Anyone remember this case? Really odd, probably one the strangest dissapperances. Linda and John were supposed to go on some trip and ended up and europe and never were heard or seen again. And john's mom was strange and said that they were on a secret misson? And then they had that missing guy too that they were looking for that was connected to the case, named Chiester or something? Any updates or websites to look at?

I remember this case. They found a body buried in the backyard many years later didn't they? And didn't they say it was probably John? It's been a while, but I remember this case.

I remember watching the John and Linda Sohas segment. That's a weird unsolved mystery. Some of the couple's relatives received strange postcards from Linda and John saying that are bad at geograpy and they some how ended up in France. There is also a man, forgot his name, that is a suspect. He supposedly sold John Sohas's pick-up truck after the disappearance. I wonder if this missing persons case is closed or open. I hope it's open because just because this happened almost 20 years ago doesn't mean that it should'nt be solved. Don't you agree?

Have you found some info on the web about this case?

Here's a theory: Linda and the german houseguest started having an affair at some point. One of them, probably the german killed John in the guest house and then buried the body in the backyard. The government job thing was just a story that Linda came up with. They then drove John's pickup truck to Connecticut and tried at first to sell it, then just abandoned it. From there they hopped a plane to Europe, which is where Linda's postcards came from.

I asked the same question under the post of Christopher Chichester. Christopher Chichester is a pseudonym for Christian Gerhard Streider a German citizen who is considered a suspect in the disappearance of John and Linda Sohos. Kathy Jacoby, the sister of Linda Sohas received postcards supposedly sent by John and Linda from Europe when they had told family and friends they had government employment on the East coast. She thought it was out of character for Linda to send the post cards and not contact her by telephone or meet her when they returned. In the early 1990s Strieder attempted to sell an automobile to a young man in Connecticut. The Police discovered the car was stolen and want to speak to Streider.

Originally posted by chad30
Here's a theory: Linda and the german houseguest started having an affair at some point. One of them, probably the german killed John in the guest house and then buried the body in the backyard. The government job thing was just a story that Linda came up with. They then drove John's pickup truck to Connecticut and tried at first to sell it, then just abandoned it. From there they hopped a plane to Europe, which is where Linda's postcards came from.

That is the best explanation I have ever heard for this case. I would have to agree with you.

Justin

I think it's funny at the end of the segment when Stack says Chicester is wanted for questioning but is NOT considered a suspect. Obviously the guy is a suspect. Great segment but strange

I googled Linda's name and found this interesting comment by someone who apparently knew her:

"Linda Mayfield is notorious among the older members of The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Some LASFS members may even have been interviewed by various law enforcement agencies regarding Miss Mayfield. I am not sure about that, because that part of Miss Mayfield’s story occurred after I left Southern California in 1994.

Back in the mid-1980’s I worked two jobs for a short time. One job was at the phone company: that wonderful place of myth and legend paid my bills, and allowed me a certain measure of freedom. The other job was at “Dangerous Visions Bookstore” in Sherman Oaks. That was a science fiction specialty bookstore where I was paid in books. It was a part-time job. You can’t live on books (not that I haven’t tried).

I would come in to the DV Bookstore on a Thursday afternoon and do a shift-change with my fellow employee. The woman I took over for each Thursday was none other than Linda Mayfield. She was a science fiction fan (and horse enthusiast) who I had met first at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Linda was an artist who did artwork under the name “Cody”. She had some professional success as an artist. She told me once that she sold (at least) one small illustration to The New Yorker magazine for $700. Most of her success was in fandom. For example, she (as “Cody”) did several covers for APA-L.

I had known Linda for a couple of years before I started work at DV. She did not work at DV for very long. Linda soon got married to a quiet, nerdy guy named John Sohus. I only met John once. John was a computer guy. He did some computer work for Harlan Ellison. As I understand it, John Sohus was in charge of Mr. Ellison’s computerized address list for the “Harlan Ellison Record Collection”, Harlan Ellison’s recording venture in which I am member number “002”.

Shortly after Linda married this Sohus guy, things went south.

Linda Mayfield Sohus quit her bookstore job. Soon, she and her husband disappeared. The bookstore owner, Lydia Marano, got a postcard from Linda & John saying that they were in France. They never returned. There was a rumor that Harlan Ellison had to break into the Sohus house to retrieve his address list data. (Some Ellison rumors are more believable than others.)

Time passed. They never returned. John’s mother died. They never returned. The Sohus house was sold. Eventually the new owner did some yard work and dug up some human bones. The bones were identified as those of John Sohus. This is the story as best as I can figure it: Linda murdered her husband and skipped town. There is some chance, I suppose, that both Linda and her husband were murdered with Linda’s body being, as yet, undiscovered. The postcards from France, however, seem to rule that out, if Linda wrote them.

The TV show “Unsolved Mysteries” did a report on Linda and John Sohus. The TV show presented a lot of information that I never knew. Here is an overview of that show:

Unsolved Mysteries (segment name: “Chichester”)

“John and Linda Sohus disappeared in 1985 after proclaiming they had been enlisted by the government for some top secret work. Strangely shortly after their disappearance friends and family began receiving postcards from the couple sent from Paris, France. John’s alcoholic mother, Didi, had claimed that John and Linda’s former tenant Christopher Chichester was providing her with exclusive information that John and Linda were on a top secret “mission”. Then just as mysteriously Chichester broke off contact and he too vanished. In a final bizarre twist in May of 1994 the remains of John Sohus were found buried underground on his own property.”

^ I should add the summary of the UM episode was written up by me, so she has obviously visited these forums :lol:

Hmm interesting DD! Well, this is very interesting I must say. I share your opinion that this woman has visited the forum here. I have thought about this long and hard and at first it was my opinion that both John and Linda were murdered by Chichester. But the more I thought about this the less this scenario made sense to me.

If Chichester in fact murdered both John and Linda why bury John's body and hide Linda's? While it is possible that Chichester would want to frame Linda for John's murder it doesnt make much sense that he would kill both John and Linda but yet just bury John's body.

It is my opinion that Linda was probably bored in her marriage to John Sohas and that she and Chichester were having an affair. It is my opinion that Chichester and Linda then went off together, Linda went off to Europe, perhaps Chichester was with her and perhaps he was traveling back and forth to the States. It is interesting that Chichester would be by himself in Connecticut with John's truck. However it is just my opinion that Linda was involved in John's murder in some way. It is the only way that makes sense in my opinion.

Chichester whose real name I believe is Christian Gerhardt Strider was originally from Germany. So Chichester was a German citizen so I am assuming he has German passports and all that so it would be easy for him to travel back and forth, especially in the 1980's. Either Linda wanted John dead so she could go off with Chichester or perhaps Chichester decided to murder John because John was in the way of Chichester having Linda all to himself. Again this is just all my opinion. It is just bizarre.

Yes. I started a thread about this last year, and it's such a weird case; I would love to see it solved! But, one element that is missing from this discussion is who was the lady that came to pick up Linda's cats from the pound? Why would it have been important to this person to pick up the cats? What does this woman know? I mean she wouldn't have picked up the cats for no reason, or just known they were there for the heck of it! I think this mysterious woman probably knew more of the story. I think she went to pick up the cats and got them back to Linda somehow at Linda's request! No one is going to pay $$ to get pets out of the pound unless it's for a reason or because they don't want the animals to be destroyed or adopted by someone else! Strange case indeed.

San Marino bones may be linked to Rockefeller case
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_10104702

http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime/

More about the San Marino bones
By Frank Girardot on August 5, 2008 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | ShareThis
Police confirmed Tuesday a link between Clark Rockefeller, the Boston man who was sought after abducting his seven-year-old daughter, and a 23-year-old San Marino mystery, that included the discovery of bones buried in a backyard.

I've actually seen these bones -- twice. The first time was shortly after they were discovered. I was on a tour of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner and ended up interviewing a man named Steve Dowell, the sheriff's tool mark expert.

Dowell, who works in a basement office at the coroner's office keeps an interesting collection of bones and tools. The bones (at least a skull as I remember) excavated from Lorain Road were stored in a paper bag.

Dowell showed me the bones, explained where they were from and described the diffiiculty in confirming their identity. Apparently there was a Tongva Indian burial site near the location and early int he investigation there was some question if the bones were related to that or to the case of a couple who went missing in 1985. The couple was identified as John and Linda Sohus.

Then, in 2003, while working on a book about the coroner's office, I returned to Dowell's office and specifically asked him about the San Marino pool bones. He retrieved them and explained that they were likely of a recent vintage, but identifying how exactly the male died would be difficult.

Why?

Apparently the backhoe used in the pool excavation had destroyed the skull sufficiently that determining a cause of death would be nearly impossible.

Some questions I wish I had asked. What about dental records? What about DNA? I'm sure those questions are being asked now that Rockefeller, who used to be known as Christopher Chichester, is in custody in Boston.

Chichester was reportedly last seen in 1989 in Greenwich, Conn. He was stopped by police there driving a vehicle registered to John Sohus.

More about the San Marino bones
By Frank Girardot on August 5, 2008 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | ShareThis
Police confirmed Tuesday a link between Clark Rockefeller, the Boston man who was sought after abducting his seven-year-old daughter, and a 23-year-old San Marino mystery, that included the discovery of bones buried in a backyard.

I've actually seen these bones -- twice. The first time was shortly after they were discovered. I was on a tour of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner and ended up interviewing a man named Steve Dowell, the sheriff's tool mark expert.

Dowell, who works in a basement office at the coroner's office keeps an interesting collection of bones and tools. The bones (at least a skull as I remember) excavated from Lorain Road were stored in a paper bag.

Dowell showed me the bones, explained where they were from and described the diffiiculty in confirming their identity. Apparently there was a Tongva Indian burial site near the location and early int he investigation there was some question if the bones were related to that or to the case of a couple who went missing in 1985. The couple was identified as John and Linda Sohus.

Then, in 2003, while working on a book about the coroner's office, I returned to Dowell's office and specifically asked him about the San Marino pool bones. He retrieved them and explained that they were likely of a recent vintage, but identifying how exactly the male died would be difficult.

Why?

Apparently the backhoe used in the pool excavation had destroyed the skull sufficiently that determining a cause of death would be nearly impossible.

Some questions I wish I had asked. What about dental records? What about DNA? I'm sure those questions are being asked now that Rockefeller, who used to be known as Christopher Chichester, is in custody in Boston.

Chichester was reportedly last seen in 1989 in Greenwich, Conn. He was stopped by police there driving a vehicle registered to John Sohus.

There is a resemblance and Chichester was seen in the New England, east coast area. Mr. Rockefeller's main areas was the East Coast, so you never know.

Here's a link to another article with side by side photos of Christopher Chichester and Clarke Rockefeller. The resemblance is uncanny.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/08/la_homicide_det.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4

Wow.
Same MO. Same nose. Hairline consistent with aging. Same AWFUL taste in glasses. Looks like a winner to me!

let's see:
1. looks the same
2. uses several aliases
3. likes to hang out with the upscale crowd
4. while living in mass and nh, told people he did work for the govt (john and linda were supposably on a top secret "mission" for the govt.
5. finger prints match
6. chichester disappears in 1993, rockefeller appears 1994
7. here's an iteresting little note. rockefeller has a close friend who is a pediatrician in ny and she lives in-you guessed it greenwich, ct
8. chichester tried to unload the truck in greenwich
9. early in the rockefeller investigation authorities mentioned that rockefeller or could be an alias used by him was supposably issued a social security number in CT
10. chichester disappears, rockefeller appears, rockefeller disappears, chip smith appears.

can ya feel me - guilty as charged. only thing missing is where is linda?

Linda's gotta be dead. Poor woman, all these years people thought she ran off with Chichester

Wow, you know, I really do think this Rockefeller aka Christopher Chichester aka Christopher Crow is Christian Gerhardt Strider. If in fact this guy killed one or both of the Sohus's I do not believe that was his first killing or his last.

This case really fascinates me. I saw earlier in this forum that someone thought Linda had visited the forum? Is that correct? What would make you think so? Do you guys think Linda is dead? I can see where Christian/Clark would maybe hide Linda's remains to frame her.....:confused:

This case really fascinates me. I saw earlier in this forum that someone thought Linda had visited the forum? Is that correct? What would make you think so? Do you guys think Linda is dead? I can see where Christian/Clark would maybe hide Linda's remains to frame her.....:confused:

Linda has never visited the forum that I'm aware of. Actually I don't think she's alive anymore personally. :( A few people have posted who used to know Christopher Chichester.

Here's a link to another article with side by side photos of Christopher Chichester and Clarke Rockefeller. The resemblance is uncanny.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/08/la_homicide_det.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4

Here are some more articles on the Sohaus - Chichester/Rockefeller/Streiter deal. Apparently, he lied his way onto Wall Street, too.

http://davecopeland.com/index.php/2008/08/06/rockefeller-tied-to-wall-street-milken/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/07/in_a_cold_case_chilling_details/
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_08_07_Connecticut_families_recall_irksome__‘odd’_visitor/

And a timeline:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1111318

Does anyone have any video of this particular episode of Unsolved Mysteries? I think it be a gas to watch. Please upload or link to it if anyone has the segment.

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. I wonder why UM made it seem so mysterious about who woman who came. It wouldn't have took much research to find out it was her half-sister imo. That makes more sense, she obviously didn't know what happened to Linda but wanted to make sure nothing happened to the cats.

I also read in another article that Christopher Chichester borrowed a fellow church member's chainsaw shortly before John and Linda and himself disappeared. That combined with the fact that John's remains were found in 3 bags and a box also seem to point to something ominous.

One Boston Globe article mentions that after the disappearance, a post card from John and Linda arrived:

Jacoby said she thought that Linda and John were planning a trip to Connecticut, not Europe, so that John could interview for a job, when they disappeared. But later her family received a postcard, purportedly from Linda, from France.

Well, The Globe now has the postcard:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/08/a_colorful_clue.html

More coverage:
http://www.boston.com/news/specials/rockefeller_abduction/

The guy really looks like a weird nerd with the glasses on- just like Chichester.

My first though when I saw this photo of him

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00785/clark-rockefeller-r_785054c.jpg

was how much he reminds me of one of our most respected Cricket commentators Johnathan Agnew.

http://static.ecb.co.uk/images/width140/aggers-24017.gif

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/07/rockefeller.fbi.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

This is the timeline I was able to put together with the info I've been able to dig up so far. As info becomes available I hope to fill in any gaps:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got some additional info like the biz school and high school researching some more. So here it is. I think it's pretty accurate and mostly complete:

1961 Christian Karl Gerhartstieter is born in Germany

1978 attends and graduates Business School in Germany

1979-1981 Shows up in Berlin as Exchange Student. Attends Berlin High School Graduates 1981 as an average student except for history and sociology ( other students say they believe he was older than the 17 years old he said he was) First lived with the Savio Family until he was kicked out for locking their young daughter outside for 4 hours in the dead of winter. Then moves in with librarian he befriended until he is kicked out for running up a large phone bill (which he did pay back) Some time later he contacts Mrs. Savio and tells her he is producing films under the name Christopher Crowe.

1981 - Moves to Madison, Wisconsonson marries Amy Jersild, gets his green card. Marriage license gives parents names as Simon and Irmengard Gehartsreiter.

1983 - Divorces Jersild, moves to Cailifornia

1983-1985 Poses as University of California Student under his Christopher Chichester name. Moves into the Guest house of John and Linda Sohus and his mother "Didi". In San Marino, CA

Feb. 1985 John and Linda disappear. Mother says a 3rd party, which she later said was Chichester, had been acting as a go between and that he advised her that they were on a secret mission for the government.
By April Chichester is gone.

1985 Shows up in Greenwich at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. Gets hired at S.N. Phelps and Company a brokerage firm. Quits for unknown reasons.

1987-1989 Works under the name Christopher Crowe at Nikko Securities International in NYC. Fired for incompetence. (It is also discovered that "Crowe used the social security number of Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz)

1988- Tries to sell a truck belonging to John Sohus to a Greenwich, CT ministers son. When the purchaser tries to register the truck at DMV he finds out that there is a lien against the truck. "chichester" under his "Crowe" persona cannot come up with paperwork and the purchaser reports the incident to Greenwich Police. A VIN check is done and the vehicle comes back as wanted in connection to the John and Linda Sohus missing person case in California"

1989 - Lands a job at Kidder Peabody as an International Sales Manager fired 2 weeks later after he requests time of to find his "parents who were kidnapped and held for ransom" Two days later Connecticut State Police and FBI show up at both jobs looking for "Chichester" in connection with the John and Linda Sohus disappearance. Police have discovered that Chichester and Crowe are one in the same.

1988- Didi Sohus dies of a heart attack believing her son is on a mission for the govt.

1989-1993 Lives in NY under unknown alias, meets Sandra Boss and her sister, tries to date, pursue the sister and is rebuffed. Turns his attention to Sandra.

1993 Is dating Sandra Boss as Clark Rockefeller it is unknown if they are in Boston at this point in time or NY.

1994 a pool company doing an in ground pool installation discovers bones in the rear of the Sohus property which has been sold to another family. The bones are tentatively identified as John Sohus, Linda is not found on the property. A homicide investigation ensues and police begin looking for Christopher Chichester again this time as a person of interest.

1995 - Clark Rockefeller and Sandra Boss marry in a small ceremony on Nantucket. Sandra states Clark will handle the paperwork which is never turned in. The couple live in a Brownstone in Boston.

2001 - Reigh Rockefeller is born.

2002 - Rockefeller and Boss purchase a mansion in Cornish, New Hampshire

2004 - Rockefeller suggests and wins his wife over and purchases a renovated church in Cornish for $1.00 promising to donate a large sum of money to rebuild the police department.

2006 - Boss buys 2.3 million dollar Boston Brownstone

Jan 17, 2008 - Boss files for divorce. In the paperwork she brings up the fact that she does not know who Clark Rockefeller really is. Rockefeller is supposed to bring his birth certificate to court but never does.

December 2007 - The Boss/Rockefeller divorce is finalized after Boss agrees to pay between $800,000 and 1.5 million dollars to Clark Rockefeller in exchange for full custody of Reigh. Rockefeller never has to disclose his name as part of the agreement. The court orders Rockefeller 3 supervised visits a year. Boss changes Reighs name to Reigh Boss.

Late 2007 - Rockefeller contacts a realtor in Baltimore, MD and as "chip" Smith starts looking for a place for himself and his daughter to live.

December 2007 - Rockefeller tells a friend how much he misses Reigh and says "I may have to Kidnap her". He has already been working on a plan possibly since 2006.

April 2008 - Finalizes purchase of carriage house on Ploy St in Baltimore.

July 27, 2008 - Kidnaps Reigh during supervised visit. Drags social worker while fleeing with person he told that the worker was his estranged gay lover. Driver is paid $1000.00 to transport Rockefeller and Reigh to another location in Mass. Amber alert issued as Reigh is determined to be in danger.

July 28, 2008 Rockefeller arrives in New York by Grand Central station after paying another acquaintance $500.00 to drive him to New York from Mass. Tells acquaintance he is going to the Peru or Bahamas with Reigh and asks if she wants to join them. After dropping them off she learns that Rockefeller has abducted Reigh and goes to the Police Department in NY.

July 28 - Aug 1, 2008 - Multi State manhunt for Rockefeller and Reigh, multiple sighting but none pan out. Getaway vehicle is found and examined by Police investigators. Police report they have found a clue but do not elaborate.

Aug 2, 2008 - Police and FBI stake out the carriage house after being tipped off by the realtors. They watch from an apartment and on the street. Rockefellers boat has been found docked nearby and investigators along with the marina operator devise a ploy to coax Rockefeller out saying that his boat is taking on water. Rockefeller is apprehended Reigh is found inside the carriage house unharmed.

Aug. 4th - Rockefeller waives extradition to Boston.

Aug 5th - Rockefeller is flown back to Boston and is arraigned and held without bail. he is also named as a person of interest in the Sohus homicide/missing persons case. Police release the fact that a fingerprint lifted from the getaway vehicle was identified as belonging to Chistopher Crowe from an application to become a stockbroker which was filed. as well as Chritopher Chichester who is wanted as a person of intrest in a homicide probe in San Marino, CA, as well as numerous phone tips have shown that Rockefeller may be Christopher Chichester. The print also comes back to immigration paperwork filed in the late 70's for Christian Gerhartsreiter, connecting the three.

Aug 6th - Investigators from the L. A. County Homicide Unit try to interview Rockefeller but he refuses.

Was the writing on the postcard ever even compared to Linda's, and how did they compare?

More details from The Boston Globe:

On Feb. 20, 1981, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, 19, moved almost 1,000 miles west to Elm Grove, Wis., where he married a US citizen, Amy Jersild, 22, in a civil ceremony at the Dane County courthouse in Madison, records show. After that point, he obtained a green card, granting him legal residency in the United States.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/08/many_layered_identity_is_emerging/?page=full

I'm trying to make sense of how things occurred with John and Linda Sohus and why. I'm curious if Chichester was friends with the Sohuses. UM never really mentions what type of relationship they had, just said he lived at the guest house on the property. I would assume that this talk about this government job was a story that Chichester made up and they bought into..but why? What reason would Chichester have to get them out of the area? The only thing I can think of is he had some designs of scamming Dede Sohus, possibly even wanting to obtain her house. He apparently also told Dede this elaborate story about them being on a secret mission and convinced her to hand over their mail to them. With by all accounts her being an alcoholic and probably not thinking clearly very often I would guess it was probably easy to get her to believe his wild stories. It would seem that Chichester's plan for the Sohuses was quite elaborate and well planned. I do think he forced Linda to write out these postcards early on that he would then arrange to have mailed from other countries to throw anyone off who thought they were missing due to foul play.

I don't think his plan was to get the house. I think he led Linda on, Killed John, they both took off and when he didn't need her or want her anymore, he killed her too. Think about it, She had proof he murdered John, she could blow his cover under his alias, she was a libility, with her removed from the equation, a great deal of his problems were taken care of too. The only thing in where did he dump the body. As for the postcards; he could have had her write them, sent them to a mail forwarding service as they are everywhere and effectively made it look like Linda and John were in France. Excuse me if I'm wrong but even in the 80's you should have needed a passport to leave and enter the country. So somewhere there has to be a record of them going to Paris or not going. I know computers back then were really outdated by todays standards, but I wonder if they can still look them up or if they even have.

This is wild...I'm loving all of these new developments!

OK So his family in Germany has now identified Rockefeller as Christopher Karl Gergartsreiter. They also gave the info that he left Germany for the U.S. in 1979. In addition, earler reports that while he was in CT he did not leave a footprint are now in question as he supposably appears in the Berlin High School Class of 1981 yearbook and it bears his signature under his German name. The school claims it has the yearbook in it's library. Also one of the Savio's, the family he stayed with in Berlin,CT states that Mrs. Savio drove Rockefeller or whoever is is to the CT DMV. He obtained a drivers license under the name Reiter after he convinced DMV officials that his last name was mistakenly put together with his middle name on his passport. In addition, he appearently borrowed a friends "Rockefeller" style appartment to throw a party where he woo'd Sandra Boss. At this same party he was approached by a gentleman who claimed that he knew David Rockefeller and Crockefeller stated that he was one of the poor Rockefellers. There's alot more info I've been getting today too. All I can say about this guy, well I can say 2 things. 1. Sandra, Reigh and his first Wife Amy Jersild Duhnke are real luck to be alive with this clown and 2. "oh what a tangled web we weave".
I'm getting more info constantly so if anyone wants you guys can email me at: joetnymedic@aol.com if I have any other info, I'll get it to you.

Joe

Hooray for Harold Lloyd. :)

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/8-5-08-50-BONES1.jpg

http://www.anl.gov/ARTS/lloyd.gif

That was the craziest thing! I'm watching Inside Edition yesterday, and they put up this Rockefeller's photo and I just blurt out, "Ha, looks like Christopher Chichester." The person I was watching Inside Edition with -- and not a UM fan -- naturally says, "Who????" I just laughed it off like, "Never mind, old Unsolved Mysteries reference". Then seconds later that say Christopher Chichester! I was like HOLY MACKINOLIE! Then they even showed the pics of the Sohus' waving inside their car just like UM used.

Toooo nutty.

I was just reading in an article that John Sohus was adopted so its probably going to be impossible for them to positively identify the remains as being his through dna. I remember the UM segment said there were no dental records to compare to.

I'm curious what happened to the remains? They seemed quite certain that they are John's so does that mean the remains were turned over to the family for burial or that they're in a police department somewhere in the evidence room.

John Sohus was adopted. Authorities are having difficulties locating his next of kin. Its vital when there are no dental records. A reverse paternity test will require a blood relative to determine his remains.

It's amazing when a living person can't be identified nowadays with all the security agencies and various records.

I knew them both....Linda was my best friend since we were both 13. She met John in 1982, they got married in my home in 1983. They were very happy together; Linda had just sold her first art pieces after a showing in greater LA 2 months before their disappearance. I didn't know much about John other than he was quiet and very loving & supportive around Linda, they were perfect for each other. I did know he was adopted and his older (?):confused halfbrother Harry had left the family several years before and did not have any contact with he & John's adoptive mother, or with John either. I found out after the bones were discovered that he had never gone to the dentist, so there were no dental records to access. Now there is DNA, and if they can find a blood relative of his they can ascertain those are his remains for sure. I believe they are. As for Linda, I have no idea where she is and have never heard from her after their disappearance. Her sis and I were
the only people who suspected foul play; but since I was not a family member I could not pursue it. So Kathy did; she listed Linda as a Missing Person a few months after their disappearance; his adoptive mother did the same for John. His adoptive mom died in 1988 I believe, and she was divorced from the adoptive dad so there was no one to continue the story other than Kathy & me. Eventually, after the discovery of the remains in 94, Kathy & I were each approached by Unsolved Mysteries, and we helped with the investigation, and that episode aired in 1995.

I've seen the postcards and I don't think that's her writing, but its been many years. All I want to know is WHY did all this happen???? And I want closure! I dream about Linda all the time, and after 23 years I would like to know what happened to two dear friends...:(

Welcome, Suebee!
I'm sorry about the loss of your friends. If I may ask, did you ever meet 'Chichester'? If so, do you think he and Rockefeller are the same man? All signs seem to point to that fact, but I was wondering what your gut told you about him.
-Necco

I'm putting probably the earliest photo of rockefeller out there from a german newspaper. also here are some pics of his home in germany.

I never met this person (whoever he is called), but there was a reference to him from Linda herself back in 1983. I was at their home in San Marino (that very house), on 4th of July, for a backyard BBQ and then over to see the fireworks at the Rose Bowl. We were in the backyard and I mentioned how cool it was to have a "mother-in-law" house in the back (the very same place that eventually would have copious bloodstains uncovered by the detectives working on the mysterious bones case). Then I asked if anyone was living there, and Linda mentioned that it was a "creepy" guy and she didn't like him very much so she just plain avoided him. She never mentioned his name, but I'm assuming it's the same Chichester that was later on to live there and disappear.

Then I asked if anyone was living there, and Linda mentioned that it was a "creepy" guy and she didn't like him very much so she just plain avoided him.

That confirms my suspicion it wasn't a love triangle. IMO, the authorities are way off on that. This is a double murder. There's much less to explain regarding location of a second body than if the two of them set off together.

There are many ways to fake a postcard, particularly if you don't send it for months/years.

If John's dead but Linda is still around, they've got to disappear quickly and/or come up with some bizarre rationale for him being gone. Meanwhile, I read one article tonight with a friend of Chichester saying the last time she saw him was playing Trivial Pursuit in the Sohus backyard, with clear evidence the backyard had been dug up. Sounds like the deed had been done and he was confident planting the secret mission story with the mother would buy some time. It creates instant suspicion if he's gone immediately.

The atypical problem in this case is the guy is not a murderer or criminal at base instinct. That's not his game. It happens sometime. He's a tall tale con man. I wonder if the authorities spent too much time looking for a murderer?

I suppose Chichester/Rockefeller murdered John and Linda Sohus to protect his identity. John and Linda most probably discovered their tenant was an undesirable individual. John and Linda threatened to contact the authorities or expose his faults to the elite of San Marino and he responded by murdering them. A psychopath does not appreciate someone exposing their facade of respectability.

Rockefeller most probably wanted to murder his former wife. He knew murdering his former wife would attract the attention of police. She was a spouse with a prominent career in investment banking and management consultancy. He abducted his daughter to regain control of the relationship with his former wife. However, he underestimated the tenacity of federal authorities to locate him and expose his identity and deception.

Extensive article on CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/11/rockefeller.mystery.ap/index.html) about all the information gathered so far.

It seems like a lock that this guy is Chicester. Can't hardly believe it after all these years. They have his fingerprints on Chicester's driver's license and on Christopher Crowe's stock broker application. His brother and a host family in Connecticut have positively identified Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter AKA Chicester, AKA Crowe.

Now they just need some evidence to tie him to the Sohus murders.

That was the craziest thing! I'm watching Inside Edition yesterday, and they put up this Rockefeller's photo and I just blurt out, "Ha, looks like Christopher Chichester." The person I was watching Inside Edition with -- and not a UM fan -- naturally says, "Who????" I just laughed it off like, "Never mind, old Unsolved Mysteries reference". Then seconds later that say Christopher Chichester! I was like HOLY MACKINOLIE! Then they even showed the pics of the Sohus' waving inside their car just like UM used.

Toooo nutty.



LOL...I had been keeping up with the case of "Mr. Rockefeller" because it was just an intriguing case. Of course, my thing was, "this would be a great UM case". There I was today watching M&J in the morning and they talked a little about Mr. Rockefeller and there flashed a pic of Mr. Chichester and then him being linked to the disappearances of John and Linda Sohus. I was like, "OMG!!!" I was at work too and the people in the office must have thought I had gone crazy or something. What a weird twist of fate!!!!

Now the question is....what happened to Linda??? Who was the woman assuming it even was a woman, that picked up Linda's cats?

Who was the woman assuming it even was a woman, that picked up Linda's cats?

Someone posted this recently in regards to the mysterious female who picked up the cats:

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.

Someone posted this recently in regards to the mysterious female who picked up the cats:

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.


Well that sure makes it less mysterious and creepy.....

Comparision of Gerhartsreiter, Rockefeller and Chichester Photos

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/img/8dda/iloveamystery/7l.jpg

It appears that all three photos are of the same person. Look closely at the shape of the jawline. In all of the photos, it is the same. You can also detect a slight cleft in the chin in all three photos. Look at the teeth in the first two photos. They're the same. Look at the nose again. The shape is the same. It just looks wider in the first two photos, probably due to the broad smile that is not present in the last photo. Look at the brow shape and the ears. They are the same. The brows in the third (Chichester) photo were probably waxed a bit. Also, I suspect the hair in the first (Gerhartsreiter) photo has been lightened; you can tell by the dark roots. The hair has been dyed red in the center (Rockefeller) photo. All three photos show a high forehead.

LA Authorities just confirmed that Gerhartsreiter, Rockefeller and Chichester are the same person. See the Boston Herald Article (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1112384).

Thoughts on the Sohus Case (http://www.zimbio.com/Linda+Sohus/articles/6/Thoughts+Sohus+Case+Updated)

I suppose Chichester/Rockefeller murdered John and Linda Sohus to protect his identity. John and Linda most probably discovered their tenant was an undesirable individual. John and Linda threatened to contact the authorities or expose his faults to the elite of San Marino and he responded by murdering them.

Since John was a computer geek, possibly he looked into Chichester's background, found out it was BS and thought (unfortunately) by confronting him they could avoid the hassle of legally evicting him.

Even if they manage to implicate him in John Sohus' death, I'll be surprised if he ever admits where he placed Linda's remains.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/11/rockefeller.mystery.ap/index.html

It never ceases to amaze me how these cold cases suddenly become hot... I'm glad that it appears that they've got their man. :)

I'm surprised they finally caught this guy. I didn't think they ever would. Pretty stupid on his part to kidnap his daughter. If he had not done that, chances are he could have gone years without ever being caught.

I just saw this on the local LA news. I saw that picture and about flipped. I'm glad I could come right here to this board and it's already old news.

He's now admitting he's Chichester.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/12/rockefeller.mystery.ap/index.html

check out frank giradot's crime scene. there's a new wanted poster on the case from la county sherriffs

He's now admitting he's Chichester.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/12/rockefeller.mystery.ap/index.html

He admits he's Chichester right after he claims he can't remember a thing from his past, eh?

We'll know where John and Linda are before long.

I donubt it they really have no case against him for murder, her remains have never been found, the found remains are still unidentified. He would have to be a complete idiot or crazy to confess to murder, well he is the latter for sure.

I really hope they can get enough evidence to charge him. I was reading on a Yahoo news article where some people who knew him back when he was living at the guest house and soon after the time the Sohuses' went missing that they noticed the yard had been dug up. Chichester told the people there were "plumbing problems". Of course John Sohus' remains were found in that area years later.

i think that if they still have the clothing that was with the skeletal remains, there is still a chance to pin a murder on him. Back in the 80's and 90's DNA was in it's infancy. If they can get fibers or more importantly hair off the clothes, they can prove who had contact prior to the murder happening as they already said they are positive it was a murder. naming the vic is important, but if they can prove rockewhateverhisnameis, had contact with that body, it's a step in the right direction. Also, I am uncertain as to how long california hospitals, labs, and dr's are required to keep results and blood samples. If sohus ever had mnajor surgery or had lab work drawn to rule out something and there's even a small sample on file, there's a chance for ID. 23 years is a long time, but I wouldn't rule it out. I think the pd isn't looking everywhere or hasn't thought of the healthcare option. I know that here in ct med records are on file forever. I was injured in an accident in 1969 when I was a mere 6 1/2 years old and I was able to get records off microfilm from the hospital. So there may be something in past medical records, broken bones, something that can help with the id. Thats just my personal opinion.

Knew this last night as well as some other stuff but promised I wouldn't release it till the story came out:


http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_10181141

They have also contacted Dr. Henry Lee here in CT and Dr. Cyril Wecht.

They are looking for the clothing found with the skeleton now. for some possible DNA work to work matches on Linda, Didi and Chichester. If they can place Chichester with the person they can link him a bit more to the homicide, if evidence of linda and didi exists it's more proof it's john.

I'll keep you guys advised

You'd think if you're going to come up with an alias, you'd choose something that blends into a crowd hey. Chichester was bad enough but Rockefeller stands out like dogs' balls.

Hi,
Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the UM featuring the Sohus' disappearance? I'd get the DVD but not sure which one it is on.
Many thanks!

Send Crystaldawn a Private Message. She'll give you the hook up, as she's our UM drug-dealer. :)

ok, I must be losing my mind. Now Rockefeller admits he had the truck, but says he bought it from didi sohus who never sent him the title and says he gave it away.They are re-examining the blood evidence from the inlaw apt he rented from the sohus's and they actually talked to a girl who dated him in the 80's when he was chichester. Also his lawyer says the feds and bpd talked to him for 4-5 hrs today and the lawyer says he will not talk to CA det's even tho he wants to. The lawyer also says he has advised the jail that there are to be no more visitors. First he remembers nothing prior to 1993, then he remembers bits and pieces but not the sohus's,or california. Then he remembers california but not the sohus's. now he remembers didi sohus and buying a truck from her, registered to john, and remembers she never sent the title. What I'm confused about there is how can i sell a car belonging to my son, if it's in my sons name? I can't so neither could didi sohus. This guy and his lawyer are playing games. He doesn't remember Germany but he speaks and understands German. I think that will be the next thing he admits to. I think the cops are playing connect the dots and as they put the puzzle together and he's confronted with facts, he gives in, but only to what he sees they have absolute proof of. As he isn't quite sure what LA County Sherriffs have, He is a) better off not talking because he can slip and give them something b) as they can't ID Johns body, and neither does he, it's still a mystery, c) he doesn't give up Linda's location which is another hole in LA's case. You know what I think is coming next? I'm thinking the lawyer is going to claim that this guy really didn't remember anything and that these are false memories planted by things he's heard, watched on TV and read in the papers. I'm betting it. And that would be one heck of a defense. Either that of it gets turned around that john approached him violently about an affair with linda and he snapped and because it was so horrible to think about, his mind blocked it out. Watch.

I'm just glad I'm not Chichester/Rockefeller's lawyer. I have a hard enough time defending people who actually REMEMBER committing their crimes. :D

As for charges in the Sohus disappearances, it may be years before we see that. I have faith that day will actually come... However, I think his lawyer is probably doing the correct thing given the circumstances. I KNOW I'm going to get flamed for that one, but a lawyer's job is to protect his client's best interests above all. Speaking from personal experience, I've actually told my clients that they need to "stop talking NOW." (Do NOT get me wrong here, guys: I'm convinced that Rockefeller and Chichester are one and the same and that he probably offed the Sohases, but he still has rights.)

Oh, and the comment about the name "Chichester" standing out like dog's balls cracked me up. Nice one. :)

"Your Honor, my client doesn't remember anything before 1993..." Note to self: Save next to "Twinkie Defense" in my "Hail Mary" file. :D

I'm just glad I'm not Chichester/Rockefeller's lawyer. I have a hard enough time defending people who actually REMEMBER committing their crimes. :D



OT

Just wondering CRicci, have you gotten any clients who told you they were innocent?

OT

Just wondering CRicci, have you gotten any clients who told you they were innocent?


LMAO! Honestly? About 50% of my clients insist they've done nothing wrong, even though there are police reports and witness accounts that insist otherwise. :) 30% of my clients admit *some* wrongdoing, but seek to have charges reduced. My favorite clients are the 10% who admit to totally screwing up are looking to amend/atone for the situation. My LEAST favorite clients are the 10% who admit they've screwed up and look to me to "find a loophole" to get them out of it.

What can I say? I appreciate it when people take responsibility for their mistakes. For those 10%, I work my butt off trying to find a resolution that makes everyone semi-satisfied. The 10% that expect me to "get them off" make my job way too hard. These are the people that want to go to trial on a traffic ticket just to prove a freakin' point.... Blech.

LMAO! Honestly? About 50% of my clients insist they've done nothing wrong, even though there are police reports and witness accounts that insist otherwise. :) 30% of my clients admit wrongdoing, but seek to have charges reduced. My favorite clients are the 10% who admit to screwing up and seek to amend the situation. My LEAST favorite clients are the 10% who admit they've screwed up and look to me to "find a loophole" to get them out of it.

What can I say? I appreciate it when people take responsibility for their mistakes. For those 10%, I work my butt off trying to find a resolution that makes everyone semi-satisfied. The 10% that expect me to "get them off" make my job way too hard. These are the people that want to go to trial on a traffic ticket just to prove a freakin' point.... Blech.

Interesting. Not speaking in a legal sense here but I have been doing a lot of self reflecting lately and I have come to question why some people who are obviously guilty would contest it. Sounds naive as Hell I'm sure. I guess it's because I feel like I am an honest person and that I wouldn't refute my guilt if convicted of a crime I actually did commit. On the other hand, if I wanted a new trial and didn't have the money to hire an attorney to fight it I would probably want to rally up support for some sort of pro bono representation for an appeal. I'm sure it worked for some of the Final Appealants on our favorite show.

Tickets, lol. I got one recently. Plead "no contest", and yes, I was guilty.

This case is high in the german press,too. Gerhartsreiter MUST have heard about Helmut Kohl, german chancellor from '82 to '98 (far too long, but that's another story). When it was discovered in '99 that his party CDU had received and maintained illegal funding under his leadership, Kohl told he couldn't remember the names and got off lightly.
So that's how you get off --- just tell you can't remember and you're not responsible. I think I'll do that when I get in trouble. Can't remember a thing that's happend prior to my 40th birthday, sorry...:D

actually I think CRicci will agree with me, It's used at trial just a bit, I like the call it the "I can't recall" defense. One thing you can't prove or make happen is someone remembering.

I'm just glad I'm not Chichester/Rockefeller's lawyer. I have a hard enough time defending people who actually REMEMBER committing their crimes.

Actually, his lawyer has been my favorite part of this whole circus. Of course, "Rockefeller" is lying when he says he doesn't remember most of his life (including the fact that he doesn't remember being from Germany...ha!), but his lawyer is playing along with it. "Just because you have aliases doesn't mean you committed a crime." True dat, defense lawyer guy, but you sound like Lionel Hutz when you say stuff like that!

Also, great point about the aliases, NA4STER! This guy really is a piece of work.

It's been confirmed by FBI that Clark Rockefeller is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. See http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17201643/detail.html

from the boston paper. here's his birth certificate and his report card from school.

Christian Gerhartstreiter is a typical psychopath. He is a deeply insecure individual. He created identities and characters to conceal his lack of self esteem and to control and dominate others. His brother described it accurately when Christian stated his desire to leave Germany to become 'famous.'

He is most probably ashamed of his family and their status. He experimented with changing his family name to Reiter and Streiter in Connecticut in the late 1970s. He used the alias Christopher Chichester, Christopher Crowe and others when he gained confidence. The characters had an association with royalty or a wealthy family and graduated from prestigious universities. The characters epitomised success to compensate for his lack of aptitude and rural heritage.

I presume the alias of Clark Rockefeller performed two functions. He believed the life of deception was a success, He evaded police detection for many years and enjoyed a lifestyle he could not attain as Christian Gerhartsteiter. He decided Rockefeller would represent acomplishment, status and intimidate or deter people questioning his identity. Secondly, he wanted an educated and successful wife. The allure of the Rockefeller name, an Ivy League education and regal heritage attracted one woman.

I presume Gerhartstreiter's psychological trauma began when his former wife discovered he was a fraud and sought a divorce. He responded by devising a strategy to inflict maximum emotional harm on her. He decided to abduct his daughter. The abduction and attempt to regain control in his relationship with his former wife revealed Rockefeller was a German man with a high school education and a person of interest in the disappearance of John and Linda Sohus.

He's now all over the network news, where I am, and in the newpapers.

It is also international news, when he abducted his child it was front page news & one of the lead tv news stories here, today it was about the sixth news story- albeit still more about the abduction, the Sohus's are mentioned more in passing without their name being used.

After the Sohuses went missing, Chichester also disappeared and was not heard from again until he tried to sell John Sohus's truck in CT in 1988. That's three years later! Chichester had access to a truck for three years that didn't belong to him. Was he driving it around all that time? If so, why wasn't he nervous about it? (Was it because Linda was with him during that time period?)

Then, according to this sgvtribune.com article (http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_10227490), it appears Lydia Marano, Linda's former boss, stated that months after Linda and John's disappearance, she received two calls indicating that Linda had applied for a job and a credit card. The article also states that Lydia believes the post cards mailed to her from Paris were written by Linda. Also, Ruth Sohus's credit card records show that her (stolen) cards were used at several businesses in New York during that time period.

All of the above leads me to believe that Linda wasn't murdered at the same time as her husband. The police may believe this as well, which is probably why they decided not to dig up the yard at their former San Marino home again after Chichester/Rockefeller's arrest. So what happened to her? Did she leave with Chichester for the East Coast after John was murdered? Linda is described as being 6-feet tall, approximately 200-pounds, with red hair. Perhaps the police should check their cold case files for anyone matching that description during that time period. If she was murdered while traveling to the East Coast from CA, her murder could have occurred just about anywhere along their travel route.

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/img/8dda/iloveamystery/14m.jpg
Linda Sohus's Wedding Photo

Does anyone know where I can purchase a copy of the UM episode about the Sohus murder on DVD?

This is the case that has prompted me to register here. I started following this saga when I heard about the child being kidnapped. Then, this twist came to light!

I've read a great deal about this poor couple. As far as I can surmise, they are both deceased. Most people seem to agree that the remains recovered from the back yard are Jon's and that the "person of interest" known as Clark Rockefeller, also known as Chris Chichester, probably knows more than he's telling.

I have thought about this case for several days now. (I even dreamed about it so I suppose I'm in danger of becoming obsessed. :eek: ) I have my theories like everyone else, but truth is stranger than fiction. I'm sure when it does come out, the reality will be weirder than I can imagine.

Still, I think that it's very possible that money was a motive. Obviously, the Sohus, while not extravagantly wealthy, were better off than Chichester. Perhaps Chichester was the one who took Ruth Sohus' credit cards, and Jon Sohus went to ask Chichester about it. Maybe out of fear, Chichester bashed him in the head if Jon threatened him with the police. Perhaps, he hid the body temporarily until he could figure out what to do with it and buried it later.

Perhaps Linda went looking for Jon and maybe Chichester told her, "Oh, he told me he was going over to _____. I'll take you over there." While she may have thought him creepy, she probably didn't suspect him of killing her husband. Perhaps she went with him and he caught her by surprise as well. She may have been dumped elsewhere and may never be found.

He must've known from Ruth that Jon had a job offer on the East coast. Perhaps their car was already loaded with their baggage and he simply drove it to a parking garage and retrieved it later. As for the postcards, she may have done what a few others do: wrote them ahead of time to send along the way. The postcard I saw reproduced never actually said, "Hi! We're here in Paris!" It just had a Paris postmark. To my knowledge, Chichester's whereabouts were unknown from April 1985 to 1988 when he tried to sell Jon's Nissan truck. It's possible he could've flown to Europe for a week or so and sent them or arranged to have them sent periodically.

As for Linda applying for a job and a credit card, Chichester, if he's responsible, may have done that to throw out some red herrings. You don't always have to apply for jobs in person. You can just fill out applications. He seems to be a master of red herrings considering how he tried to lead police astray when he kidnapped his daughter.

I suppose the biggest puzzles are the motive and the whereabouts of Linda Sohus. From what I've read of her, I do not think she was the type of person to be involved in her husband's murder. She seemed to be happy with him. Perhaps her life was thrown in turmoil when he decided to take the job, but that doesn't mean she'd murder him and go for Chris Chichester. I hope she and her husband will soon rest in peace.

Meanwhile, I think that "Rockefeller's" former wife, Sandra Boss, should be questioned. She obviously had a tremendous fear for her child's safety even though he seemed to be devoted to his little girl. I read that she fainted from relief when told the child was found alive. I think she knows more than she's telling and that's why she got the divorce. She's afraid of him.

No matter what, though, I think IF he is responsible, he will get his comeuppance, if not in this life, then the next. It would help the families of Jon and Linda Sohus though, to know what happened to them. I only hope they can find out some day.

L.A. Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sanmarino21-2008aug21,0,6932052,full.story)

Disappearance of San Marino couple in 1985 mystified friends
Family members and others tried in a variety of ways to contact or locate Linda and Jonathan Sohus but without success.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 21, 2008

Kathy Jacoby knew something was wrong soon after her half-sister Linda Sohus disappeared along with her husband Jonathan in the spring of 1985.

Sohus told Jacoby they were going on a job-hunting trip to Connecticut. But they never returned to their San Marino home. Linda Sohus abandoned her job at a bookstore as well as her four cats.



Jacoby, then 22, lacked the money to hire a private investigator. So she became her own detective. That April, she called her sister's boss, mother-in-law and friends and filed a missing-persons report with San Marino police. Jacoby eventually received a postcard purportedly from her sister postmarked from France, but that only heightened her concern.

Nothing came of her detective work, and her sister's case languished for decades. Jacoby looked for Sohus in crowds, stopping each time she saw the back of a tall, stocky blond, waiting until the woman turned, hoping that it might be her sister.

It never was.

The case of the young couple was largely forgotten until this month, when investigators named a Boston man who is being held there on unrelated kidnapping charges as a "person of interest" in the disappearance and suspected killings of Linda, 28, and Jonathan Sohus, 26. Authorities believe that the man, Clark Rockefeller, lived in the Sohus' guest house as Christopher Chichester at the time the couple disappeared. Rockefeller has denied any involvement with the disappearance.

The reopening of the long-cold case has forced friends and family to reexamine memories of the couple's disappearance.

John and Linda Sohus were both avid science-fiction fans, and their disappearance fueled rumors and speculation among those who knew them from the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society and Dangerous Visions Bookstore in Sherman Oaks, where Linda Sohus worked. Friends believe they met either at a society meeting or at the bookstore.

The bookstore's owner, Lydia Marano, 56, of Northridge, received a postcard from France similar to Jacoby's after the couple disappeared, which made no sense, she said. Linda Sohus was a clerk at the bookstore, and John Sohus had a low-level job working with computers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. They could not afford a trip to France, Marano said.

Marano said she wondered at the time how the couple could have gotten the money for the European trip.

"They were both very naive," she said.

Linda Sohus was well-known within the society as a fantasy artist who drew mystical cover art for society publications under the name "Cody," and friends said she sold a small illustration to The New Yorker magazine for $700.

Galen Tripp, a member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society who worked with Sohus at the bookstore, described her as a strong, outgoing woman -- no pushover.

"She was very self-assured," Tripp said. "The idea that anyone could con her doesn't seem right to me."

Some of the couple's friends in the society also received postcards from France, fueling the mystery.

"I think the handwriting on the postcard I've seen isn't the same as Linda's handwriting," said a 49-year-old computer engineer and science fiction fantasy art collector, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because he didn't want to become embroiled in the case. "It is someone trying to pretend to be Linda."

The collector said he met Sohus in 1984 at a science-fiction convention in Los Angeles. He commissioned her to do a piece of art featuring centaurs -- but then she disappeared without a word after conversations in January 1984.

"Then all of a sudden I cannot reach her," he said. "I have dealt with a lot of artists. She wasn't a flaky artist. She wasn't anything like that. She was very quick about sending stuff. She was very excited to be doing the work."

*

The couple married on Halloween 1983 and moved in with John Sohus' mother, Ruth "Didi" Sohus, whom they cared for at her home on Lorain Road.

Martha Harvey, 77, a former neighbor, remembered Jonathan "Johnny" Sohus as an undersized child, a quiet, creative outsider who struggled in school and had few friends. He grew into a science fiction fan who volunteered at the local library as an adult and often went to see Ray Bradbury speak, she said.

After the couple disappeared, Didi Sohus did not initially believe they were missing. Former San Marino police detective Tricia Gough, who worked the case, said Didi Sohus told investigators that her son and daughter-in law disappeared in February 1985, but she did not initially report them missing because the man staying in the guest house, Chris Chichester, told her that they were on "a secret mission" in Europe.

Didi Sohus later sold the house, moved to a trailer park and died of a heart attack in 1988.

Meanwhile, her ex-husband, Robert Sohus, John Sohus' adoptive father, suspected that John had come to harm.

Robert Sohus had moved to Phoenix with daughter Ellen after divorcing his wife, but John still called him weekly. After the couple disappeared, the weekly calls stopped, Ellen Sohus said.

Robert Sohus hired a private investigator to track down Chichester, hoping that he could tell what happened to the couple, Ellen Sohus said in an interview. But the private eye could not find him.

The case went cold until 1994, when the new owners of the Sohus home on Lorain Road began digging a pool in the backyard and discovered human remains buried in three plastic bags. Investigators told Jacoby the bones belonged to a "small-framed man," which fit the description of John Sohus.

Investigators have not been able to make a forensic match to Sohus, but the bones were enough to persuade Jacoby that the couple was no longer missing. She stopped looking for her sister in crowds.

"I just determined in my mind at that time that they were both dead," Jacoby said, although she never learned how they died and her sister's body was never found.

Earlier this month, Boston police and FBI agents arrested a man who fit Chichester's description, Clark Rockefeller. Investigators have since said the two names are aliases used by the same man, whom they identified through fingerprints as Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German national who came to Connecticut as a student in the 1970s.

Rockefeller's attorney has said his client lived in San Marino but that he knows nothing about the couple's disappearance .

Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide investigators said they were trying to see if they could link forensic evidence from the remains as well as from blood found in the San Marino guesthouse to either Jonathan Sohus or Rockefeller.

"My hope is that investigators will be able to link the pieces together and we will finally have justice for my brother's murder," Ellen Sohus said. "With the new developments, there's some hope to see a resolution."

We're famous.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17108571/detail.html

He must've known from Ruth that Jon had a job offer on the East coast. Perhaps their car was already loaded with their baggage and he simply drove it to a parking garage and retrieved it later. As for the postcards, she may have done what a few others do: wrote them ahead of time to send along the way. The postcard I saw reproduced never actually said, "Hi! We're here in Paris!" It just had a Paris postmark. To my knowledge, Chichester's whereabouts were unknown from April 1985 to 1988 when he tried to sell Jon's Nissan truck. It's possible he could've flown to Europe for a week or so and sent them or arranged to have them sent periodically.


I am having a hard time believing John Sohus ever had a "top secret" job offer on the East Coast. I think that was probably a Chichester fabrication. From what I have read, John Sohus had an entry-level computer position. It doesn't make any sense that he would be hired for a "top secret" position.

Clark Rockefeller has granted NBC's The Today Show an exclusive jailhouse interview, which is scheduled to air next Monday and Tuesday morning. See http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO85666/. It should be interesting.

from the boston paper. here's his birth certificate and his report card from school.

He failed cursive writing. :p

Little correction here: "Kurzschrift" ist shorthand/stenography.
He was further good at Social Studies, not very good at business mathematics and business administration. Straight A at english and music.
His general education is highly praised.

I must have misread it; it's a little difficult to read.

But a better explanation is probably that I'm not great at Deutsch.

We're famous.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17108571/detail.html

We're finally getting our props, people! Although, that was possibly the weirdest "article" I've ever read. Unfortunately, it also highlighted the poor spelling abilities of our members. :) I really wish the author had actually contacted the board instead of just cutting and pasting our old posts, but it's nice that we're being recognized for keeping these cases alive.

BTW, the NYT has an article about Gerhardstreider aka Rockefeller aka Chichester today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/fashion/24rockefeller.html?ref=fashion

The interview on the Today show was "interesting" I think it's all a show though. I want to see what they tack on to his list of charges when he goes back in. That I know is going to happen. It'll also be interesting if California can get a warrant for some DNA from him to match to DNA found at the scene. maybe that will jar his memory a bit. Also, I'm willing to bet that truck was shredded years ago in either CT or NY. I know CT didnt require you to have any paperwork back in the 80's to early 90's to junk a vehicle. One place I know they could find out is an insurance company database, if they run the VIN there it'll kick back destroyed.

Hey, I am obsessed with this case and I have been all over the web trying to find out more info because things don't seem to add up too well. At first, I was under the impression that this Chris Chichester freak murdered both Linda and John but now I have reservations. Her Sister said that she adored her cats and dropped thme off at a pet boarding facility and would never leave them behind. She said that somone received a phone call saying that the cats are still there and they need more money. I was wondering what had happened to her cats and I read a posting here that a woman went and picked up her cats. Can you extrapolate a little more? Where did you read this about someone picking up her cats and is that boarding place still around?

Thanks. I though that a strange person picked up the cats and handed them off to Linda. If the sister picked them up then it really doesn't make much of a mystery. I would pick up my Sisters cats also if she disappeared. I am 50% believing Linda was kileld and 50% believing that she was somehow involved. Thanks again.

Hey, I am obsessed with this case and I have been all over the web trying to find out more info because things don't seem to add up too well...I was wondering what had happened to her cats and I read a posting here that a woman went and picked up her cats. Can you extrapolate a little more? Where did you read this about someone picking up her cats and is that boarding place still around?

I wish I had written down the Cat Hotel's name!! They called me sometime after April or May of that year (since I was listed as a contact), to say that no one ever came back to pick up the cats OR to pay the bill. Linda had left them there with enuf cash to cover for 2 weeks (6 cats), with the understanding that she would be back. I explained to the lady that my friend was missing, and that I couldn't take them myself, or pay their bill. I told her I understood "what that meant" and that the cats would have to be put to sleep. I was sad, but more concerned for Linda by that point! I had received a postcard too, and it just didn't make any sense her disappearing like that!

So I got a phone call about a month later from the same woman; she said not to worry, that the cats had been picked up by "a woman" who was not my friend, and their account paid in full! That's when I KNEW something was up, that a mystery woman shows up "just in the nick of time" to save the cats and take them away! When I told Kathy about that she was astounded as well. I don't think she would be the kind of person to take it upon herself to save Linda's cats, and she never alluded to that to me or when she was interviewed by Unsolved Mysteries. I think she would have revealed that had she indeed gone to get them.

I was hoping you would respond. Someone mentioned that according to a Boston Globe article, Linda's Sister picked up her cats, but I did not see that info anywhere in the article. I didn't know Linda but as her friend I am sure you found it bizarre that she would take off and send postcards from Paris saying she is "bad at geography" and not even call to find out about her cats. It is obvious that Rockefeller had those postcards sent to throw people off. He also called the bookstore owner for 2 references; one for a credit card and another for a job at Robinson May. RM is a So. Cal. dept store chain so if she is in Paris how could she apply for a job at RM and not retrieve her cats or even call you to say hi. I really hope they nail this creep. You must have really freaked when they disappeared? You did mention though that Linda and John did go to NY and then came back and then packed for CT which is when she dropped the cats off for a 2 week trip. I would love to know the timeline between Johns disappearance and Linda's disappearance. Chochester stole DiDi's credit cards and used them in NY if I believe. Who knows what happened to poor Linda but I am really glad that you dispelled any rumors of an affair between her and that Chichester creep. Thx

I wish I had written down the Cat Hotel's name!! They called me sometime after April or May of that year (since I was listed as a contact), to say that no one ever came back to pick up the cats OR to pay the bill. Linda had left them there with enuf cash to cover for 2 weeks (6 cats), with the understanding that she would be back. I explained to the lady that my friend was missing, and that I couldn't take them myself, or pay their bill. I told her I understood "what that meant" and that the cats would have to be put to sleep. I was sad, but more concerned for Linda by that point! I had received a postcard too, and it just didn't make any sense her disappearing like that!

So I got a phone call about a month later from the same woman; she said not to worry, that the cats had been picked up by "a woman" who was not my friend, and their account paid in full! That's when I KNEW something was up, that a mystery woman shows up "just in the nick of time" to save the cats and take them away! When I told Kathy about that she was astounded as well. I don't think she would be the kind of person to take it upon herself to save Linda's cats, and she never alluded to that to me or when she was interviewed by Unsolved Mysteries. I think she would have revealed that had she indeed gone to get them.

I did read that in one article that said her half-sister picked them up but it could have been reported in error.

Suebee I'm curious if you have any theories on what may have happened to Linda. It seemed that Chichester tricked them with some phony "government job" story but by your account Linda didn't seem too impressed with him and kept her distance so I don't understand how he could have convinced her of this story. Do you think there's any chance she could have went somewhere with him willingly?

crystaldawn. That is exactly what I am thinking? How could Linda be tricked by him and what could he have done or say to persuade her and why did he kill John. Linda and him clearly did not have an affair. I have been really trying to figure this out and it is quite frustrating. we have to remember that he bamboozled a Stamford and Harvard grad for 13 years so he was obviosly good at what he did although they were onto him in NY when he worked for the brokerage firms.

Suebee I'm curious if you have any theories on what may have happened to Linda. It seemed that Chichester tricked them with some phony "government job" story but by your account Linda didn't seem too impressed with him and kept her distance so I don't understand how he could have convinced her of this story. Do you think there's any chance she could have went somewhere with him willingly?

I sincerely doubt she went anywhere "willingly". Also, I never met the creep...er...gentleman; I had visited them both on 4th of July 83 for a backyard BBQ and Linda mentioned that the tenant of the backhouse was kinda creepy (not her actual words but my take on them after all these years). That was almost 2 years before their disappearance. It may not even have been Chichester! But all the news stories say he did move into the San Marino area around 1983, so he could have been there all that time. And if he was trying to ingratiate himself into the community, he may well have wanted to charm the supposed rich kids living in that house with the recluse drunk woman. Linda & John were never rich and lived there without having to pay rent, and did not like having to live there anyway. They were trying to make names for themselves so they could live their own lives with their own money. Linda was just getting established in the fantasy art world, and John had the job at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in computer work, so they were quite hopeful at that point.

Personally, I have always felt that whatever happened was a complete accident; that Chichester was not planning any murder. I feel there may have been some kind of argument, he hits John or they scuffle or something, John hits his head and is dead. The suave guy panics (but this is where I can't imagine him cutting someone up and putting him in separate plastic bags & a box), Linda either witnesses it or comes home and finds JOhn dead, ****chester freaks and threatens to kill her if she tells, and he takes her with him (perhaps in the very truck they so lovingly cherished since they had just bought it in January and were planning to take me to the SciFi convention LepreCon in early April). She then is forced (or he creates) to write postcards from wherever he has taken her...

Wheww, lotta words! But alot of pentup feelings after all these years...

Though I was only about 9 at the time of the airing of this episode, I remember it very clearly. This particular case has stuck with me throughout the years as I have had somewhat of close ties to DiDi in her latter years.

Like everyone else, I also have my theories. So, heres a questions.... What does Chichester's estranged wife look like? Perhaps she is a 6ft tall 200 lb redhead? Or close to it?

Believe it or not, Chichester's former wife(if you could say that-they were never legally married. They were married in Nantucket in a Puritan ceremony whihc requires no paper work) is 41 years old, thin, 5'5", not bad looking. Check her our at the New York Post or the New York Daily News. They took photos of her yesterday walking in London with her Daughter.

SueBee, I also was a little apprehensive with the "cutting up and dismembering of John's body". It must have been a very quick murder, not planned at all and he got all nervous after he killed him. Believe me, this man is a monster, but he had to have been frantic to cut him up like he did. Thank you for all the info you have been providing.

It may have been an unplanned murder but it was obviously a murder because the body - whose-ever it was - had signs of head trauma and was cut into pieces. Even though most of that body is now destroyed, they say they still have the portion of the skull. At least it's something to prove there was a murder. Even if Chichester didn't kill them, he should be questioned.

It's very interesting to read the posts of people who actually knew them or have followed this case for so long. I am glad that people are speaking up for Linda. I guess it's instinct or something but from what I've read about her, I simple don't believe she was the type to be unfaithful or kill anyone. She loved her animals too so she would've been back if she could've returned for them. I think it's especially cruel to her family not to know for sure what happened to her. :(

Also, a previous poster called into question what I said about the job offer on the East coast. Was it not reported in an article that when Linda's art collector client called to speak with her, she was nervous and excited and mentioned that her husband was taking a new job? I don't know if that was true or not. I didn't mean the "secret mission" thing that Chichester told Didi. Just wanted to clear that up.

I just found this: http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_10320599 :eek: Comments?

I also wondered about that. The trips or supposed trips to NY/CT and then Paris. If we had a proper timeline. This is driving me crazy!! I am glad that Suebee cleared up the cat story. ALso, i read the article you pasted above. This reporter is really trying to solve this case and that body of a rd head found in TN really gave me chills. The sad part is that Chichester knows exactly where Linda is and is not saying anything. I don't think he ever will either.

I'm another obsessive, obviously. Waaay far gone, LOL: I don't even like murder mysteries, I'm fascinated more with the identity game ... yes, I loved Clue! Professor Plum, with a 2x4 in the garage basement. I've gotten sucked in to the Crockfeller Mystery. Is the BPD looking at the Karina Holmer Case, yet?!

I sketched out a timeline of the Disappearances/Presumed Murders, as best I could. http://www.zimbio.com/Linda+Sohus/articles/85/Timeline+Sohus+Double+Homicide

The mysterious art collector refuses to be named; he told Frank Girardot its because he HAS spoken to the police, he tells other sources he DOESN'T want to be embroiled. Who believes he's gone on record? Every other witness has given a name: his story is the outlier and sorry it doesn't wash. I also think the CT job offer was all a Crock, so to speak.

Unfortunately, the cold-case that Frank identified was one of the 'red-headed murders' : those serial killing were notoriously spooky in the Mid-South, when I arrived in late 1985. My red-headed friend told me some grisly details in a Belle Meade Kroger parking lot one cold January night, 1986. (How's that for memory!)

The victim Frank mentioned was quite short, actually.

I think Crock committed the perfect crime, with insanely brilliant premeditation & false clues. Less like a low-life serial killer, more like the Marquis de Sade. I wonder if his interviews are clue-laden: could "Harry Copeland" be an anagram?

you might want to take a look at the san gabriel paper again - they have started a new search at 6am today on the property and are actively looking


http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_10334833

Thank you for the timeline. It is so obvious that Chichester killed them. I wish he would just lead the FBI to Linda's remains. This is so unfair. He must have had this poor DiDi twisting in the wind 24/7. She obviously had a drinking problem and some mental issues and he had a party toying with her mind.

Though I was only about 9 at the time of the airing of this episode, I remember it very clearly. This particular case has stuck with me throughout the years as I have had somewhat of close ties to DiDi in her latter years.

Like everyone else, I also have my theories. So, heres a questions.... What does Chichester's estranged wife look like? Perhaps she is a 6ft tall 200 lb redhead? Or close to it?

I first thought about that too, when there was a pic of her with the daughter. But she's too young, too thin, and not the same bodily structure at all.

About DiDi, how did you know her??

It seems plausible Linda Sohus is buried in the backyard. Chichester was 24 years old in February 1985. Young offenders lack the criminal sophistication to bury a victim in another location. Linda was a large woman. Chichster would have difficulty moving her corpse. Burying both corpses in the backyard would allow Chichester to leave San Marino without attracting too much attention.

If she was in the backyard I would imagine they would have found her already unless he buried her in another area that wasn't looked at yet. In regards to the ex wife. She is very skinny, 5'5 and no way linda Sohus. Not even close. She is a Harvard and Stanford graduate, a partner in a financial firm and runs the Edith Wharton Foundation in NH. Linda and her are polar opposites of one another. Yeh, the guy who said he knew diDi. You were 2 years old when she died(you said you were 9 when the UM episode taped). How could you have known her?

Suebee, I read in the People magazine article on Chichester that John and Linda were last seen after he gave them a ride to the airport. I had never heard that before, do you know anything about that?

fyi - update in san gabriel paper today 8/30/08 plus here's a link to pictures being taken. They are really tearing the place up. sure home the new owners have insurance. i know this sounds sick and like giving up but i really hope they find lindas body there. at least questions would answered and some closure can take place. anyways here's a link for the pictures online of the search:

http://sgvtribune.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=20192774&event=583554&CategoryID=27239&picnum=34&move=F#Image

Crockefeller's hearing is scheduled for Sept 3rd. If its not inconvenient, I'll attend this one also (I went to the arraignment, too): wonder if the FBI, INS, or other Federal agencies will offer input, or if we'll have a 'California Surprise.' Hrones will move to dismiss, and ask for bail to be set: it will be interesting to see where this goes Wednesday.

I know nothing about the legal routine, but it certainly looked like the CA investigators did enough work to discover any additional bones on the site.

I wouldnt put it past Crock to have buried the cadavers separately; he certainly knows where they were dumped. Are they monitoring him in his cell with CCTV? Are they showing him the news footage, to prompt a confession?

Hrones said he's given Crock ALL the news articles, even the ones in the German press. I think Crock's calling the shots, based on the NBC interview & the arraignment. How funny is it that Hrones is now saying 'they cannot have divorced if they didnt marry' when we know that any marriage certificate was deliberately NOT filed by Crock: set-up! He'll have alot more of those coming - just wait.

Hearsay on Beacon Hill last January: it was the weirdest "divorce" anyone could recall...

In the NBC interview, Clark again lies and calls himself a Quaker. Talk about 'flag of convenience'! We may safely presume that Crock & Boss werent married as Quakers, nor was there any civil ceremony... I attempted to explain to know-nothings on the Hahrald website, why the the so-called 'Quaker Wedding' was nonsense. Over their heads, I guess. A week later, someone else explained the same point in the Boston Globe letters section: A VALID QUAKER MARRIAGE DOES FILE A CERTIFICATE W/ the Massachusetts Commonwealth.

>>A Quaker wedding is neither easy nor hasty. Two committees must be appointed by a congregation. One of the duties is to sign the legal marriage license, make sure the couple does as well, then return the license to the town hall that issued it. At a real Quaker wedding everyone present is invited to sign the wedding certificate, which describes in detail the exchange of marriage vows.

I'm guessing that the present Friends Meeting on Nantucket never heard of Boss or "Rockefeller" until now.<<

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune also reportd that the investigators stopped the search in the backyard for good. It appears as though they may have found something else while digging. The said the searches were very "productive"

Darling- Please fill us in on the arraignment. I hope they get this guy and I really hope that they found a smoking gun in the yard where they dug.

Also SueBee, I did more research about the cats and even though I knew you were best friends with Linda and right on the money(I kept hearing conflicting stories about the cats) you were right that Linda had 4 cats at the pet hotel and 3-4 weeks after she left them there a stranger came in and paid the bill and adopted all 4 cats. That is very odd. Maybe Chichester had someone pick them up?

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune also reportd that the investigators stopped the search in the backyard for good. It appears as though they may have found something else while digging. The said the searches were very "productive"

I didn't see that; where is that article? Can you link it here?

Also, as far as I know, Linda had 6 cats at the time of their disappearance, so I assumed she took them all to the Hotel. Is there more info that sez there were only 4? Guess it doesn't really matter....she left them and never would have.

I didn't see that; where is that article? Can you link it here?



I believe this is the article they were talking about:

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_10347121

I didn't see that; where is that article? Can you link it here?

Also, as far as I know, Linda had 6 cats at the time of their disappearance, so I assumed she took them all to the Hotel. Is there more info that sez there were only 4? Guess it doesn't really matter....she left them and never would have.
Suebee,

Every article and search I came up with stated she had 4 cats(go to google and type in "Linda Sohus cats" and that a stranger(woman)
came 4 weeks after she vanished and adopted only those cats. It probably was Chichester who sent someone to get the cats unless there was possibly a neighbor or someone who knew the cats were abandoned and decided to rescue them. But, if this were the case, the neighbor or friend would have came forward to say that they claimed them. I really hope they find her so her family and yourself could have some closure.

The mysterious art collector refuses to be named; he told Frank Girardot its because he HAS spoken to the police, he tells other sources he DOESN'T want to be embroiled. Who believes he's gone on record? Every other witness has given a name: his story is the outlier and sorry it doesn't wash. I also think the CT job offer was all a Crock, so to speak.


I don't want a repeat of our interactions over on CrimeScene, but I did want to quickly comment. First, I AGREE with you. I'm sure the CT/NY job was a Crock con-job. I think that you may have misinterpreted what was said and come away thinking that I believe that there was an interview. At the time that Linda told me, it sounded odd, but not knowing John's background who was I to question the NY job story? It was a short while later, not hearing from her, that I got suspicious (and worried) and started calling south.

Regarding going on record, I have - with Frank, the LASD, and unfortunately the LA times (which got the year wrong). I'm available to the key organizations who are hopefully going to nail the Crockhead. I'm not available to the tabloids, trash tv shows or the Herald :-)
I also wanted to avoid getting caught up in arguments with random bloggers.
You have to admit that there are some very trying people on some of the blogs...

Yeh, the guy who said he knew diDi. You were 2 years old when she died(you said you were 9 when the UM episode taped). How could you have known her?

I may have only been 2, but some things stick with you like glue. I remember going to her stale smelling mobile home that reeked of smoke and alcohol, I remember her raspy voice, and I remember her rat looking dog yipping and snapping at me. I remember the visual picture of DiDi in my head, like I said, some things stick with you like glue.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/rds_search/ci_10250005?IADID=Search-www.whittierdailynews.com-www.whittierdailynews.com

Because of news reporters and other people calling, I can no longer contact my grandmother in Hemet. I have no clue why the sheriff would.

I may have only been 2, but some things stick with you like glue. I remember going to her stale smelling mobile home that reeked of smoke and alcohol, I remember her raspy voice, and I remember her rat looking dog yipping and snapping at me. I remember the visual picture of DiDi in my head, like I said, some things stick with you like glue.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/rds_search/ci_10250005?IADID=Search-www.whittierdailynews.com-www.whittierdailynews.com

Because of news reporters and other people calling, I can no longer contact my grandmother in Hemet. I have no clue why the sheriff would.
Wow, that is unreal. Some things do leave an indelible print in your mind no matter how old you are.

I may have only been 2, but some things stick with you like glue. I remember going to her stale smelling mobile home that reeked of smoke and alcohol, I remember her raspy voice, and I remember her rat looking dog yipping and snapping at me.


Yes, that was Ruth (DiDi) exactly! I only interacted with her once, at that July 4 BBQ in 83; but she was definitely drunk, smoking, and maybe there was a yapping dog (I hate those kind and tend to dismiss them, so I have no memory of a dog). Her house was dank and dark (never any open windows), and all the ceilings were covered in dark soot from all the years of smoking and never being cleaned. Ick. At the time I could understand why Linda did not want to live there, but it beat being on the streets!

The 2 of them had high hopes, and were sure there were better things to come. They were just biding their time...and look what happened to em!

Suebee, please let us know if there is any news on the police finding any of Linda's remains and I will keep checking to hope they can somehow convict Rockefeller. It is funny about the dog though, I have about 4 of those yapping annoying dogs in my neighborhood. I cannot stand them!!!! hahahaha

Again, i hope you can receive some closure from all of this and you are very nice and patient to be answering all the questions you have been asked.

Be sure to catch Dateline Friday 9/12/2008. It's the one about the Chickster.

Be sure to catch Dateline Friday 9/12/2008. It's the one about the Chickster.

Oooh! Thanks for the heads-up!:wave:

Suebee, It is nice to put a face with a name. I saw you on Dateline tonight giving an interview. Your were holding one of Linda's cats in a photo. I really hope you get some closure with all of this. He is such a liar!!!

Yeah that was pretty well done for a media presentation. I was interviewed for over an hour, and got my 5 minutes of fame. I have spoken to the interviewer and she said that eventually they would like to run another story more focused on John & Linda, and then they would use more about the strange occurances surrounding their disappearance. What they were really focusing on right now was Crock's weirdness, and I think they nailed it! I don't feel sorry for him at all, esp after seeing his teary eyes when talking about missing his daughter....puleez!

I don't feel sorry for him at all, esp after seeing his teary eyes when talking about missing his daughter....puleez!

I totally agree! Its obvious the only reason he agreed to be interviewed was to get a message to his daughter or attempt to get some sympathy (at which he failed miserably). Usually most conmen have some sort of charm but I didn't see that in him, he just seemed weird. Also I think they should have added the part that was in the UM segment where Didi Sohus said at first that John and Linda weren't missing because her "contact" told her they were on a secret mission and she was giving their mail to him and only later called police when her "contact" went missing which of course turned out to be Chichester. That certainly makes him seem guilty.

I totally agree! Its obvious the only reason he agreed to be interviewed was to get a message to his daughter or attempt to get some sympathy (at which he failed miserably). Usually most conmen have some sort of charm but I didn't see that in him, he just seemed weird. Also I think they should have added the part that was in the UM segment where Didi Sohus said at first that John and Linda weren't missing because her "contact" told her they were on a secret mission and she was giving their mail to him and only later called police when her "contact" went missing which of course turned out to be Chichester. That certainly makes him seem guilty.


The ONLY thing I do believe about this guy is that he loves his daughter. Problem is it's an obsessive kind of love and not healthy. He's definately the weirdest of the weird!

My question is, what was going on that he ended up being awarded only supervised visitation? There had to be some reason the Judge ruled that way. He supposedly was her main caregiver until the divorce, what was going on that the Judge decided he had to be supervised? That's what I want to know...

Did the wife find out that he really wasn't who he was and some of his involvement in other things in the past, so she suddenly decided he shouldn't be taking care of their daughter anymore? Was his love becoming too obsessive? Was there something other abuse alledged, or was she just out for revenge via custody? I'm curious to know what is contained in the court documents in the custody case?

Obviously in hindsight, we know now that he isn't the most stable person to be taking care of a child. But before this all came to light, during the divorce and custody hearing, did the ex-wife know about his past, etc...?

Oh, and on a side note: I've wanted to comment, so many people comment (not necessarily on here) that his wife was so smart because she went to fancy universities. I know from personal experience that being "book smart" and having a high intellect in that regard sometimes (many times) does not translate into being socially "smart". I think that she was drawn to him because he was very social and able to "schmooze", something she was not so good at. She was taken in by his charm and flattered because while she is pretty, she probably lacked in certain social skills and she could hang with him and ride his coat tails.;)

My question is, what was going on that he ended up being awarded only supervised visitation? There had to be some reason the Judge ruled that way. He supposedly was her main caregiver until the divorce, what was going on that the Judge decided he had to be supervised? That's what I want to know...


If I recall correctly, the custody decision had a lot to do with the identity issue. I think the court asked him to present documentation of his identity and he refused. I don't have time to track down where I read that right now, but I'm pretty certain. I'm sure someone more versed in the case will gently let me know if I am remembering incorrectly. :)


(edited to add: woohoo! I did my first quote edit correctly)

If I recall correctly, the custody decision had a lot to do with the identity issue. I think the court asked him to present documentation of his identity and he refused. I don't have time to track down where I read that right now, but I'm pretty certain. I'm sure someone more versed in the case will gently let me know if I am remembering incorrectly. :)


(edited to add: woohoo! I did my first quote edit correctly)


Good for you!:)

Thanks, that answers some of my question!!

Yep, it was the fact that he could not provide proper identity that led to the decision of custodial rights. He was totally creepy in the interview. There was no charm at all. He was so contrived. And yes, although his ex wife is highly educated, she probably lacked in social skills. I hear that he originally was digging her Sister but she dismissed his advances.

Did anyone find out about what they did or did not find at the Sohus residence when they went digging?

Did anyone find out about what they did or did not find at the Sohus residence when they went digging?

I have not heard a thing; but the newspapers keep saying it was "productive" and they won't talk about it. I'm hoping that means they found something more concrete....anyway, I heard a blurb on the news last nite that bail has been set at somewhere around 15million $? I'm not sure I heard that right; and there was no more than that mentioned. I'll have to dig channel 7's archives and see if anything comes up. It's all been very quiet lately.

Nope it was 50 million dollars!! Wow, they really don't want him out and about! His lawyer said the govt would have to bail him out....doesn't look like THAT would happen any time soon!

Any updated info on Linda Sohus and what they did or did not find at the house.

Any updated info on Linda Sohus and what they did or did not find at the house.


Curious that the "new" episode aired last night, yet no update included about "Clark Rockefeller".

Curious that the "new" episode aired last night, yet no update included about "Clark Rockefeller".

yep. oopsy doopsie

Curious that the "new" episode aired last night, yet no update included about "Clark Rockefeller".


I wa sgoing to post the same thing. Laziness or cheapness on the part of the producers to not show an update at least saying "Chichester" was captured. To the outsider, this would ruin the dredibility of the new UM when they showed Chichester and said they wanted anyone with information regarding Chichester to contact them. They also repeated the line that he is not a suspect but is wanted for questioning (i.e. he's a suspect). The guy's face was plastered all over news outlets for nearly a month so people know he was captured.

Even if nothing has yet come of his capture, not mentioning it makes them look sloppy and clueless.

Honestly, I suspect that the segment had already been retooled before the whole Rockefeller/Chichester mayhem went down.

I can't believe NO Chichester stuff at all. I told my mom the bare bones thinking she could see it for herself....then nothing. That sucks.

I can't believe NO Chichester stuff at all. I told my mom the bare bones thinking she could see it for herself....then nothing. That sucks.

It certainly has been VERY quiet!! I'm thinking that they found SOMETHING in the backyard that they don't want to reveal lest things get "leaked" before Crock's trial in March. It does bother me that nothing has been forthcoming; but I know our legal system takes FOREVER.

That confirms my suspicion it wasn't a love triangle. IMO, the authorities are way off on that. This is a double murder. There's much less to explain regarding location of a second body than if the two of them set off together.

There are many ways to fake a postcard, particularly if you don't send it for months/years.

If John's dead but Linda is still around, they've got to disappear quickly and/or come up with some bizarre rationale for him being gone. Meanwhile, I read one article tonight with a friend of Chichester saying the last time she saw him was playing Trivial Pursuit in the Sohus backyard, with clear evidence the backyard had been dug up. Sounds like the deed had been done and he was confident planting the secret mission story with the mother would buy some time. It creates instant suspicion if he's gone immediately.

The atypical problem in this case is the guy is not a murderer or criminal at base instinct. That's not his game. It happens sometime. He's a tall tale con man. I wonder if the authorities spent too much time looking for a murderer?

What suebee typed concludes my suspicion of a love triangle.

That's the ultimate excuse, and one I've used many times in the past when I don't want someone to know about a relationship I'm having with another person, and it's even more sacred when your married, like in Linda's case, to say that that person's "creepy" and how she avoided him. That screams that they were in a relationship together because of how common that escape is used.

Is there anything new to report on this case? I know this started breaking wide open right before I stopped frequenting this forum, so I didn't know about some of what was going on.

It's been soooo quiet, but I guess Crock's in jail and nothing to happen till he goes to trial in whenever (I believe it was March). Nothing in the news, altho I have not checked recently...

So what is he going to trial for? The murder of John Sohus? Did they determine that this guy was Christopher Chichester yet?

http://gawker.com/5101578/why-were-obsessed-with-this-fake-rockefeller

Thanks for that link unsolvedmysteriesfan! Great stuff.

In answer to synthisislab's question, what is he going on trial for. I think at this point it's solely for the parental abduction of his daughter. He'll have to go to California if and when they come up with a case against him there.

http://gawker.com/5101578/why-were-obsessed-with-this-fake-rockefeller
That was awesome! Seriously, this guy is freakin weird. He should get a medal for that...and then get thrown in prison. I guess it just goes to show you that the upper crust is as good a social circle to hide in as any.

That was awesome! Seriously, this guy is freakin weird. He should get a medal for that...and then get thrown in prison. I guess it just goes to show you that the upper crust is as good a social circle to hide in as any.

O man, what an awesome article...9 pages!! What great digging that reporter did...makes him really look strange! Thankyou for sharing it! I just wish he could get prosecuted out here....Crock knows SOMETHING and he needs to fess up!

John and Linda Sohus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Rockefeller

The movie "Who is Clark Rockefeller ?" is worth watching . Its almost certain
the Sohas' are dead. Amazing that his wife of 12 years - had no clue, what he was up to. :rolleyes:

I caught part of the movie last night. Hopefully this will spark enough interest to generate some leads on the Sohus' disappearances.

Meaghann did a quick article on the case on her Charley Project Blog: http://charleyross.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/your-latest-wtf-cases/

I caught part of the movie last night. Hopefully this will spark enough interest to generate some leads on the Sohus' disappearances.

Yes a pretty good movie at least for the story line, tho Eric McCormack is waaayy too good looking to portray ol Crockefeller; that guy is creepy looking and not handsome at all!!

LA area is still looking into the case from what I've been told, so hopefully he doesn't get out in a few years and then just disappear!:

It is so frustrating that they cannot link him to the murder of John. I watched the movie and I think you were in it Suebee if I am not mistaken. Any news out there? I cannot find anything besides an article from the San Gabriel Times from a year ago.

I am so excited!! Crockefeller has been charged with John's murder!! Maybe, finally, the truth shall be revealed!!:goodnews:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/clark-rockefeller-faces-arraignment-la-1985-murder/story?id=14018793

Quote from article: "He was popular in San Marino, which Mark Seal, author of the new book "The Man in the Rockefeller Suit," said was "like a Norman Rockwell village" in that era. "

Was there any info about the job references part? I guess what I'd like to know is whether this was done over the phone or not. While Crockafeller might be good, I don't think he can fake Linda's voice. I'd also like to hear more about the evidence of John's clothes. There should be fingerprints from the killer all over those.

I'd also like more info on the relationship between Didi and Clark/Chris. I know she's dead but it seems nobody suspected her of anything when she's one of the more questionable people in this case.

Finally, did anyone check the passports of the Sohus's? I'd think that would clear up any Europe trips right away along with info on their credit card usage.

Crockefeller: "I'm one of the poor Rockefellers".

Yeah, whatever you gotta say to make yourself believe, there buddy. :rolleyes:

Very informative thread. I haven't read it all the way through yet cuz I got booted offline and had to pop back in. I was too impatient to finish reading before posting so this may have already been mentioned but it's news to me.

What new technology did they use?

Gonna go back and finish reading the thread now to see if it's been discussed.

Found this on Linda's doenetwork page:

John Sohus' body was unearthed from the backyard of the house in 1994 when the new owners of the property were having a swimming pool built. At the time, investigators were unable to prove the remains were those of John Sohus because he was adopted and they had no known biological relatives to compare a DNA sample to. In 2011 investigators used new technology to conclusively identify Sohus' remains. The body of Linda Sohus has never been found. Foul play is suspected.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2914dfca.html

I'd like to address a concern posted above and will quote from the news article linked in post #80.

The phone calls where Linda, while missing, was trying to get a job and was applying for a credit card were not from Linda or even a person trying to disguise him/herself as Linda. They were professional calls seeking references because "Linda" had applied for a job and a credit card. Linda was not making the calls, was not expected to make such calls, and was not receiving those calls. This was all legitimate looking 3rd party stuff but I believe Crockefeller was behind it.

If what one of Linda's friends posted earlier is true, that Linda thought Chichester/Rockefeller/Gerhartstreiter was creepy and she didn't like him, then either there was no love triangle and she's likely a victim, or she was involved with Crockefeller but was trying to lie and convince her friend otherwise to cover. IMO, she thought he was a creep and the two weren't involved.

Crockefeller is primarily a con man and I can definitely see him trying to obtain a CC in Linda's name so he can get some cash. I can even see him pulling some kind of scam involving the employment info. Maybe he needed her SS#, and faked that he didn't remember it, sweet talked the people in charge, and finally got the number during the employment application process. This wouldn't have been unusual in the 80s when ID theft wasn't a problem, plus he's already known to have fooled the DMV into giving him a DL with an altered name by convincing them that the name on his passport was wrong.

Quote:

Although she never directly heard from Linda Sohus again, Marano said she received two phone calls about Linda within the span of a few months. The first came from a representative of a department store.

"One was from Robinson's-May checking on Linda's qualifications for a job," Marano said. "They said she applied for a job."

Marano declined to recommend her because she left her position at the bookstore without any notice.

"The other phone call came a month or two later and it was about a credit card," she said.

The credit card company was also looking for a referral.

This case has always interested me. They recently used some new DNA technology to identify the remains as John Sohus, although I don't know the name of it. They charged Gerhartsreiter with his death but last I heard were trying to piece it all together without any murder weapon or motive for the killing. I believe Linda Sohus is alive and may have seen the murder or been involved in it. Can't wait to hear more about his conviction in the future.

This case has always interested me. They recently used some new DNA technology to identify the remains as John Sohus, although I don't know the name of it. They charged Gerhartsreiter with his death but last I heard were trying to piece it all together without any murder weapon or motive for the killing. I believe Linda Sohus is alive and may have seen the murder or been involved in it. Can't wait to hear more about his conviction in the future.


I searched a few news articles but couldn't find any other info on the "new technology" used to identify Jon Sohus.

Since you remember them using some kind of DNA test to prove the ID, do you know what they actually tested? I can only think that they tested the murder victim's DNA against Jon's hairbrush or toothbrush or something like that, but that couldn't really be called new technology.

Maybe they tested the DNA against something normal and mundane, but the "new technology" part was just that they were able to use a smaller or more degraded DNA sample than would normally be useful to compare.

I do remember back when the only way to do a proper DNA test a lot of material was required. The science had improved rapidly over the years. Seems like they can do all sorts of magic with DNA nowadays.

I searched a few news articles but couldn't find any other info on the "new technology" used to identify Jon Sohus.

Since you remember them using some kind of DNA test to prove the ID, do you know what they actually tested? I can only think that they tested the murder victim's DNA against Jon's hairbrush or toothbrush or something like that, but that couldn't really be called new technology.

Maybe they tested the DNA against something normal and mundane, but the "new technology" part was just that they were able to use a smaller or more degraded DNA sample than would normally be useful to compare.

I do remember back when the only way to do a proper DNA test a lot of material was required. The science had improved rapidly over the years. Seems like they can do all sorts of magic with DNA nowadays.

They can test molars for possible DNA. I don't know if they ever located his biological family for comparison though. They might have also compared the bones to physical characteristics of a man his size and eliminated any other possible victims that the bones could've been matched to.

They can test molars for possible DNA. I don't know if they ever located his biological family for comparison though. They might have also compared the bones to physical characteristics of a man his size and eliminated any other possible victims that the bones could've been matched to.

Maybe that's something to do with it. They said Jon was a small man, and the remains were consistent with that. Maybe they matched something up to Jon and the victim, which excluded others.

Is a trial set in this case yet? I know that a couple years ago Crockefeller was tried for the abduction of his daughter. Seems like the repercussions of his crimes are really starting to hit him all at once.

Maybe that's something to do with it. They said Jon was a small man, and the remains were consistent with that. Maybe they matched something up to Jon and the victim, which excluded others.

Is a trial set in this case yet? I know that a couple years ago Crockefeller was tried for the abduction of his daughter. Seems like the repercussions of his crimes are really starting to hit him all at once.

He was only 5'6'' and weighted 120 lbs. before he was killed. They even said the bones matched his physical description. Christian Gerhartsreiter was sentenced to 5-7 years I believe for kidnapping his daughter and after he was sent to jail, they decided to move in on the Sohus case. They charged him with John Sohus' murder this past March but no word on if and when he'll be sentenced in that case too.

This case has always interested me. They recently used some new DNA technology to identify the remains as John Sohus, although I don't know the name of it. They charged Gerhartsreiter with his death but last I heard were trying to piece it all together without any murder weapon or motive for the killing. I believe Linda Sohus is alive and may have seen the murder or been involved in it. Can't wait to hear more about his conviction in the future.


I think Gerhartsreider's motive was to get the old lady Didi Sohus to himself and influence her to leave him her estate. Don't know if he was aware that there was not much left. Or there wasn't much of a motive, but John and Linda figured out he was a fraud and his house of cards was about to fall around him and he felt he had to kill John or there was an accidental killing. Although, usually his M.O. was simply to disappear and re-create himself again somewhere else.

Here is a link to an article from March 2011, http://www.sgvtribune.com/mystery/ci_17621662, which states about the DNA:

"Last fall, investigators got their first break. After employing high-tech science designed to extract mitochondrial DNA from old samples, detectives tracked down adoption records and found natural siblings of Sohus.

DNA samples obtained from those family members were compared to samples extracted from the remaining piece of the skull. Subsequently, a lab in Hawaii was able to prove with 99 percent certainty that the bones belonged to John Sohus, a source close to the case said.

Some of John Sohus' DNA also may be linked to blood splatter in the small apartment Gerhartsreiter lived in on the Sohus property.

Detectives also obtained DNA samples from relatives of Linda Sohus, including her mother. Those samples were apparently compared to unidentified female remains from that era in the custody of the county coroner. "

The article in my last post also says this about Linda Sohus:

"Another portion of the investigation centered around a 2009 grand jury investigation that looked at - among other things - a postcard purportedly sent by Linda Sohus to her then-boss Lydia Marano, a Sherman Oaks bookstore owner.

The postcard and other handwriting samples will be important pieces of evidence in the case, detectives said Tuesday.

"You are going to be amazed at some of the evidence," Sutton said."

I think Gerhartsreider's motive was to get the old lady Didi Sohus to himself and influence her to leave him her estate. Don't know if he was aware that there was not much left. Or there wasn't much of a motive, but John and Linda figured out he was a fraud and his house of cards was about to fall around him and he felt he had to kill John or there was an accidental killing. Although, usually his M.O. was simply to disappear and re-create himself again somewhere else.

Here is a link to an article from March 2011, http://www.sgvtribune.com/mystery/ci_17621662, which states about the DNA:

"Last fall, investigators got their first break. After employing high-tech science designed to extract mitochondrial DNA from old samples, detectives tracked down adoption records and found natural siblings of Sohus.

DNA samples obtained from those family members were compared to samples extracted from the remaining piece of the skull. Subsequently, a lab in Hawaii was able to prove with 99 percent certainty that the bones belonged to John Sohus, a source close to the case said.

Some of John Sohus' DNA also may be linked to blood splatter in the small apartment Gerhartsreiter lived in on the Sohus property.

Detectives also obtained DNA samples from relatives of Linda Sohus, including her mother. Those samples were apparently compared to unidentified female remains from that era in the custody of the county coroner. "

Thanks for all this info, this really helps me and anyone else here who was unsure. I just want to know what happened to Linda now. Was she involved in the murder? Was she a victim in the wrong place at the wrong time? Did she run off with Gerhartsreiter and is now in hiding? Hope we'll find out someday.

The part about the female remains is the first time I've ever heard about it. I always heard the phrase "remains", but never were "female remains" specifically mentioned...so I think the remain's may be Linda's.

Oh and I don't buy his forgotten memories excuses. Sounds more like selected memories to me.

Crochetbuff, thanks so much for looking up that info and sharing it. That's the first I've heard of them finding Jon's siblings.

I also wonder if part of Crockefeller's motive was to obtain Didi Sohus' estate or somehow involve himself financially in her life, sort of like the Dan Tondevold case.

Crock was in his early 20s, iirc, and may not have had a full understanding of the family's financial situation. Maybe he was naive enough to think that anyone with a guest house was "rich". He might have planned to inherit her estate or maybe get power of attorney or impersonate Jon and run through Didi's bank accounts or something.

The part about the female remains is the first time I've ever heard about it. I always heard the phrase "remains", but never were "female remains" specifically mentioned..so I think the remain's may be Linda's.


I think it means that they were doing routine comparisons to "Jane Does" in that area of CA to see if any were Linda. Not necessarily having any real lead that any of the remains were Linda.

We may never know what happened to her, or what actually transpired with the murder of John. Gerhartsreider is so delusional and maintains his innocence, so he probably won't fess up.

Crochetbuff, thanks so much for looking up that info and sharing it. That's the first I've heard of them finding Jon's siblings.

I also wonder if part of Crockefeller's motive was to obtain Didi Sohus' estate or somehow involve himself financially in her life, sort of like the Dan Tondevold case.

Crock was in his early 20s, iirc, and may not have had a full understanding of the family's financial situation. Maybe he was naive enough to think that anyone with a guest house was "rich". He might have planned to inherit her estate or maybe get power of attorney or impersonate Jon and run through Didi's bank accounts or something.


You are so welcome!

I thought I read something about them finding John's bio relatives, but it's so hard to remember for sure...

Hard to say on motive. Usually Gerhartsreider would simply leave and make a new life as someone else, somewhere else and not get violent. We may never know. I think this whole trial will be very interesting!

I want to see this trial on TV

Pulled this from Wikipedia:

"On October 17, 2011, an Alhambra Superior Court judge ruled that Gerhartsreiter will appear in court there on January 18, 2012 for a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if enough evidence exists for the case to go to trial."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/murder-charge-awaits-man-rockefeller-15384208#.Txbtj2-JeOs

Things are scheduled to get going today:

"Murder Charge Awaits Man Who Took Rockefeller Name"

[W]hen Christian Gerhartsreiter enters a courtroom for a preliminary hearing Wednesday, he will finally be himself: a convicted kidnapper facing a charge of murdering the son of his former landlady a quarter century ago, when he lived in California under one of his many pseudonyms. He is famous now; his story has been told in a TV movie.

There's no doubt in my mind that this creep killed John AND Linda. Linda's remains are just yet to be found. I also thought I remember reading that the postcard allegedly sent from Linda matched Gerhartstreiter's handwriting.

EDIT: I just rewatched this case and have a theory of what happened. I think Gerhartstreiter was (obviously) a con man who liked to believe or "imagine" that he was from a distinguised, wealthy background. I think Didi, John, and Linda were targeted by him because he was under the impression that they were wealthy somehow. I think he plotted to get at least John out of the way so he could somehow con Didi out of her entire estate. I think Gerhartstreiter began to feed these little lies about a "secret government job" to John, who actually believed them. Linda herself told her friend shortly before she disappeared that she was going to Europe for a "secret job", and even checked her pets into a cat hotel. So it's obvious that John and Linda believed there was a job over in Europe. I think shortly after Linda checked her cats in both she and John were murdered by Gerhartstreiter and then their remains were dismembered and scattered (John's being found in the backyard). I kind of wonder as to how extensive the digging in the backyard was after they found the remains, and wonder if it's possible that Linda is buried at another spot in the backyard? Gerhartstreiter then began to feed Didi lies about the trip and probably hit her up for funding all under the pretense of keeping the "secrecy of the mission". Shortly after murdering John and Linda is when I think Gerhartstreiter realized that Didi was not as wealthy as he anticipated, especially when she moved to a trailer park. This is why I think he took John's car and fled. He was next spotted when he was trying to sell John's pickup truck over 3,000 miles away from where John and Linda lived.

There's no doubt in my mind that this guy wanted to con Didi and when John and Linda got in the way he got rid of them.

Preliminary hearing 1/18/2012 for Christian Gerhartsreiter, for the murder of John Sohus:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/rockefeller-case-witness-says-body-parts-wrapped-in-plastic.html

This article has information about John Sohus' biological family: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/01/18/clark-rockefeller-confronts-his-past-california-courtroom-during-hearing-into-murder-john-sohus-san-marino/hv44Xv9hWzbQYpEPGZ4WBO/story.html

Here is the latest in Gerhartsreiter's trial: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hcCC5Ufq7ZTr45zRLUKtQ4JE0d9Q?docId=15ba1a1cad8847a9b15c86deedd47a45

This guy is still trying to change his looks. Every time I see a photo of him, he's wearing different glasses, or is shaven/unshaven, and his hair is in a new style and color. And he's got a collection of eyeglasses that he switches up. His glasses are not just new ones when he gets a new script or fashion makes the old ones outdated. He's wearing them like an accessory.

2012

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5jewSXL0WylFAcgrviInQR0Ibn_BA?docId=4cc507f890394dd0ae2518525128f214&size=s2

2011

http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/images/20111021/6dcc58_092908rockefellerma004.jpg

2010

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/279902/thumbs/r-CLARK-ROCKEFELLER-large570.jpg

2009

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.373982!/img/httpImage/image.jpg

Same suit and tie as the 2011 photo, different glasses, different hair. Apparently, one of the "poor Rockefellers" can't afford more than one cheap suit.


2008

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ap_clark_rockefeller_jp_110707_wg.jpg

1978

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Vr8Xl0cbUZA/SKcDgZ1kpFI/AAAAAAAAC4A/Om9Gwwa4ayU/s400/Image+%3D+GRU+%3D+Christian+Karl+Gerhartsreiter,+right,+and+as+Clark+Rockefeller,+left..jpg

Here he is in the 70s through 2008:

http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2009/01/fake_rockefeller200901/_jcr_content/par/cn_contentwell/par-main/cn_pagination_contai/cn_image.size.fake-rockefeller-0901-01.jpg

This article, which is from a link at the bottom of the article that 1990 UM Fan posted is very interesting: http://baldwinpark.patch.com/articles/baldwin-park-police-chief-testifies-in-false-rockefeller-case-3b3b6862

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/01/23/state/n135244S92.DTL

Pulled from the above article:

Seven more witnesses are waiting to testify
before Superior Court Judge Jared Moses is asked to decide
whether there's enough evidence to hold Gerhartsreiter for trial.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/bizarre-murder-case-of-rockefeller-impostor-is-headed-for-trial/2012/01/25/gIQADCMbPQ_story.html

He's going to trial. I hope they have enough for a conviction, after all this time has passed. With his constant attempts to alter his appearance, I found the following quote interesting:

Manabe said that after she got a call in 1988 from a Connecticut detective looking for her boyfriend, whom she knew as Christopher Crowe, he became panicked, had her dye his hair blonde, grew a beard, exchanged his glasses for contact lenses, and made plans to leave the country.

So there he is changing his appearance again, but I wonder why he stayed in the US instead high tailing it out. He obviously knew the cops were onto him for something, and it was likely the Sohus murders. Since Connecticut is where he was trying to sell Jon's stolen truck, he probably figured they were already connecting him to the missing couple.

Good a trial! I think they'll nail him to the wall. To me, just the fact that he lived with Didi Sohus, John Sohus was found dead and he had the Sohus' truck in the end is enough.

Check out Dateline NBC's facebook page or other page, looks like the Sohus case is featured this Friday night on Dateline "Buried Secrets".

Holy cow, his bail is 10 million. Hope they finally put this creep away for good.

Check out Dateline NBC's facebook page or other page, looks like the Sohus case is featured this Friday night on Dateline "Buried Secrets".


DVR'd it and watching now!!!!

Here are three things I leanred last night about the case that I didn't know before, even after reading "The Man in the Rockefeller Suit":

1. When John Sohus' bones were found ten yrs. after his disappearance, authorities learned of Christopher Chichester's true identity of Christian Gehrartsreiter from speaking with the couple that he had met in Germany and who had "sponsored" him (kind of unknowingly) in coming to the U.S. And I can't remember from last night where they got it, but they also had his fingerprint. I didn't think they new his true name until after the Boston bit.

2. One of the bags that John Sohus' body parts was buried in, was from a University in Wisconsin that Christian Gerhartsreiter had briefly attended years eariler before coming to California.

3. The Lead Detective gal who had been on the San Marino police force when they found John's bones and who was the main interviewee of Dateline, believes that Linda Sohus is out there somewhere still alive. Mainly because of the postcards and also because of a sighting of her with Gerhartsreiter in the Sohus truck at some point after John would have been dead.

Oh and I'll add a 4th!

4. Gerhartsreiter's defense team is truly delusional. They believe he is innocent. Or is that just their job?

IDK about now but I suspect Linda was alive back then and was having an affair with the guy,voluntarily leaving with him after the murder,which she most likely played a part in,IMO.along with the postcards,the fact someone picked up the cats is enough to convince me..as a fellow cat lover,she is the only one who would have given a darn about them and would have wanted to see them again and get them back.JMO.

IDK about now but I suspect Linda was alive back then and was having an affair with the guy,voluntarily leaving with him after the murder,which she most likely played a part in,IMO.along with the postcards,the fact someone picked up the cats is enough to convince me..as a fellow cat lover,she is the only one who would have given a darn about them and would have wanted to see them again and get them back.JMO.


Refresh my memory, please. Someone did pick up the cats? A mystery person? Linda's sister was on the show last night and said the cat boarder called to let her know they hadn't been picked up and would be euthanized if not picked up soon. Thanks, I can't remember every detail.

yes,on the UM segment,it showed someone was sent to pick up the cats.but IRL,sometimes events are portrayed differently.I've noticed that about UM.

John and Linda Sohus Part 2.avi

search for this on the forbidden site.
some have speculated that Gehrartsreiter dressed as a woman to pick up the cats.but if he killed John and Linda both,why on earth would he care about the cats,(unless he was doing it for Linda?) plus,Linda was in on this whole thing from the beginning,she had to have been.she helped plan and carry it out w/ the postcards and such.(talking about the secret mission,jobs she couldn't talk about,etc.)

I thought it had already been determined that Linda's sister found out about the cats and went to get them herself?

Am I misremembering something? I thought for sure I read that, either here, at websleuths, or in a news report.

----

eta

Here's where I read it:

Post #109. I'm going to look around and see if I can find any other info to support this.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=260090&page=8&highlight=sohus+cats

Post #41 and #44. The poster says she had read the info in a CNN article that went into more depth than UM, but there's no link to the article.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=281213&page=3&highlight=sohus+cats

While looking for news reports to confirm this, I found out that Linda also had a horse that she boarded before her "trip". The cats and the horse were picked up, but not by Linda. I still can't find an article that states WHO picked them up, tho.

Found this photo of Crock supposedly dressed as the god Mars in a 2008 zimbio article. It gives a timeline of the Sohus/Gerhartsrieter events:

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/img/f0c4/Sleuthy/28m.jpg


http://www.zimbio.com/Linda+Sohus/articles/85/Timeline+Sohus+Double+Homicide

News stories are just all over the place with this case. Most reports don't mention Linda's horse. One actually provides its name. Some reports say she left 6 cats at the boarding facility and some say it was 4 cats.

Every article I found that mentions the cats being picked up says it was done by some mysterious unknown person. I never found anything stating that Linda's sister Kathy Jacoby was the person who took them.

I ran across one article that actually reported that both bodies were found on the property when obviously, Linda is still missing.

I haven't found any info about investigators searching the rest of the Sohus yard after John was found by the pool excavating crew. One person quoted in a article complained that they didn't search the backyard for Linda's remains at all.

In post #49 in this thread, CD stated the following:

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.

I think this is the article CD is referring to. The date is the same, but I can only get a preview. The full archived copy is available for purchase.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/08/many_layered_identity_is_emerging/?page=full

News stories are just all over the place with this case. Most reports don't mention Linda's horse. One actually provides its name. Some reports say she left 6 cats at the boarding facility and some say it was 4 cats.

Every article I found that mentions the cats being picked up says it was done by some mysterious unknown person. I never found anything stating that Linda's sister Kathy Jacoby was the person who took them.

I ran across one article that actually reported that both bodies were found on the property when obviously, Linda is still missing.

I haven't found any info about investigators searching the rest of the Sohus yard after John was found by the pool excavating crew. One person quoted in a article complained that they didn't search the backyard for Linda's remains at all.

In post #49 in this thread, CD stated the following:

The Boston Globe seems to indicate in a story 8/7/08 that the person who picked up Linda Sohus's cats from the kennel was Linda's half-sister. The sister is quoted as saying that she was always suspicious about Linda's disappearance because Linda would never abandon her cats in a kennel, and that the kennel demanded payment.

I think this is the article CD is referring to. The date is the same, but I can only get a preview. The full archived copy is available for purchase.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/08/many_layered_identity_is_emerging/?page=full


It would make sense that her sister would go and get the cats. She wouldn't want to have their demise on her conscience.

I think the Dateline episode on friday said that the ground around the area where John was found, was scanned/searched with above ground detection equipment and nothing was found.

Rewatching the U.M. case, they seem pretty clear that it was a mysterious "woman" who came and picked up the cats, not Linda's sister.
Maybe Gehartsreiter did have a soft spot for animals and picked up the cats, what he would have done with them though...

If Linda is alive or dead, hopefully all this new publicity will flush out some info. about her.

Rewatching the U.M. case, they seem pretty clear that it was a mysterious "woman" who came and picked up the cats, not Linda's sister.
Maybe Gehartsreiter did have a soft spot for animals and picked up the cats, what he would have done with them though...

If Linda is alive or dead, hopefully all this new publicity will flush out some info. about her.

I always figured it was a friend of Linda's who picked up the cats, perhaps one unknown to her family and other friends? I just don't see Gerhartstreiter caring enough about the cats to have a "mystery" woman show up and pick them up. I think UM included this little tidbit to play up to the possibility that it was Linda who picked them up and that she was (obviously) still alive.

If the news reports are correct (and who knows, with all the misinformation they've published on this case) not only were her cats picked up from the boarding facility, but her horse was also claimed, by the same "mystery woman" iirc.

I'm thinking this was a friend or family member. I don't think Crock would want to be bothered with the animals, except perhaps if he thought he could sell the horse for a profit. Of course, Linda herself could have taken her animals, but I think she was murdered and was not the "mystery woman". :(

If the news reports are correct (and who knows, with all the misinformation they've published on this case) not only were her cats picked up from the boarding facility, but her horse was also claimed, by the same "mystery woman" iirc.

I'm thinking this was a friend or family member. I don't think Crock would want to be bothered with the animals, except perhaps if he thought he could sell the horse for a profit. Of course, Linda herself could have taken her animals, but I think she was murdered and was not the "mystery woman". :(


Probably WAY too late now to question large animal vets or horseshoe/farrier's in the area to see if any recognized and/or were caring for Linda's horse after the mystery lady took custody of it. I know that would have been a longshot, but if they would've put the horse and cat's descriptions and pictures on the news at the time of Linda's disappearance to see if anyone knew who had them, they might have come up with something.

I watched the recent Dateline NBC episode called "Buried Secrets" about the Sohus case. I'm curious to see what's the latest on the case.

Caught this on Radar Online and figured you guys might be interested if it hasn't already been posted...

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/03/phony-rockefeller-trial-begins-28-years-alleged-cold-case-double-murder-video/

A couple days ago, The Daily Mail ran a story on Crockefeller. They're always printing wrong info and the headline said that Gerhardtsrieter was being accused/investigated for murdering his landlord back when he was a teenager.

This guy was NOT a teenager and was about 24 years old when the Sohuses were killed/went missing. He was definitely an adult. I read the story to see if they would get the info right but they didn't. They claim he was a teenager living in the Sohus guest house when he killed Jon Sohus, but the Mail isn't known for doing any research on what they print. Most of their "journalists" are too embarrassed to even attach their names to their articles so the majority are authored by "Daily Mail Reporter".

Murder Trial wrapping up http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57577348-504083/rockefeller-impostors-murder-trial-ex-wife-of-christian-gerhartsreiter-next-to-testify/

Both sides rest. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57577348-504083/rockefeller-impostors-murder-trial-ex-wife-of-christian-gerhartsreiter-next-to-testify/

So he is GUILTY!! Now that the trial is over, I am free to speak. Here's a link to the Dateline episode that ran the week after his verdict. The episode is in 6parts:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032600/

There are plans for a Memorial Service for John and Linda Sohus; it will be held on the evening of June 26, 2013 at Descanso Gardens in La Canada. Details of the service will be announced at a later date.

So he is GUILTY!! Now that the trial is over, I am free to speak. Here's a link to the Dateline episode that ran the week after his verdict. The episode is in 6parts:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032600/

There are plans for a Memorial Service for John and Linda Sohus; it will be held on the evening of June 26, 2013 at Descanso Gardens in La Canada. Details of the service will be announced at a later date.

Thanks for the info.!

After 28 years of wondering & waiting...
Here are the plans for the Memorial Service for John and Linda Sohus:

DATE: Wednesday June 26, 2013
TIME: 5:00pm
PLACE: Rose Pavilion at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge

John & Linda Sohus were married in late 1983, and their life together was starting to reach new heights when they both disappeared in early 1985. John was working at JPL and exploring the new frontier of personal computers, while Linda was becoming well known as a science-fantasy artist under the name Cody. John's murdered body was discovered in 1994, and Linda's remains have never been found. Although it has been a long & arduous journey for all of their loved ones, justice has prevailed and the guilty party has been convicted.

Now we would like to honor the memories of John & Linda at a memorial in the Los Angeles area. We are inviting members of both of their families and all of their good friends and acquaintances to share fond remembrances of them both.

Anyone who knew them or were impacted by their lives and story are welcome to attend and give them peaceful farewell.

"Sentencing for Gerhartsreiter, who faces 25 years to life in state prison, had been scheduled for June 26. Lomeli postponed the hearing until Aug. 15."

Creep claims he has new evidence about Linda, wants a new trial. Read articles.


Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news...#ixzz2XZZITTpo

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news...e-proves-he-is


Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4800950#post4800950#ixzz2XcOhprTF

This case was featured on the program Copycat Killers. The film they chose to compare it to was The Talented Mr. Ripley. Of course the film came out in 1999, after the crimes were committed, but the novel on which it was based was published in 1955 so could qualify for the copycat category. The program made it very clear that John was suspicious of "Christopher" and Linda was equally suspicious. All they said about her was her remains were never found and she was assumed to have been killed and left in another location. They said nothing about a postcard mailed from France after she disappeared or how the impostor could have managed that.

The one thing that baffled me a lot about this case is that it's pretty clear that John was killed in the guest house, judging by the blood, the smell reported, and the close proximity of his body. But where was Linda when this happened? If he killed them both in the guesthouse, why not put her body in the hole, too?

They were never seen leaving their home. Perhaps they were getting ready to leave for the "secret mission" and John was lured into the guesthouse by Chichester the night of the vanishing. If he didn't kill Linda there, perhaps he lured her to another location under the guise of needing to for the mission. It's been said that he loved games, embellishing stories, and concocting schemes. Maybe he had fun luring Linda and doing something to her outside of the house.

We'll never know, in my opinion. Arrogant Chichester will never tell the truth. That 48 hours interview was so infuriating.

The one thing that baffled me a lot about this case is that it's pretty clear that John was killed in the guest house, judging by the blood, the smell reported, and the close proximity of his body. But where was Linda when this happened? If he killed them both in the guesthouse, why not put her body in the hole, too?

They were never seen leaving their home. Perhaps they were getting ready to leave for the "secret mission" and John was lured into the guesthouse by Chichester the night of the vanishing. If he didn't kill Linda there, perhaps he lured her to another location under the guise of needing to for the mission. It's been said that he loved games, embellishing stories, and concocting schemes. Maybe he had fun luring Linda and doing something to her outside of the house.

We'll never know, in my opinion. Arrogant Chichester will never tell the truth. That 48 hours interview was so infuriating.

I think in the movie My Friend Rockefeller there was a witness that said when he saw Christian leaving town there was a woman in the truck with him. That's why it is assumed that he killed her in some other part of the country.

I think in the movie My Friend Rockefeller there was a witness that said when he saw Christian leaving town there was a woman in the truck with him. That's why it is assumed that he killed her in some other part of the country.

Yes. A friend of his could not recall the exact time or even year that he last saw Chichester. But he remembered a large woman (I believe he described her as filling the entire car with her size) appearing as if she had been crying, sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle Chichester was driving.

He later believed/fancied himself to be the "German" version of Amanda Knox. Which is a bit strange to me, considering he says he later forgot how to speak German (I don't believe linguistically this is even true, since he lived and was raised in Germany until the age of 17 or 18).