Shivangi Sinha
In October 1966, 18-year-old Cheri Jo Bates went to her college library to study but never returned home. Her father waited throughout the night before reporting her missing to the Riverside, California, police. Shortly after, Cheri’s body was discovered near her car on the college campus. The crime scene was gruesome, indicating that she had fought back against her attacker. Despite this, the police had little evidence to identify the culprit. Netflix’s ‘This is the Zodiac Speaking’ explores the theory that Cheri Jo Bates may have been one of the Zodiac Killer’s victims.
Cheri Jo Bates Didn’t Return Home From Her College Library
Cheri Jo Bates was born on February 4, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Joseph and Irene Bates. She grew up with an older sibling, Michael Bates. She was the more outgoing and energetic of the two. She had big aspirations and found inspiration in her father’s dedication to his work as a machinist at the Corona Naval Ordnance Laboratory. At Ramona High School, Cheri was highly involved in school activities, joining student government and serving as a varsity cheerleader. Her intelligence and dedication shone through in her academics, where she consistently excelled. As she grew older, Cheri shared her dream of becoming a flight attendant with her parents, who wholeheartedly supported her ambitions.
In 1965, when her parents separated, Cheri chose to live with her father. She graduated from high school with excellent grades and enrolled at Riverside City College, determined to become self-sufficient. To support herself, she took a part-time job at Riverside National Bank. Cheri felt fulfilled and was working diligently toward her goals. On October 30, 1966, she attended Mass with her father and shared breakfast with him. Around 3 pm, she called a friend to invite her to study at the college library, but her friend declined the offer. Cheri left home around 5:30 pm but never returned. Concerned, her father contacted her friend to check on her whereabouts and then reported her missing to the police around 5:00 am on October 31.
At 6:30 am, a college groundskeeper discovered Cheri’s body on a gravel path near the library. Her car keys were still in the ignition, and both the driver and passenger windows were partially rolled down. Her books were left on the passenger seat, and she was fully dressed, with her bag beside her. The autopsy revealed that she had sustained multiple kicks to the head and numerous stab wounds to her neck, face, shoulder, and chest, including three deep slashes to her throat. Nearby, the police found a paint-covered wristwatch and a shoe print. Additionally, fragments of skin and brown hair were discovered beneath her nails, none of which matched Cheri or anyone she knew. Authorities concluded that she had fought back against her attacker, which likely caused the watch to fall off during the struggle.
The Killer Had Most Likely Tampered With Cheri’s Car
The police examined Cheri Jo Bates’ car and discovered that the ignition coil wire and distributor had been tampered with, rendering the vehicle inoperable. They also found greasy palm prints all over the car that did not belong to Cheri or anyone in her family or friend circle. Based on this evidence and other findings at the crime scene, authorities concluded that the perpetrator had disabled her car and waited for her to leave the library. It is believed that the assailant lured her out of the vehicle under the guise of offering help before launching the attack. The police interviewed everyone who was on campus that day, but they were unable to identify any suspects. One witness reported seeing a man following her car, while others mentioned an unknown vehicle on campus, but no leads emerged from these accounts.
On November 29, 1966, both the police and the Riverside Press-Enterprise received two identical typed letters from an anonymous author claiming responsibility for Cheri’s murder. The letters contained details about the crime that had not been made public, leading investigators to suspect that the writer might be the actual killer. On May 1, 1967, Cheri’s father and the newspaper office received a handwritten letter stating, “Bates had to die. There will be more.”
Cheri Jo Bates’ Murder Investigation is Still Ongoing
Six months after the murder, a custodian at the library discovered a poem scratched onto the underside of a folding table. The poem was gruesome and expressed violent fantasies against women, and it was collected by the police as evidence. By the early 1970s, some journalists, including Paul Avery, began to link Cheri Jo Bates’ murder to the Zodiac Killer. This connection gained traction when the Zodiac Killer wrote a letter in March 1971, claiming responsibility for the “Riverside activity.”
In 2021, police announced that a man had come forward, claiming responsibility for writing the letters in 2016, which was later determined to be a hoax. They continue to assert that Cheri’s murder was not linked to the Zodiac Killer but rather the work of a local perpetrator. Some reports indicate that investigators have a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made due to insufficient evidence. As of now, Cheri’s case remains unsolved. In 2016, her family established a scholarship in her honor at Riverside City College to commemorate her memory.
