Using all the descriptors available in multiple newspapers, my best estimation is that the remains found by Melvin Bennett as he traveled towards Yuba Gap to fish at the nearby Lake Valley Reservoir, were found approximately 500-600 feet beyond Camp Spaulding, alongside Lake Spaulding Road (one mile northeast of Interstate 80). This is one of the rare mountainous roads accessible by vehicle on the north side of the I-80 near Yuba Gap. If the abductor/murderer had traveled from South Lake Tahoe "past the Lake Tahoe areas" on the west side of the lake, they would have driven 26 miles west (23 miles by crow) along Interstate 80 and then Highway 20, before heading north on Lake Spaulding Road for about 2,500 feet to dispose of the remains or possibly kill Donna Lass. An abduction from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino at about 01:50am, to make this journey in one continuous sequence, would place the murderer and victim at Camp Spaulding at about 03:20am. How realistic is this scenario? Or was Donna Lass taken elsewhere, murdered and deposited in the Camp Spaulding region at a later time?
The route along Interstate 80 and Highway 20 does have other options well in advance of Camp Spaulding, if the intention was the disposal of a body or murder. Billy Mack Road at the Johnson Canyon Trailhead, Boreal Ridge Road at the Castle Peak Trailhead, Castle Creek Drive, Towle Mountain Drive and the Lola Montez Road, all sit within 11 miles of the killer joining Interstate 80. There were plenty of other options even earlier on California State Route 89 (alongside Lake Tahoe) and east past Truckee, Yet the perpetrator in this case headed 26 miles along Interstate 80 and Highway 20 to Camp Spaulding at Yuba Gap. Does this indicate the killer had prior knowledge of this location, and relied on his previous history of this area as the ideal spot for intimacy and seclusion? The Lake Spaulding Road location is extremely remote and blanketed by Pine trees.
The route along Interstate 80 and Highway 20 does have other options well in advance of Camp Spaulding, if the intention was the disposal of a body or murder. Billy Mack Road at the Johnson Canyon Trailhead, Boreal Ridge Road at the Castle Peak Trailhead, Castle Creek Drive, Towle Mountain Drive and the Lola Montez Road, all sit within 11 miles of the killer joining Interstate 80. There were plenty of other options even earlier on California State Route 89 (alongside Lake Tahoe) and east past Truckee, Yet the perpetrator in this case headed 26 miles along Interstate 80 and Highway 20 to Camp Spaulding at Yuba Gap. Does this indicate the killer had prior knowledge of this location, and relied on his previous history of this area as the ideal spot for intimacy and seclusion? The Lake Spaulding Road location is extremely remote and blanketed by Pine trees.
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Lake Spaulding and Lake Valley Reservoir, 2.25 miles apart and close to major commuter routes, provide excellent camping, fishing and boating to the public. So, is our suspect somebody who had regularly frequented these recreation areas, that also had a connection to the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino and/or the life of Donna Lass. The abduction of Donna Lass from a hotel and casino close to the end of her shift could be considered a targetted attack by somebody she knew, or somebody that knew of her. I am not convinced about the directional accuracy of the March 22nd 1971 "Pines Card", despite having no doubt that it was designed by the Zodiac Killer. Most things point to a Zodiac Killer who knew nothing regarding the whereabouts or fate of the missing nurse, Donna Lass. Which is why the Pines card only retrospectively claimed he "sought" her when she lived in San Francisco, just like he did with Kathy Bilek in the Monticello card. The Zodiac Killer didn't even increase his victim count in the 13-Hole postcard on October 5th 1970, one month after her abduction.
The abductor and murderer of Donna Lass seemingly chose the Lake Spaulding area near Yuba Gap to (more than likely) dispose of her remains, which were found seventy miles from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino (now the Golden Nugget Lake Hotel & Casino). Is the distance he was prepared to travel to make Donna Lass vanish an indication of his connection to her? Hopefully more information will be revealed in the coming months and years, that finally answers the questions put forth in this article.
The abductor and murderer of Donna Lass seemingly chose the Lake Spaulding area near Yuba Gap to (more than likely) dispose of her remains, which were found seventy miles from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino (now the Golden Nugget Lake Hotel & Casino). Is the distance he was prepared to travel to make Donna Lass vanish an indication of his connection to her? Hopefully more information will be revealed in the coming months and years, that finally answers the questions put forth in this article.