it is from the point of view of the family in Montreal. They were well off and were well esconced in the Estonian community. In that generation almost certainly with lots of Estonian friends. There is evidence of this. The Wiki article on Reet's nephew Steve says that his grandparents did not teach their children Estonian but in fact used it as a sort of secret language very interesting thing to say. Though supposedly Reet sent a card in Estonian. They would have had people asking about Reet's whereabouts. Been given lots of unsolicited advice. I mentioned the holes in the story about T.J. visiting Reet. We may have trouble tracking things down now but at that time people would have noticed this lovely Reet surely. The P.I. story seems half backed to me hopefully not.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

By the way Reet would be entrepeneur Steve Jurvetson's (born 1967) aunt

Wow, wild... I had actually wondered if there was a relation there, or if "Jurvetson" is just a common surname in the Baltic region and thus people of Baltic descent. This is one of those times when you think about how small of a world it is. Reet possibly knew members of the Manson family, and happens to be the late aunt of a famous techie. The plot thickens.

 

[Winward1]

"The box should have contained written evidence and photographs only because all other physical evidence was supposed to be destroyed years before." - The Fifth Estate is a crime show whose writers believe physical evidence in unsolved murder cases is supposed to be destroyed. OK.

 

[Georgia8]

I take 'supposed to be destroyed' to mean that was the policy of LE not an opinion of the TV show. I don't how usual or unusual it would be for the department to destroy the physical evidence. Any ideas? You bring up an important point still. I asked previously how this item of clothing would not be caked in blood given the tremendous injuries inflicted on Reet......yet and I am going from memory it almost seemed...wearable in the photo....something is strange unless my memory is not serving me on this

 

[Winward1]

As it is not credited to a source I do not know how it could be inferred to have been the opinion of anyone but the writer of the script of the TV show.

 

[buffaloclyde]

Just spent the week researching this case, reading comments on several forums, watching several documentaries, and after going back and forth between the Manson theory, I'm inclined to believe it's not related.

Some observations:

• She was stabbed over 150 times. Other Manson victims were stabbed at most, 40-50 times. Stories about people being stabbed over 100 times were the result of rage from their domestic partner or parents. This was extremely personal.

• Manson's family either buried the bodies or left them out to be discovered. Dumping did not seem to be their M.O.

• She was not raped. This leads me to believe it was not some Rodney Alcala-type serial rapist/killer who just met her. She may have been intimate with this person before but now he has nothing but disgust and anger for her. Dare I say, she may have tried to attack him first as a result of a fight?

• I don't fully buy her being at the scene of the Haught "suicide" as the people who were there that night were the inner circle of the Manson clan. Someone like Reet who had just arrived in L.A. would not be welcomed that soon, nor would she want to given the societal class difference. They would've definitely creeped her out. In fact, the odds of her getting picked up and involved with the Manson clan within a few weeks of her arrival are too great.

• She was found dressed like she had just gone out on a date (not in casual home attire) and the autopsy stated she had ate not long before she was killed, suggesting she was probably meeting with someone for dinner who killed her soon afterwards. She was likely killed outdoors in the Mulholland hills but doesn't explain why she was taken into a car and dumped off a ravine. Couldn't her killer have just killed and dumped her in the same stop?

• It is interesting to note that there has never been any mention if anyone came in possession of her belongings left over in her apartment, if that's where she last stayed. If she had a camera, a calendar, or any notes, we could determine her final whereabouts. She must have brought a suitcase full of belongings with her. Whether her killer went back to her apartment and cleared everything out, or her landlord did, those items are long gone.

• The Jean suspect is interesting. She moved to LA to be with him, so it seems she was more infatuated with him than the other way around. I think it was claimed he was a medical student. Seems like a risky thing to be a murderer and screw up your ambitions of being a medical professional. Did things get that ugly between them within two months time?

• I'm a bit confused with her final residence. I've read that she moved in with Jean at first, but I've also read she moved in with Jean at the apartment next to Paramount Studios, which, was where her postcard was written from, sounded like she already moved out from Jean's place and found an apartment of her own. This would be about a month after she arrived in LA. If Jean was staying at that apartment and Reet never came back, wouldn't he have said something? He would've had access to her parent's mailing address. The PI that the family hired went to that address and was told (by who?) she moved out. That's odd to me she would move out of what she calls a nice apartment not long after settling there. There are lot of holes with her final residence.

• If Jean did not own a car while in LA, I think we can rule him out. Renting a car to carry a bleeding dead body isn't something you want to bring back to the rental agency. Whoever did this owned a car and had to be familiar with the winding roads of the Mulholland Hills. Not an easy area to navigate. Would a recent LA transplant like Jean be familiar with this? Sounds like the murderer has lived in LA for a while and knows where the best dumping grounds are.

• I wonder if she ever held a job after arriving in LA. She saved money to take a bus out there and probably had enough for several month's rent. From the short time she was there, it sounded like she just went to the beach everyday, but no indication of how she intended to pursue any long term income through work. Paramount Studios is next door. I wonder if she applied for a job there.

• The Manson Speaks documentary from the History Channel was an interesting watch. They heavily pushed the narrative her murder was Manson related which I found annoying. However, I do give them a lot of credit for getting a lot of the key people involved with Manson and the Spahn ranch to come out and speak after all these years. Those people can provide more valuable information about Reet than any of us can, and even they cannot confirm they have seen her. If all of that extensive and difficult documentary research turned up nothing that can substantiate any ties between Reet and Manson, then I think it's fair to conclude it is highly unlikely.

Separately, since Reet's name has always been tied to Marina Habe and the two scientology student murders, I do believe the latter two were more Manson-related based on my research.

 

[dotr]

Just spent the week researching this case, reading comments on several forums, watching several documentaries, and after going back and forth between the Manson theory, I'm inclined to believe it's not related.

Some observations:

• She was stabbed over 150 times. Other Manson victims were stabbed at most, 40-50 times. Stories about people being stabbed over 100 times were the result of rage from their domestic partner or parents. This was extremely personal.

• Manson's family either buried the bodies or left them out to be discovered. Dumping did not seem to be their M.O.

• She was not raped. This leads me to believe it was not some Rodney Alcala-type serial rapist/killer who just met her. She may have been intimate with this person before but now he has nothing but disgust and anger for her. Dare I say, she may have tried to attack him first as a result of a fight?

• I don't fully buy her being at the scene of the Haught "suicide" as the people who were there that night were the inner circle of the Manson clan. Someone like Reet who had just arrived in L.A. would not be welcomed that soon, nor would she want to given the societal class difference. They would've definitely creeped her out. In fact, the odds of her getting picked up and involved with the Manson clan within a few weeks of her arrival are too great.

• She was found dressed like she had just gone out on a date (not in casual home attire) and the autopsy stated she had ate not long before she was killed, suggesting she was probably meeting with someone for dinner who killed her soon afterwards. She was likely killed outdoors in the Mulholland hills but doesn't explain why she was taken into a car and dumped off a ravine. Couldn't her killer have just killed and dumped her in the same stop?

• It is interesting to note that there has never been any mention if anyone came in possession of her belongings left over in her apartment, if that's where she last stayed. If she had a camera, a calendar, or any notes, we could determine her final whereabouts. She must have brought a suitcase full of belongings with her. Whether her killer went back to her apartment and cleared everything out, or her landlord did, those items are long gone.

• The Jean suspect is interesting. She moved to LA to be with him, so it seems she was more infatuated with him than the other way around. I think it was claimed he was a medical student. Seems like a risky thing to be a murderer and screw up your ambitions of being a medical professional. Did things get that ugly between them within two months time?

• I'm a bit confused with her final residence. I've read that she moved in with Jean at first, but I've also read she moved in with Jean at the apartment next to Paramount Studios, which, was where her postcard was written from, sounded like she already moved out from Jean's place and found an apartment of her own. This would be about a month after she arrived in LA. If Jean was staying at that apartment and Reet never came back, wouldn't he have said something? He would've had access to her parent's mailing address. The PI that the family hired went to that address and was told (by who?) she moved out. That's odd to me she would move out of what she calls a nice apartment not long after settling there. There are lot of holes with her final residence.

• If Jean did not own a car while in LA, I think we can rule him out. Renting a car to carry a bleeding dead body isn't something you want to bring back to the rental agency. Whoever did this owned a car and had to be familiar with the winding roads of the Mulholland Hills. Not an easy area to navigate. Would a recent LA transplant like Jean be familiar with this? Sounds like the murderer has lived in LA for a while and knows where the best dumping grounds are.

• I wonder if she ever held a job after arriving in LA. She saved money to take a bus out there and probably had enough for several month's rent. From the short time she was there, it sounded like she just went to the beach everyday, but no indication of how she intended to pursue any long term income through work. Paramount Studios is next door. I wonder if she applied for a job there.

• The Manson Speaks documentary from the History Channel was an interesting watch. They heavily pushed the narrative her murder was Manson related which I found annoying. However, I do give them a lot of credit for getting a lot of the key people involved with Manson and the Spahn ranch to come out and speak after all these years. Those people can provide more valuable information about Reet than any of us can, and even they cannot confirm they have seen her. If all of that extensive and difficult documentary research turned up nothing that can substantiate any ties between Reet and Manson, then I think it's fair to conclude it is highly unlikely.

Separately, since Reet's name has always been tied to Marina Habe and the two scientology student murders, I do believe the latter two were more Manson-related based on my research.

Welcome to Ws buffaloclyde, thanks for the well-thought post, i agree with many of the points you made!

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Just spent the week researching this case, reading comments on several forums, watching several documentaries, and after going back and forth between the Manson theory, I'm inclined to believe it's not related.

I agree, and have always felt, that the Manson connection is a bit of a stretch - you brought up some very compelling reasons as to why that theory just doesn't seem to hold water. Still, the possibility can't be dismissed entirely. I personally believe that once Reet arrived in LA, she got involved with some people - could have been people in Jean's crowd - who didn't have the best of intentions towards her. As you've said, this has every hallmark of being a rage killing. Don't know if things went south with Jean - seems she was smitten with him - and in some jealous rage, he did this? Could have been that they broke up, and then she started dating someone else who had these violent tendencies. Someone might have been angered by her rejection?

It definitely seems to have been done by someone who was mentally imbalanced, or under the influence of whatever mind-altering substances would provoke an outcome like this... The person would have probably known her rather intimately, too, as you said. They at least got to know her well. Some random person wouldn't carry out a murder quite like this. Could be that this Jean person had a violent temper and believed she was cheating on him, but then as you mentioned, it doesn't quite mesh with what little we do know about the guy, that he was in training to become some kind of doctor. That personality profile would be more along the lines of a cool, collected individual, not some mercurial rageaholic. I'm totally stumped as to what the motive could've been.

 

[buffaloclyde]

Some more thoughts...

As mentioned, knowing whether or not Jean or the other Jean and John had a car would be key to ruling them out or not since her body was transported in a vehicle. I know a lot of hippies traveled in VW vans, as did Bruce Davis himself. On the other hand, a lot hitchhiked too, especially if they didn't come from a middle-class family. We don't know how Jean and John got from Canada to LA and how they got around town once there. If Jean did kill her, he'd have a lot of explaining to do with the other John as to why his van looks like a horror scene inside. Kind of hard to hide from others. This is why I'm suspecting the murderer owned their own car and did not share it with anyone else.

Communal living among traveling hippies was the norm back then. Very few lived alone unless they were planning on staying in the city long term and secured an established source of income. If we are to believe Jean that Reet did move out of his place, she very likely must have moved in with her murderer, an unknown person she met while in LA. I ruled out Manson earlier in my theory, but I thought back to her postcard saying she went to the beach a lot, and my next thought was....John Haught's death was in Mark Ross' bungalow across from the beach a week before her death....

One theory for ruling out Jean....If you are Jean and your argument with Reet came to a deadly crescendo, is the first place you think of as a recent LA transplant is Mulholland Drive? Seven miles from your apartment through winding hills in the middle of the night without GPS as you're panicking looking for the best spot. If he was a first time murderer, I think he would try to look for an alley, a dumpster, or the first steep hill if he is entertaining the Mulholland idea. I know that area well and the ravine where she was dumped is deep into the hills, suggesting the killer may have even buried here before, like Marina Habe's body, not far away. Unless Jean has lived in LA previously and knows the lay of the land and has followed the news that Mulholland is a common dumping ground, and has a car, I kind of doubt he did it. The Fifth Estate documentary could have asked Greta and Paul about Jean's temper. I forget if Greta ran into the tall Jean or the shorter John, but I remember one of them stayed behind in LA. The shorter John with the Beatles-haircut is an even more mysterious figure that I want to know more about.

As for her place of murder, I'm starting to think she was killed inside a vehicle in a parking lot, as I suspect Habe and Gaul/Sharp were too. She could have also been killed inside a vehicle while in the Mulholland area, if her killer suggested they go stargazing. If she was killed in an apartment, it would cause too much noise unless she was beaten unconscious or drugged first, which the autopsy did not find. Plus, you must have the gall to be dragging a dead body out of your apartment at night without being seen. If he lived in a house, it could be easier to have done it there.

As for her family keeping quiet, besides the fact that they were a private family that came from a prestigious background and didn't want to tarnish their reputation, I'm thinking if they knew Reet had a drug or behavioral problem and didn't want it made public when questioned by authorities. In the Manson Speaks documentary, one of her friend claims she did methadone, an opioid treatment. I also read that cafe where she hung out with Jean supposedly had some drug dealing activity going on at the time. We all get the sense her family is not telling us everything and it may be because they know her disappearance had something with her lifestyle getting involved with the wrong people and activities, thus they never actively pursued her disappearance sooner and assumed the worst. Now, I know there were no drugs or alcohol found during her autopsy, but it's possible it may have been cleared her system by the time of her death if she was a recreational user. Again, just speculation.

From a timing perspective, we know that postcard was mailed on Oct. 31st. If we are to believe that Paramount apartment was rented by Jean and John where Reet stayed at, something must have escalated very quickly for her to move out, as that postcard sounded like she was very settled down. I kind of doubt she moved out into her own apartment given her lack of job and income. But then, we don't know how much money she brought with her.

After a lot of thoughts on this, I really do believe she was murdered by an unknown person she just met out here.

What truly makes me sad in all this is that Reet didn't even get to enjoy the freedom of living on her own for more than two months. Didn't even get to live to see the '70s.

 

[Georgia8]

Excellent methodical posts buffaloclyde.

The Jean angle should be followed even though I suspect it is a red herring. The reason is that it it likely someone in Montreal will have more information about Jean or the Jeans and it seems unlikely that more information will easily be forthcoming in L.A. The LA police only went to Montreal briefly and it is not clear what they were doing exactly, it seems not much though meeting the artist who remembered Jean was important. It is hard to believe that police in Quebec would not be more helpful in the case but I don't get much evidence of their participation. Has anyone looked through medical yearbooks? There were only so many medical schools in Canada. I intended to but never have. I am a bit sceptical Jean was a medical student. Someone please correct me if I am wrong but I think in Canada at that time a medical student would be unlikely to be working in a cafe - grants were generous and medical school arduous - it would be difficult to keep your head above water working. Also selection was rigorous in terms of personality type, the rewards and prestige of a medical career were great at that time, and I doubt a medical student would just screw off to California. Also it is more likely if he was a medical student that someone would recognize him. B.Clyde you have been looking at this case much more recently than me: from what you gathered who went to check on Reet? I remember it as being her brother. Is this correct? When the libraries reopen it would be great if someone could go to the library or archives and go through the medical school yearbooks for the relevant years. In Toronto I was told they would be in the archive connected to the Robarts library though separate. You would just need ID you would not need to be a student or teacher. I intended to do this never have.

Someone should be able to remember this Jean or the two Jeans. Query: if anyone has seen the TV docs in one there is a picture of a boyfriend in Toronto when she went there to live with her aunt a couple of years before. Is this picture a possible match for the second Jean? I remember him as having curlier hair and possibly being taller Since we have so little to go on it would also be helpful to know more about her time in Toronto. Where did this aunt live.



















l

 

[Georgia8]

Excellent methodical posts buffaloclyde.

The Jean angle should be followed even though I suspect it is a red herring. The reason is that it it likely someone in Montreal will have more information about Jean or the Jeans and it seems unlikely that more information will easily be forthcoming in L.A. The LA police only went to Montreal briefly and it is not clear what they were doing exactly, it seems not much though meeting the artist who remembered Jean was important. It is hard to believe that police in Quebec would not be more helpful in the case but I don't get much evidence of their participation. Has anyone looked through medical yearbooks? There were only so many medical schools in Canada. I intended to but never have. I am a bit sceptical Jean was a medical student. Someone please correct me if I am wrong but I think in Canada at that time a medical student would be unlikely to be working in a cafe - grants were generous and medical school arduous - it would be difficult to keep your head above water working. Also selection was rigorous in terms of personality type, the rewards and prestige of a medical career were great at that time, and I doubt a medical student would just screw off to California. Also it is more likely if he was a medical student that someone would recognize him. B.Clyde you have been looking at this case much more recently than me: from what you gathered who went to check on Reet? I remember it as being her brother. Is this correct? When the libraries reopen it would be great if someone could go to the library or archives and go through the medical school yearbooks for the relevant years. In Toronto I was told they would be in the archive connected to the Robarts library though separate. You would just need ID you would not need to be a student or teacher. I intended to do this never have.

Someone should be able to remember this Jean or the two Jeans. Query: if anyone has seen the TV docs in one there is a picture of a boyfriend in Toronto when she went there to live with her aunt a couple of years before. Is this picture a possible match for the second Jean? I remember him as having curlier hair and possibly being taller Since we have so little to go on it would also be helpful to know more about her time in Toronto. Where did this aunt live.



















l

 

[Georgia8]

Is it possible that there was not a long drive to Mulholland? Star gazing: is there anywhere in the vicinity where young people would go to make out a bit? I would think probably. It was said that she was transported sitting up which is very strange surely? She was stabbed many times in the neck correct? Sorry that I have forgotten a lot and don't have time to review everything again. I remember there being a very slight bit of malice in the G. remark about methadone (maybe not true), also it is odd that this is not followed up by the doc. authors. Also is G. saying Reet was taking methadone therapeutically for say a heroin addiction? It was usually used to get off heroin or for pain management correct? From G. we know if we believe her, that G. was willing to hitchhike, not surprising at the time - she had planned to hitch to California. G. says you need to have money suggesting Reet did not have a lot. I wish G. would open up a bit more. Her account is very carefully wrought somewhat nervous somewhat formulaic for someone who was close to Reet. An addiction would open up lots of possibilities: medical records concerning the methadone? also getting too speculative for sure, could Reet have been smitten by Jean as a supplier of drugs in other words was the relationship less romantic than we believe? We have perhaps a too idealized view of Reet because of all the pretty pictures. Would a Reet who scored drugs at the Image from Jean or from bikers and sought out Jean because he would have a supply of stuff be closer to the truth? Getting morbid now does anyone know about the likely change in Reet's appearance post mortem? Is it possible that the gaunt and unrecognizable post mortem picture showed someone who had lost weight from hard drug use? None of this to disparage Reet anyone can addicted to a drug.

Change of topic: I note B.Clyde's comment that a great number of stab wounds is typical of a partner OR A PARENT. Which maybe we can reasonably extend to family member. My outlier theory is that Reet was trying to reclaim something in her life that had been taken from her during the era of her trip to Toronto. I have to be vague. This would explain the apparent reticence of interviewees in discussing the case, what I take to be the unusual decision of L.A. police to go to Montreal (why could Montreal police not do what they did for them?

 

[buffaloclyde]

It wasn't mentioned in great detail, but from what I recall in the documentaries, there were at least two check-ups. One was a family friend who was either already living in California or was on the way over there and Reet's parents asked if they could check in on her at the postcard address. The second instance (which some sleuths are questioning if it ever happened) is a private investigator about ten years later.

Interestingly, the Fifth Estate docu. completely glosses over her moving in with a boyfriend at 18 in Toronto. Below is a quick picture they put up at the 10:08 mark. I'm not sure if this is the boyfriend they are referring to and whether or not it is Jean. But I'm just perplexed why no one bothered questioning this further. Maybe they are sure this is not Jean and decided not to dwell on it? As you mentioned Georgia8, we should take the "medical student" story with a grain of salt. This is a very generic term and could mean a lot of things not related to pursuing a full blown doctorate degree, assuming he was even a college student at all. I'm not familiar with the schooling system in Canada in the '60s, but assuming classes take place from September to June, why would Jean be traveling around internationally for months on end during the Fall? I didn't get the feeling he was attending school in LA either. Similarly, it did not appear Reet had any ambitions of attending college. Not out of the ordinary for that time though.

The drive from the Paramount Hotel is about 20 minutes. As you can see in the map below, her body was found near Bowmont Drive which is about 3 miles from the foothills of the canyon. Having driven up that area, there would have been lots of ideal spots to dump a body without having to go that far. Interestingly, you can see the Mulholland Scenic Overlook to the right of Bowmont. That is a popular makeout spot for young couples and a great place to stargaze. Remember that she ate not long before she died, suggesting she was in a relaxed state. It's not improbable that he took her on a date and then lured her up the hills to stargaze. Sadly, it's also possible that's where the stabbing took place.

As for LAPD involvement instead of Montreal, I'm guessing it's because the crime took place in LA jurisdiction and they wanted to manage the gathering
evidence and interviews of the case in their own way.