My new friends in the media warned me about this. They said to be ready for the ups and downs. There would be quiet periods and then the noise would start again as decisions are made and new evidence presented. I’m glad they prepared me. I woke up this morning pretty hot because I’m really frustrated by some information that’s been leaked. It’s not the leak – I don’t think what’s been shared is at all harmful to the case and I hope our “informant” will manage information accordingly. Let’s dive in.

Rumor is, nothing was found at DeAngelo’s house (no evidence that is).

I had not been on Reddit before last night. Then, a friend pointed me to a post that has everyone talking this morning. I don’t want to upset Reddit, so here’s just a small image designed to have you click in and read the whole thing (so Reddit gets the traffic it deserves). The upshot of the post is that nothing was found at DeAngelo’s house that ties him to any of the crimes (other than his DNA). They carried out more crap and dug holes in the back yard and stared oddly at the photos of his mother he had over his bed, but no damn evidence. How is that possible? How did he not make a mistake?

So I think it’s time for a brief community Grrr Fest (grrrr) and then it’s time to get back to putting our thinking caps on and figuring out where the hell he’s hidden all the stuff. There’s no way this control fiend threw it all away. No way. It’s out there and we need to find it. Collective “we” – I’m sure law enforcement is all over this. And yes, I know we have him on DNA. That’s awesome. That’s what I’ve been waiting for. But there are other reasons the souvenirs are so damned important.

They may be the only proof we have that he attacked women and men who no longer or never had DNA samples to rely on.

I have four women who’ve reached out to me. Billy Jensen said he has women that have reached out to him. I hope they have all contacted law enforcement. We need to find these souvenirs to help these women know if he was their attacker. There’s also great value – healing value – in getting these things returned to the survivors.

I’ve talked about it before and I have heard from people how much seeing their driver’s license again or that earring they never thought about then, but now desire more than anything. It’s so weird, but a lot of life comes down to these little things: the sock your child always chewed on, the smell of cologne your dad used to wear (one of my favorite photos from the media swarm on April 25th), or that class ring that was stolen in a simple house break-in. There are hundreds, if not thousands of folks participating in this investigation online. It’s time to put our thinking caps on and find the evidence.

Challenge on.

Today started with a call from KCRA about the Simi Valley case.

For those of you playing the home edition, law enforcement is scrambling all over the state of California (and beyond) to try and confirm or rule out DeAngelo for any crimes that have a close modus operandi (MO). In Simi Valley this week, they ruled DeAngelo out of a case that already jailed a man for nearly 40 years, only to be exonerated. Today it’s a crime they are still investigating. I feel so bad for the families who don’t have answers. Of course, until April, I was part of one of those families and we do have a way of moving on. But still, it’s hard to get your hopes up only to have them dashed once again. And no matter what, we are still left with wondering why.

In fact, despite the fact I’m a grown-ass woman, I still wonder about daily, how humans can be so cruel to other humans. Cruelty is not part of who I am and it makes it hard for me to understand how people want to hurt one another. But I know it happens. It doesn’t mean I have to tolerate it or like it. Maybe one of the best things about my recent adoption by the true crime folks out there, is as a group, your are a bad ass people! I have never experienced such kindness. We might be a hot mess of different people, but we share a commitment to helping those who have been harmed. Damn.

Victim Assistance included in the California budget going to vote today!

I didn’t realize there was a fund in California for victims of crime. This is actually an amazing resource. From the site:

“In 1965, California created the nation’s first victim compensation program, which was administered by the Department of Social Welfare. Responsibility for this program was transferred to the Board of Control in 1967. The California Victim Compensation Board is a state program dedicated to providing reimbursement for many crime-related expenses to eligible victims who suffer physical injury or the threat of physical injury as a direct result of a violent crime. CalVCB funding comes from restitution paid by criminal offenders through fines, orders, penalty assessments and federal funds.”

Apparently 25 of us have applied for this relief. You do NOT have to be a victim of DeAngelo to qualify. This is for anyone who has survived a violent crime in California – but alas, there is a three year statute of limitations. The rider they are adding to the California budget extends the statute.

“…open up a new opportunity for victims of the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer to file claims with the California Victim Compensation Board. Under current law, the statute of limitations for victims of the crimes in the 1970s and ’80s to file claims expired long ago. This proposal would give them until the end of 2019, and offer the right to file a claim to both victims and derivative victims suffering from emotional harm or financial loss — including from preparing to testify”

I wish it was across the board. These damn statutes keep working against the victims. There’s so much that happens at the time of a violent crime. It leaves you awash in people, advice, rules and sadness. To figure out how to help yourself with a service that’s unfamiliar, is a pretty high bar of expectation. If I ever get a chance to talk to the governor, I’m going to make him aware of this. I realize this could overburden the system, but I think people are fair and just and will only reach out for what they need.

Lord knows healing one another helps us all.