The Press Democrat October 24th 1969 On October 14/15th somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer phoned either the Santa Rosa Police Department or the Press Democrat newspaper, and stated "I am the Zodiac and I am going to blow up a school bus and kill kids in Santa Rosa". This phone call was reported to have been made prior to the newspaper release of the threat made in the October 13th 1969 Zodiac letter of "school children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning. Just shoot out the front tire + then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out". The Santa Rosa phone call threatening to bomb a school bus was issued at least 25 days prior to the perceived first threat on school buses, when the Zodiac Killer mailed the Bus Bomb letter on November 9th 1969. The realistic conclusion being that the Santa Rosa caller was the Zodiac Killer. On October 17th 1969, a female school bus driver believed somebody had fired a shot at her vehicle during the morning run.
On October 22nd 1969, a few hours after the Jim Dunbar Show featured an imitation "Zodiac", somebody mailed a communication from Santa Rosa threatening that a school child there would become his next victim. The brief note was mistakenly delivered to KRON-TV news and read out on air on October 23rd 1969, before being turned over to San Francisco authorities. The note was declared a prank by Chief Melvin "Dutch" Flohr. While this is possible, other communications have been declared hoaxes by authorities, despite subsequently being shown to be genuine Zodiac offerings. It's practically impossible to make any determination about this note with the limited information available, but I thought it was important to present a fuller picture of "Zodiac" activity during this hectic period.
On October 22nd 1969, a few hours after the Jim Dunbar Show featured an imitation "Zodiac", somebody mailed a communication from Santa Rosa threatening that a school child there would become his next victim. The brief note was mistakenly delivered to KRON-TV news and read out on air on October 23rd 1969, before being turned over to San Francisco authorities. The note was declared a prank by Chief Melvin "Dutch" Flohr. While this is possible, other communications have been declared hoaxes by authorities, despite subsequently being shown to be genuine Zodiac offerings. It's practically impossible to make any determination about this note with the limited information available, but I thought it was important to present a fuller picture of "Zodiac" activity during this hectic period.