Bodies found in California

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33154, 19 February 1973, Page 14

Bodies found in California

CV.Z. Pre»» AMOciation—Copyrioht? FELTON (California), February 18.

Police officers have found the bloodspattered bodies of four long-haired youths in a forest lean-to in the isolated Santa Cruz Mountains, where more than a dozen people have been slain since early January.

"There was blood all over the place,” said Mr Leland Davis, a police officer. “We don't know yet how they were killed or who killed them. "There appears to have been some kind of scuffle. But it was impossible at first glance to estimate how long they had been dead. One victim had mould on his hand.”

At least 13 persons, per-; haps 15, have been killed in; Santa Cruz county, a mountainous, redwood-covered rural area 80 miles south of; San Francisco, since January 9. Herbert Mullin, aged 25, was arrested last Thursday

and charged with six of the killings. He has refused to talk to police since his arrest on Wednesday after 72-year-old Fred Perez was shot to death while gardening.

Mullin is a conscientious objector who wears tattoos saying "Legalise acid’ and "Legalise Marijuana” on his

stomach. No evidence has been

r.found to link Mullin to the 1i deaths of the four bodies ({found yesterday. ’ They were found sprawled 1 in a 10ft by 12ft pyramidshaped shelter constructed of s pine saplings, branches, cardt board, and plastic sheeting, ti Mr Jeffery Card, aged 22, ['brother of one of the ! victims. 20-year-old Brian > Scott Card, discovered the bodies.

The other victims have not been identified. Mr Card said that he last saw hrs brother in the vicinity of the forest shelter last Saturday. The victims had been living there for several months, he said.