The Visalia Ransacker is an interesting criminal, and if he is the elusive East Area Rapist, that makes him all the more intriguing. However, there’s an unfortunate lack of information surrounding him aside from how he operated and his target locations. Other than that, it’s hard to find any detailed intel unlike the crimes committed by the East Area Rapist.

As a result, this post is going to be dedicated to the stolen items — discarded or not — that he took in his home invasions. I’d like to thank the 12-26-75 Podcast for providing an excellent series on the perpetrator via original police reports and research. They were able to see what items were taken from certain homes, so I thought I would present those findings in a clear, concise format that is easy to read, understand, and follow.

The Visalia Ransacker – Stolen Items

Attack #1 – March 19, 1974 – West Walnut Avenue – Piggybank.

Attack #2 – April 6, 1974 – Linda Vista – Money, piggybank, ransacked all of the rooms and threw clothing around.

Attack #3 – April 6, 1974 – South Whitney Drive – Money, piggybank, ransacked all of the rooms, and used household items to place against the front and back doors to alert him if someone came inside.

Attack #4 – May 4, 1974 – South Dollner – Money, ransacked bedrooms and threw clothing around.

Attack #5 – May 5, 1974 – West Feemster – Money, piggybank, ransacked jewelry and bedrooms, threw clothing, and left a window screen on a bed.

Attack #6 – May 11, 1974 – South Whitney Drive – Money, ransacked bedrooms, tossed women’s clothing around, and left a window screen on a bed.

Attack #7 – May 11, 1974 – West Tulare Avenue – Money, piggybank, .380 Auto Pistol, placed items against doors for an alarm, tossed clothing around the home, and left a window screen in the bedroom where he escaped.

Attack #8 – May 17, 1974 – South Emerald Court – Money, one ring, threw women’s clothing — two daughters in cheerleading — around their rooms, left a window screen on a bed where he made his escape.

Attack #9 – May 17, 1974 – West Dartmouth Avenue – Money, piggybank, blue chip stamps, ransacked bedrooms and littered clothing throughout the room.

Attack #10 – May 18, 1974 – West Cambridge Avenue – Ransacked all rooms but nothing was stolen.

Attack #11 – May 18, 1974 – West Feemster Avenue – Small inexpensive items and $52.00

Attack #12 – May 18, 1974 – West Feemster Avenue – Several piggybanks, pantyhose, cologne, placed a bottle of woman’s perfume on the doorknob for a warning, threw women’s clothing around in the bedrooms, unsuccessfully attempted to pry the family’s sliding glass doors open.

Attack #13 – May 18, 1974 – UNCLEAR – Ransacked the home but nothing was taken. Women’s clothing was littered throughout the home.

Attack #14 – May 25, 1974 – Sue Lane – Money, ransacked all rooms and tossed women’s clothing on the floor, and pried open a sliding glass door from the inside of the residence.

Attack #15 – May 25, 1974 – West Cambridge – Money, piggybank, ransacked all rooms and scattered the mother and daughter’s clothing all over the floor; the daughter was a high school student at Mt. Whitney.

Attack #16 – May 25, 1974 – South Redwood St – Money, piggybank, earrings, ransacked all bedrooms, tossed women’s clothing on the floor, left a window screen on a bed where he made his escape.

Attack #17 – May 26, 1974 – South Sowell St – Ransacked all bedrooms but nothing was stolen.

Attack #18 – May 26, 1974 – West Howard – Money from a piggybank, ransacked all bedrooms, attempted to pry open a door and window unsuccessfully, but left a window screen on one of the beds.

Attack #19 – May 26, 1974 – West Cambridge – Money, ransacked all bedrooms, opened a Playboy magazine on a bed, pried open various doors and windows, and there was evidence suggesting he put lotion on his hands due to smear stains on the glass windows and magazine.

Attack #20 – June 23, 1974 – South Conyer St – Ransacked all bedrooms and jewelry, threw women’s clothing on the floor, but nothing was stolen.

Attack #21 – September 14, 1974 – West Princeton Avenue – One earring from a pair of two, ransacked bedrooms and tossed women’s clothing on the floor.

Attack #22 – October 4, 1974 – South Grant – .22 revolver, 3 boxes of .22 ammo, 1 1/2 boxes of 12 gauge shotgun ammo, money, and ransacked all rooms.

Attack #23 – October 19, 1974 – West Cambridge – Money, but left some cash behind that was out in the open, a piggybank and shattered another one, removed a window screen and tossed clothing all over the flooring.

Attack #24 – October 19, 1974 – West Cambridge – Ransacked all bedrooms and threw clothing everywhere, removed a window screen where he made his escape, but nothing was stolen.

Attack #25 – October 19, 1974 – South Oak Park St – Money, ransacked all rooms and tossed clothing on the floor.

Attack #26 – October 23, 1974 – South Oak Park St – Money and piggybank, ransacked all bedrooms and removed a window screen.

Attack #27 – October 23, 1974 – South Giddings St – .32 Caliber Revolver, two cheap cameras, ransacked bedrooms and littered clothing on the flooring.

Attack #28 – November 1, 1974 – West Vassar Avenue – Money from piggybank, ransacked all rooms, scattered clothing on the floor, and left open his escape route.

Attack #29 – November 1, 1974 – South Giddings – Money from a piggybank.

Attack #30 – November 1, 1974 – West Cambridge – Money, ransacked bedrooms and tossed only female clothing on the floor, and removed a window screen.

Attack #31 – November 1, 1974 – West Vassar Avenue – Money, ransacked bedrooms and threw women’s clothing on the floor, and placed an item at the front door for an alert system.

Attack #32 – November 1, 1974 – West Paradise Avenue – Money, piggybank, 1 earring from a pair, ransacked all bedrooms, threw female clothing on the floor, and removed a window screen.

Attack #33 – November 2, 1974 – South Mountain St – Money, blue chip stamps, and ransacked the kitchen, bedrooms, and jewelry.

Attack #34 – November 2, 1974 – South Mountain St – Ransacked the residence but nothing was stolen.

Attack #35 – November 2, 1974 – West Laurel Avenue – Money, four tubes of glue, 1 earring from a pair, ransacked the bedrooms and kitchen, tossed pictures of children on the floor, as well as female clothing, and placed an item at the front door for a warning.

Attack #36 – November 2, 1974 – South Whitney – Money, piggybank, blue chip stamps, six brand new t-shirts, and ransacked all bedrooms.

Attack #37 – November 2, 1974 – West Campus Avenue – All rooms were ransacked, four windows were left sprawled open, and female clothing was littered everywhere, but nothing had been stolen.

Attack #38 – November 29, 1974 – West Princeton – $6.92 in cash, piggybank, two boxes of .22 ammo, ransacked all rooms and threw clothing onto the floor.

Attack #39 – November 29, 1974 – West Tulare Avenue – Money, piggybank, one earring, a bra, two pictures of children, ransacked the bedrooms, tossed women’s clothing on the floor, and removed a window screen.

Attack #40 – November 29, 1974 – West Laurel Avenue – Unknown.

Attack #41 – November 29, 1974 – South Whitney St – $72.00

Attack #42 – November 29, 1974 – West Walnut Avenue – $7.50. in cash.

Attack #43 – November 30, 1974 – West Meadow Lane – $10.50 in cash, ransacked the bedrooms, used an item for an alert system at the front door, and removed a window screen.

Attack #44 – November 30, 1974 – West Meadow Lane – $30.00 in cash, tore a photo up of the family’s son, ransacked all the rooms, tossed the daughter’s clothing on the floor; she was in band practice and attended Mt. Whitney High School.

Attack #45 – November 30, 1974 – South Encina St – Money, piggybank, ransacked all bedrooms and jewelry, removed a window screen, and placed an item at the back door for an alert system.

Attack #46 – November 30, 1974 – West Paradise – Ransacked all rooms, threw women’s clothing on the floor, removed a window screen, but nothing was stolen.

Attack #47 – November 30, 1974 – West Paradise – .30 cents, two rings, one earring from a pair, ransacked all rooms and littered women’s clothing on the floor.

Attack #48 – November 30, 1974 – West Paradise – Money, and ransacked the kitchen and bedrooms.

Attack #49 – November 30, 1974 – West Myrtle Avenue – Ransacked the bedrooms and den, removed a window screen and left it on the bed, but nothing was stolen.

Attack #50 – November 30, 1974 – West Myrtle Avenue – Money (no details available on the ransacking).

Attack #51 – November 30, 1974 – South Sowell St – Money, ransacked all bedrooms and tossed women’s clothing on the floor.

Attack #52 – November 30, 1974 – West Cambridge – $5.00 in cash, ransacked all rooms, threw clothing on the floor, and unsuccessfully attempted to pry open a door.

Attack #53 – November 30, 1974 – West Kaweah – 20 gauge shotgun shells, a box of .22 ammo, ransacked all rooms and threw female clothing onto the floor.

Attack #54 – November 30, 1974 – West Kaweah – Money, ransacked all bedrooms, removed a window screen and left open his escape route.

Attack #55 – November 30, 1974 – South Oak Park St – $260.00 in cash.

Attack #56 – December 14, 1974 – 3013 West Vassar Avenue – The residence belonged to Alf Huzman and he worked at Kaweah Delta Hospital. Money and a piggy-bank were stolen. The bedrooms were ransacked with clothing all over the flooring, and a window screen was removed and left in a bedroom.

Attack #57 – December 14, 1974 – 1840 South University St – The residence belonged to Kenneth Hochnadel. Money had been stolen, and the bedrooms were ransacked. Female clothing was scattered on the floor and a window screen was removed.

Attack #58 – December 14, 1974 – 3340 West Cambridge – The residence belonged to Rodney B. Swanson Jr. Money was stolen, and all bedrooms were ransacked. The family’s daughter had clothing littered all over her bedroom floor.

Attack #59 – December 14, 1974 – 2943 West Cambridge – The residence belonged to Frank Vigario. Nothing was stolen but all bedrooms and jewelry were ransacked, piggy-banks were emptied, clothing was scattered on the floor, and a window screen was removed.

Attack #60 – December 16, 1974 – West Seeger Avenue – Money, all bedrooms were ransacked, female clothing was thrown on the floor, and a window screen was removed and left in a bedroom.

Attack #61 – December 21, 1974 – West Myrtle Avenue – Liquor and coins, a screening to a (door or window?) were cut to gain entry to the home. In total, $42.00 worth of belongings were stolen.

Attack #62 – December 21, 1974 – West Meadow Avenue – Money, piggy-bank, blue chip stamps, one each of four pair earrings, all bedrooms were ransacked, and female clothing was tossed to the ground.

Attack #63 – December 21, 1974 – West Iris Avenue – Money and a piggy-bank were stolen. All bedrooms were ransacked, and female clothing, along with photographs of children, were thrown to the floor, and a window had been pried open from the inside and left ajar for a point of escape,

Attack #64 – December 21, 1974 – South Fairway – Blue chip stamps, and bedrooms were ransacked with female clothing and photographs of the family thrown to the floor, and a window screen was removed.

Attack #65 – December 21, 1974 – West College Avenue – Money and an unknown item had been placed at the front door for an alert system.

Attack #66 – December 22, 1974 – West Laurel Avenue – Money, brand new t-shirts, pajamas, rings, and all bedrooms were ransacked.

Attack #67 – December 22, 1974 – South Terri St – Money, although some cash was left behind, piggy-bank and bedrooms and jewelry were ransacked.

Attack #68 – December 22, 1974 – South Divisadero St – Money, rings, one each of two different pairs of earrings, ransacked all rooms, threw female clothing to the floor, placed an item against the front door for a warning, and pushed out a window screen from the inside.

Attack #69 – December 22, 1974 – West Fairview Court – Money, piggy-bank, ransacked all rooms and dumped clothing on the floor.

Attack #70 – January 25, 1975 – South Verde Vista St – Money, blue chip stamps, ransacked all bedrooms and tossed female clothing to the floor.

Attack #71 – January 25, 1975 – West Pecan Court – Money.

Attack #72 – February 2, 1975 – South Whitney Drive – Purse, twenty books of blue-chip stamps, a box of .22 ammo, all rooms had been ransacked, female clothing was littered everywhere on the flooring, a door was unsuccessfully attempted to be pried open, a window screen was removed and placed outside by the family’s backyard gate, and a bottle of Jergen’s lotion that did not belong to the family was found, along with hand smears/prints on a sliding glass door. Three days later on February 5, 1975, the family was returning home from a night out and saw a man crouched near the back window. He was chased but ultimately escaped.

Attack #73 – February 16, 1975 – South Sowell St – Money, one earring, a door was attempted to be pried open unsuccessfully, all bedrooms were ransacked, and the daughter who attended Mt. Whitney High School had her clothing littered on her bedroom floor.

Attack #74 – February 16, 1975 – West Kaweah Avenue – Money, all bedrooms were ransacked, numerous windows had tried being pried open unsuccessfully, and female clothing and framed pictures of the family’s son and daughter at weddings were thrown and broken. The daughter attended the College of Sequoias.

Attack #75 – March 1, 1975 – West Howard Avenue – Money, rings, a broken H & R revolver, left behind valuable jewelry that was in plain sight, ransacked all bedrooms and tossed female clothing to the floor.

Attack #76 – May 24, 1975 – South Mountain St – Taurus .38 revolver, ransacked all rooms in the home, and two doors were unsuccessfully pried open.

Attack #77 – May 24, 1975 – South Mountain St – Money, ransacked all bedrooms, and threw female clothing to the floor.

Attack #78 – May 24, 1975 – South Redwood St – Blue chip stamps, ransacked all rooms, threw female clothing to the floor, opened several windows and removed the screening from the inside.

Attack #79 – May 31, 1975 – South Sowell St – Money from a piggy-bank, 16 rings, ransacked all bedrooms and the kitchen, tossed clothing to the ground and poured or accidentally spilled orange juice on the clothes.

Attack #80 – July 24, 1975 – West Kaweah Avenue – Ransacked the residence and unlocked a door, but nothing was stolen.

Attack #81 – July 25, 1975 – West Campus Avenue – Money, stamps (not sure if regular stamps or blue chip stamps), credit card, ransacked all bedrooms and removed a window screen.

Attack #82 – July 25, 1975 – West Fairview Court – Money, 20 gauge shotgun shells, one ring, ransacked all bedrooms and threw female underclothing to the floor. The perpetrator gained entry through the side door. The homeowner had an extensive coin collection. There’s no mention as to whether or not the collection was stolen, or it’s not clarified very well.

Attack #83 – August 1, 1975 – West Campus Avenue – Money, stamps (unclear on what type of stamps), one each of two pairs of earrings, emptied out the piggy-banks, ransacked all rooms in the home, tossed female clothing to the ground and made a trail of the lingerie down the hallway, and removed a window screen from a bedroom.

Attack #84 – August 23, 1975 – West Howard St – Money from a piggy-bank, ransacked all rooms and jewelry in the home, littered women’s clothing on the floor, removed a window screen, and failed to pry open a door.

Attack #85 – August 23, 1975 – West Feemster Avenue – $91.00, blue chip stamps, one ring, left behind some money in plain view, ransacked all rooms in the home and the jewelry, readjusted a box of .22 ammo and placed it on the homeowner’s bed, scattered women’s clothing on the floor, and failed to pry open several doors to the residence.

Attack #86 – August 24, 1975 – West Cambridge – Money from a piggy-bank, ransacked all the rooms in the home and littered clothing everywhere.

Attack #87 – August 24, 1975 – West Princeton Avenue – Money from a piggy-bank, ransacked every room in the home, and pried open a door from the inside.

Attack #88 – August 29, 1975 – Dartmouth – Money, rings, one each of nine pairs of earrings, ransacked all bedrooms and jewelry, tossed women’s clothing to the floor, and failed to pry open several windows.

Attack #89 – August 30, 1975 – South Redwood St – Two cell flashlights that were later recovered at another address on the victim’s street, ransacked all rooms and jewelry, littered only the daughter’s clothing to the ground, took one picture out of twelve, and the family had recent events of prowling and knocking sounds to their home. The daughter attended Mt. Whitney and was a song leader at First Baptist Church.

Attack #90 – August 31, 1975 – West Royal Oaks Avenue – A necklace, one silver dollar, two boxes of 12 gauge ammo, three boxes of .38 ammo with a 100 count each, a .38 Miroku Revolver that was used to murder Claude Snelling on September 11, 1975, threw women’s clothing to the ground and made a line with men’s shorts in the hallway, along with four 1/2 shotgun barrels loaded with three steel jacket hollow point bullets.

Attack #91 – September 11, 1975 – Whitney Lane – The Visalia Ransacker attempted to abduct sixteen-year-old Beth Snelling. Her father, Claude Snelling woke up to the commotion and went to her rescue. The perpetrator proceeded to shoot Claude that proved fatal and subsequently ran away from the crime scene. The stolen .38 Miroku Revolver stolen from August 31, 1975, was used to murder him and the gun was found discarded in a ditch on September 19, 1975.

The Visalia Ransacker would continue to hit ten more homes between September 11, 1975 – December 10, 1975. The details of those ransackings aren’t available online; or if they are, I’m unaware of them. The locations of these home invasions included Royal Oaks, Campus, Redwood, County Center, Country Lane, West Tulare, West Laurel, and West Kaweah.

Since the Ransacker often hit on the weekends and in the same area, the police performed several stakeouts. On December 10, 1975, on West Kaweah, detective William McGowen witnessed a suspicious male walking in the neighborhood. He confronted the man and the stranger pulled out a firearm and shot at him. The bullet pierced McGowen’s flashlight — causing him to fall down to the ground. The shooter managed to elude the detective and escape a large manhunt that occurred following the event. Afterward, the Visalia Ransacker disappeared altogether and his whereabouts are unknown.