Physical Descriptions of the Visalia Ransacker
Despite being such a prolific offender, the VR was rarely seen clearly. This is a list of all physical descriptions associated with the case -- some of which may not be sightings of the offender at all.
The information about the physical characteristics of the Visalia Ransacker is limited in its usefulness -- eyewitness testimony can be difficult to nail down and work with. The general idea is that the VR was a white adult male, probably around 5'10", and somewhere between 150 and 190 pounds.
An event marked UNCONFIRMED means that there is or was enough evidence to tie this incident to the Visalia Ransacker crime series, but there's not enough evidence to confirm his involvement. These events are often sightings of prowlers or suspicious persons that didn't leave any physical evidence tied to the Ransacker, or there were enough key features of his M.O. missing that his involvement can't be confirmed.
| VR# | Type | Date | Location | Physical Description |
| VR #003 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | September 3rd, 1973 | W Kaweah Ave | White male, mid twenties, with light blonde hair. He had a round face that was "very smooth." He had short blonde hair. |
| VR #004 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | September 10th, 1973 | W Kaweah Ave | White male, twenty to thirty years old, 5'10" or 5'11", medium build, with a round face and short, blonde hair. |
| VR #006 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | September 1973 | W Feemster Ave | 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. |
| VR #008 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | January 1974 | W Feemster Ave | He had a round, pale face and small eyes. She noted that he held a screwdriver in his left hand. |
| VR #081 | Prowler | February 5th, 1975 | S Whitney St | White male, 5'10" to 6', with collar-length hair. He was wearing a plaid long-sleeve shirt. |
| VR #094 UNCONFIRMED | Ransacking | July 24th, 1975 | W Kaweah Ave | Ski mask, strong arms |
| VR #109 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | September 9th, 1975 | S Whitney St | 5'7" or 5'8", in his late twenties, over 180 lbs, with brown hair worn collar-length. Unusually round face. |
| VR #115 | Homicide | September 11th, 1975 | S Whitney St | Claude's daughter was interviewed a total of five times by Visalia police - once at the scene, later on that day, and three times in October (the last of which was a hypnosis session). At each interview, she tried her best to recall any physical characteristics of the killer. Unfortunately, she was unable to commit to very many descriptors. She generally described him as a white male with light skin, between 5'8" and 5'11", possibly in his late twenties, medium to stocky build, angry eyes, strong hands, and a "masculine," low, raspy voice that sounded more like a growl. His mask was a dark ski mask with some kind of white, zig-zag stripes (though at one interview she said they might have been multi-colored). He wore dark clothing and soft shoes that squeaked, possibly tennis shoes. She felt that his hair was a lighter color, either brown or blonde (basing this on the color of the hair on his hands, his eyebrows, and his complexion). Investigators asked her at each interview if she could commit to a weight estimate, and she insisted that she was unable to guess his weight at each one. Nevertheless, they forced her to provide a number, and the numbers she provided ranged from 150 lbs to over 170 lbs. The ski mask may have had the eyes, nose, and mouth cut out. The white zig-zag stripes were near the mouth and may have gone all the way around the mask. The mask seemed to come down to mid-neck level. She consistently described his hands as having no odor, no jewelry (rings or watches), and no identifying marks (like a scar). In one interview she stated that they were wet, like he was perspiring. She noted that his actions seemed deliberate and effortless, like he had planned the kidnapping step-by-step. At a hypnosis session in Los Angeles on October 23rd, she described his face as very round, and described his jaw as being large. Her description of his clothing was more detailed too: he wore a dark windbreaker that was zipped up all the way to his neck and didn't go past his waist, and the windbreaker had cuffs that were tight around his wrists. He wore dark pants (probably slacks, not jeans) that had no breaks or cuffs. |
| VR #121 UNCONFIRMED | Suspicious Person | October 20th, 1975 | S Whitney St | Mid twenties, shoulder-length brown wavy hair, and subject seemed out of place. Bicycle was very old with large balloon tires. |
| VR #122 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | October 20th, 1975 | S Emerald Ct | White male adult, between 5'10 and 6', 150 lbs, with light brown hair. Blue jacket and jeans. |
| VR #127 | Prowler | October 24th, 1975 | S Redwood St | Large figure running in between houses |
| VR #132 | Prowler | November 2nd, 1975 | W Evergreen Ave | Late twenties, "pudgy," light brown hair |
| VR #135 | Prowler | November 2nd, 1975 | W Evergreen Ave | White male, late twenties, "pudgy face," light brown hair. Some kind of mask was on his face, but hair was visible. |
| VR #140 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | November 9th, 1975 | W College Ct | White male, mid twenties, 5'10", 175 lbs |
| VR #149 | Attempted Homicide | December 10th, 1975 | W Kaweah Ave | McGowen described the shooter as a white male, 25 to 35 years of age, 5'10", and 180 pounds or more. He had a round face, a cleft in his chin, a wide jaw, and his nose had a distinctive shape when the offender's profile was seen. He had a "thick neck." His hair was short, light blonde, with no sideburns. It was longer on the top and parted on the left side. The officer described it as a "military haircut," as it was shorter than most boys and men were wearing. He had light skin with no sign of whiskers or stubble. Under hypnosis, the officer described him as "babyfaced." The officer described the Ransacker's shoulders as large and round, and he had a larger lower half with large legs, large hips/thighs, and a large behind (or "rump," as the report puts it). His feet were described as "stubby." The VR was wearing tight pants that looked like blue jeans, a brown and green camouflage jacket with elastic cuffs, converse tennis shoes that were a low-top style and dark in color, and brown cotton gloves. The cap he was wearing was very thick, and it gave the impression of a ski mask rolled up. He described the shooter as running slowly and running in a "funny manner, like his knees were together." This may be because of eleven pounds of loot that he had in his pockets, or it could be indicative of a strange gait that was sometimes described by witnesses. He drew his gun and shot with his left hand. The neighbor who observed the subject described him as 5'10", about 180 lbs, and being "large," having a "large frame." A month and a half later, after the VR case had started to grow quiet, another officer created a sheet that summarized and collated a bunch of Visalia Ransacker facts. In this description, the officer is said to give the age range of "20-25," and the detail of "short, stubby fingers" was added. The officer who compiled the new list of information said that the "stubby fingers" was actually taken from the Snelling description and was misattributed. The new age range was an amalgamation of the various descriptions given by witnesses over the crime spree. |
| VR #150 UNCONFIRMED | Prowler | January 18th, 1976 | S Burke St | White male, early twenties, 5'11", 190 lbs, round face and light-colored short hair. Light complexion. Wearing a camo jacket that was described the same way as the jacket worn by the VR on the night of the McGowen shooting. |