VR #006: Prowler

September 1973 | W Feemster Ave

This incident is missing one or more key pieces of the VR's MO and may not be related.

The same sixteen-year-old girl was peeped at again. Her boyfriend confronted the man, who took off running. The prowler said "Looks like this guy's got us here, Ben!" when he was caught. He and the boyfriend talked for a while, but the confrontation ended when the boyfriend felt that the prowler was reaching for a gun.

This incident, the prowlings at this address, and an incident at the one next door may not be related to the Visalia Ransacker. In fact, over three years after this occurred, the Visalia Police Department, with cooperation from these two witnesses and the woman next door who experienced prowling activity, felt that they'd identified the man responsible, and this man was cleared of other some of the other crimes.

However, an investigator we spoke with feels that this incident is still in play. The investigator also cited information from a statement by the officer who came face to face with the Ransacker in December 1975 as saying that the peeper that was identified looks very similar to the Ransacker, but it was two different men. Later on, the house next-door to this residence was burglarized by someone who was definitely the Visalia Ransacker (on August 23rd, 1975) - a fact that some investigators feel makes this incident and some of the related ones more likely to be genuine Ransacker events.

However, because it's a murky issue, we typically don't include this incident when we're collating information for our VR research.

Suspect Description: White male, 5'10", in his mid twenties, about 185 lbs, with a large/heavy frame. His hair was a light, sandy blonde and described as greasy or stringy. His skin was very pale, and his face was unusually round and very smooth, like a baby's face. Despite the age estimate, the boyfriend felt that the subject didn't grow facial hair. His eyes were "squinty" and his lower lip protruded a bit. He had a "pug nose." His ears were described as small and fat. His lower half was pronounced, with large legs and thighs. His shoulders were described as rounded and sloping. Both his arms and legs seemed stocky and a little short for his frame. He ran at a medium pace, and was described as having an awkward gait. He wore a brown jacket with tight cuffs.