The San Luis Obispo Killer

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The Forgotten Unsolved Murders & Jane Does of San Luis Obispo County (1970s–80s)








San Luis Obispo County might look like a sleepy college/coastal town, but dig into the late ’70s and early ’80s and you’ll find a string of unsolved murders and unidentified victims that feel way too similar to ignore.





Here’s what we know:














Charleen Anne Garelli (1976)

• Age: 20, Cuesta College student.
• Last Seen: September 27, 1976, leaving Cuesta.
• Found: October 27, 1976, on Cuesta Ridge—stabbed four times, found in just underwear. No signs of sexual assault.
• Status: Still unsolved.

Cheryl Ann Manning (1978, aka Cuesta Jane Doe)

• Age: 16, originally from Oregon.
• Found: June 22, 1978, near the Cuesta Grade, between Highway 101 and the railroad tracks. She had been shot in the head, found nude.
• Identified: Unidentified for 14 years until matched to a missing-person report in 1992.
• Status: Still unsolved.

Dorothy “Toby” Tate (1983)

• Age: 40.
• Found: Shot to death inside her van, about 2.5 miles north of Hearst Castle.
• Status: Still unsolved.

Atascadero Jane Doe (1977)

• Estimated Age: 17–25.
• Found: In wooded terrain off a trail in SLO County. Cause of death undetermined, but foul play strongly suspected.
• Status: Still unidentified.

Santa Maria Valley Jane Doe (Late 1970s)

• Estimated Age: Teens–20s, slim build, brown hair.
• Found: In a rural ravine south of SLO County. No evidence of sexual assault or binding.
• Status: Still unidentified.

Los Osos Valley Jane Doe (Early 1980s)

• Estimated Age: Early 20s.
• Found: Skeletal remains in a coastal area near Los Osos.
• Status: Still unidentified.

Patterns & Questions

• Victim type: Mostly young women (except Tate, who was older).
• Locations: Rural, isolated areas in or near San Luis Obispo County.
• Cause of death: Stabbing, shooting, or undetermined—but always violent.
• Notably absent: No signs of sexual assault or restraint in most cases.

The Big Debate

• Were these women all victims of a single serial killer operating in San Luis Obispo County during the late ’70s/early ’80s?
• Or are these separate tragedies—different offenders, but clustered in the same small county?
• If connected, the most likely linked cases are Charleen Garelli (1976), Cheryl Manning (1978), and the Atascadero Jane Doe (1977). Tate and the other Janes could be unrelated, but the timing and geography are suspicious.

Why This Matters








Most of these victims never got justice. Some never even got their names back. Forty to fifty years later, their cases are ice cold, rarely mentioned, and risk being forgotten entirely.





They deserve better.











So—what do you think? Serial killer, or tragic coincidences?