Post by Scumhunter on May 4, 2015 23:45:31 GMT -5
Authorities have been trying to figure out a baffling murder mystery still unsolved even after a decade it was aired on AMW. Below is the archived description of the case:
Cops Release New Clues In Unsolved Murders
Police say that it seems more than a little strange that they would find two devil-faced etchings in driftwood next to the bodies of two slain Christian camp counselors. Did their faith make them a target or could a satanic cult be behind the tragic murders?
When the bodies of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen were discovered in 2004 on remote Fishhead Beach about 2 hours north of San Francisco, police found some disturbing images carved on two separate pieces of driftwood. After keeping the evidence secret, cops are now hoping that carvings can provide some new answers.
The devil-faced driftwood tuend up yards away from where Cutshall and Allen were discovered. While they aren't definitive clues, Sonoma County Sheriff Sergeant Robert Giordano tells AMW that the driftwood "tells us that someone was down there long enough to draw those pictures and they were on that beach That person could be a witness, could be involved."
However, perhaps the best clue cops have is that the fatal shots were fired from a 45-calibre Marlin rifle, either lever action or semi-automatic. While this firearm is fairly distinctive, police say that there are many in circulation so they've been unable to find the exact murder weapon.
Young Couple Goes Missing In The Hills Of Sonoma County
Jason Allen, 26, and Lindsay Cutshall, 23, were planning a September 11th wedding. The couple met while attending an Appalachian Bible college in West Virginia. After the couple graduated, they returned to Lindsay's hometown of Frenso, Ohio. Lindsay's mother said Jason bought a farmhouse in Frenso in order to be close to her daughter.
By all accounts, the young couple had an ideal life. The two were devout Christians, church-going, who spent a lot of their time with Christian youth groups. Family members say the couple wanted to open up an outdoor adventure camp for youths . In the meantime, they spent their summers working as camp counselors.
This summer the Jason and Lindsay traveled to the Sierra foothills of California, about 40 miles east of Sacramento, to work as camp counselors at Rock-n-Water, a Christian adventure camp. The couple spent their days with young kids, canoeing, camping, and whitewater rafting. They were scheduled to return home on August 22, but decided to take one more trip along the coast before heading back home.
Mysteriously, the couple never made it home or back to work the following Monday. Camp directors at Rock-n-Water reported the two missing when they failed to show up for work on Monday, August 16, 2004.
Bodies Found On Secluded Beach
On Wednesday, August 18, Jason and Lindsay were found. Local deputies in helicopters were rescuing a hiker near Fish Head Beach when they spotted two bodies on the beach below. Once investigators made their way down the steep cliffs overlooking the beach, they confirmed that they were the bodies of Jason and Lindsay. Police say both of them had been shot once in the head and were still in their sleeping bags. Investigators canvassed the area and interviewed local citizens, but turned up nothing.
Jason and Lindsay's Ford Tempo was found Wednesday parked alongside Highway 1 above the beach. It appears the couple parked their car and made their way down the narrow path to the beach below. Police say Jason and Lindsay camped on the beach in their sleeping bags under the stars, as did many tourists passing through the scenic area. But unlike the hundreds of people that stop to enjoy the view, Jason and Lindsey became victims of an unknown killer.
Sonoma County police continue to investigate the baffling murders. On Tuesday, August 24, a man named Nicholas Edward Scarseth, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, turned himself into authorities. Police had issued an alert that Scarseth was wanted for questioning because he was seen in the area where the murders took place. Police released him on Thursday, August 25, but they did not say if Scarseth provided them with any new information. Police say Scarseth is not considered a suspect at this time."
A few more notes:
-There are three unsolved murders that have similarities with which Wikipedia goes into a bit more detail- the 1972 murders of Leif Carlson and Ann Durant in Vancouver, British Columbia, the 2003 murders of Lisa Gurrieri & Brandon Rumbaugh in Yavapi County, Arizona (which were aired alongside this case on AMW), and the most similar was the 2005 murders of Stevan Haugen and Jeanette Bauman in Oakridge, Oregon. More details are available in the case links below.
-There were two main persons of interest besides the cleared Nicholas Scarseth:
James Robert Zook murdered Daniel Charles Bloomfield with a .22 caliber revolver on August 18, 2004, and was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder. Zook had used an old west-style revolver of the same era as the Marlin rifle, and Zook shot Bloomfield three days after Cutshall and Allen were approximated to have been killed. Bloomfield's murder took place around the outskirts of Sebastopol, California, about 30 miles from the Jenner crime scene.
Zook and his victim were both residents on Bloomfield Road, in a building frequented by methamphetamine users. Zook and Bloomfield frequently argued and fought with one another, and Bloomfield was killed after a feud involving a motorcycle accident and a stolen revolver. Zook reported joked with his cousin about "hunting the two-legged kind." Zook had also insinuated to fellow drug users on an occasion in August that he had murdered someone and that Bloomfield "was going to end up just like those other people. The crabs were going to be eating him also."
Henry Burgess- A drifter who was a suspect in the 1972 murders of Leif Carlsson and Ann Durrant. DNA evidence seems to clear Burgess in the Allen & Cutshall case. However, there are conflicting reports as to if he's still considered a suspect anyway. (Wikipedia says yes, Daily Mail says no)
Thoughts? This is a baffling case and robbery is a likely motive. Although sometimes I wonder like with the Son of Sam case it was someone who simply was in a jealous rage at seeing two lovers enjoy a campground.
Admin Note #1: Since the crime occurred in Sonoma County, California, our advice to anyone with information would be to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's Silent Witness hotline at (707) 565-2650.
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20070811114916/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=28021
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Jenner,_California,_double-murder
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726908/Mystery-surrounds-assassination-young-couple-shot-sleeping-bags-camping-California-beach-10-years-ago.html
jason-lindsay.blogspot.com/
