11 lugl 1974 anni - Deana Hooper HOMICIDE & POSSIBLE RAPE

Descrizione:

Deana, 18, and her older sister Tonna had been adopted from an orphanage in Hong Kong by their (white) foster father Dean Hooper in 1966. Deana, her adoptive parents, her older sister, and a brother lived together in Sonoma. Eventually her sister became married and moved to Vallejo. Deana lived in Yountville at the time with her family.

At the time of her death, Deana was staying with her older sister, Mrs Tonna Albright, who lived at 901 Georgia St in Vallejo. According to the missing person's report filed by Tonna on July 15, 1974, on Monday, July 11, she and Deana had attended a party at the Enlisted Men's Club on Mare Island, and when it came time to go home, Tonna couldn't find Deana. That was the last time she was seen.

When Deana did not return home following the party, Tonna called their father, Dean Hooper. He came to Mare Island and spoke to Harold Thatcher, a criminal investigator at the naval shipyard, and asked about his missing daughter.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 11, 1975, Dr Keith R Heisch — a 44-year-old chiropractor who lived at 538 Bonita Court in Oakland — was flying kites with his 9-year-old son near the Azevado Ranch in/near Vallejo. At one point when Heisch went to go retrieve his fallen kite, he discovered skeletal remains of a young woman, which were identified as being Deana's the next day.

Deana's skeleton was found in high weeds 40ft east of the nearest roadway, in an open field at Columbus Parkways and John's Mine Rd, bordering Blue Rock Springs Park. An investigator at the time stated that he believed Deana's body had been in the field undetected, "since last July 12 [1974]." The skeleton was nearly overgrown by surrounding vegetation.

A red long-sleeved buttoned blouse made out of synthetic material had been pulled over Deana's head. She was found face-down, and her arms were stretched out straight above her head, "as if she might have been dragged back" from John's Mine Rd just 40ft away. On her right hand she wore a red ruby-colored birthstone ring. Her black denim slacks, with one leg turned inside out, were near the body. One brown open-toed sandal was found 14ft from the body. No identification, purse, or weapon was found nearby.

One investigator at the time said that the scene, "certainly looks like a sex crime." There appeared to be no injury to the skull, and cause of death was not apparent. According to one clipping, "Investigators said the assault could have occurred at the site where the body was found."

The first clue to the body's identity came from Harold Thacker, who remembered speaking to Deana's father, Dean Hooper, shortly after Deana's disappearance. Deana's sister Tonna was then called in, and she said she recognized the clothing and sandal as Deana's, and identified the ring on the body's right hand as the one worn by Deana when she disappeared. Positive identification was then made through dental records.

People online have mentioned the similarity between Deana's case and that of Diane Gerrish, who was also last seen at an enlisted men's club. Furthermore, Elaine Lehtinen, who disappeared in June 1976, worked at the Mare Island naval base in Vallejo. Both are featured on this timeline.

Also five years previously, on July 31 1969, the Zodiac had sent to the SF Chronicle, "Dear Editor This is the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass [sic] at Lake Herman + the girl on the 4th of July near the golf course in Vallejo." The Mare Island Golf Club in Vallejo, near the enlisted men's club, has been operating since 1876.

In 2018, someone under the name Sarah Shannon commented on the ZodiacCiphers site's article on Deana, "My name is Sarah and in fact I knew Deana Hooper. Her and I spent time together the summer just before she disappeared. Deana was older than I but we hung out as friends. I spent one afternoon at her house where I had noticed the ruby birthstone ring she wore. I admired it very much so she gave me a beautiful sterling ring. She was nice to me .But one day she tried to get me to hitchhike with her,the car had stopped and she jumped in. I absolutely refused to get into the car,eventually she got out and continued to walk with me to Glen Ellen from Jack London Village where her brother owned a restaurant. She was very upset with me that now she had to walk. I learned from her that she would runaway from her parents regularly and hitchhike to Vallejo to see her sister whom she loved dearly and wanted to live with. Sadly she disappeared soon after I met her. Her brother had told our family that her purse was found on a street corner in Vallejo a couple of weeks after she disappeared. Her body wasn’t found [until] March of the following year. This has haunted me for all my life in that she almost talked me into getting in that car. Believe me when I say I never ever hitchhiked. But I far as I knew she was not a prostitute."

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WRITE-UP COMPLETION DATE: February 2025

Cases mentioned above that are also/will be present on this timeline:
Diane Gerrish, Elaine Lehtinen, Blue Rock Springs attack, Lake Herman Rd murders
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JULY 11
LUNAR PHASE: waning gibbous
ZODIAC SIGN: cancer
DAY OF WEEK: Monday

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