Notes from the Private Investigator

[morf13]

This thread will be used to discuss the Private investigator's findings,not that they found a huge amount.

1 - A CONSERVATORSHIP - I found an LPS Conservatorship filed regarding Ross Stephen Sullivan in Santa Cruz County court on 12/17/1970. This is a mental health conservatorship. Very confidential. Only parties in the action can access the file - in this case that would be Ross and the Public Guardian/County Counsel - even if the person is dead and even his family members cannot access the file without a court order. I just got off the phone with a deputy Public Guardian who said he would see what information, if any at all, he could share. He did look Ross up in the mental health department database and did not find him, but said records were only going back to early 90's, which isn't all that helpful... He said he'd research it and call me later.

2 - DEATH CERTIFICATE - Yes, John's name is on the death certificate as the informant, but that does not mean he was there when he died. He is just the one - as next of kin, or whatever - who may have provided information about Ross for the death certificate and made arrangements for his ashes.

3 - WHERE HE LIVED IN SANTA CRUZ - I already told you a few things about the history of the address where he was living, at 2177 17th Ave, when he died, but I will recap, with some more details. From 1975 (about) to 1978, the place was called Live Oak Rest Home. It was owned by Asuncion Panlibuton, a Philippina lady from San Francisco. In 1978, Panlibuton sold it to Lola and John Beeson, and Tony and Marie Hegel (sounds like the Hegels were non-involved partners) and it became Twilight Manor. In 2006, the Beeson's sold it and it became Paradise Villas. The owner when Ross died was Panlibuton. She died in 2011. Yesterday I spoke with her daughter and her son and learned that originally they housed elderly people, but then started taking in younger people with mental issues. I think this younger population was scary to the younger Panlibutons so they don't know anything about them - they did not know Ross, even after I described him and the fact that he had died there. They also did not remember any of the workers there, as they were too young to recall, and they also had some trauma in their lives shortly after they returned to San Francisco (their younger brother was murdered by a shopkeeper). I also spoke with a lady from Paradise Villas who also worked for Twilight Manor, but only from 1986, so she did not know anyone or anything about the 1977 era, and also did not know how to reach the Beesons, except that she thought they might have moved to Modesto. I've already spent a lot of time on this aspect, but if I were to keep digging, I would contact the Beesons to see if they kept anyone on who had worked for Panlibuton, for I think the key to learning about Ross is to speak with someone who knew him.

[morf13]

1 – Cannot get any info on the conservatorship. The Public Guardian’s records don’t go back that far, and additionally, it’s all confidential so even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to give me any info without a court order. I suppose if Ross looks good for it after further inquiry, we could get police involved and they might be able to get info via court order, if the case file is even still around. The Deputy Public Guardian with whom I spoke said even family members wouldn’t be able to get the info.

The Investigator sent me a few other tidbits nothing worth sharing

[morf13]

RE: The 1970 Conservatorship...

I have to go back and look again, but I recall the Investigator mentioning 1973 for some reason. If Ross was locked up in a mental institution since 1970,and in Santa Cruz, well then, he simply could not be Z. But we know he wasn't, because when he died in 77, his death cert said he was a resident of Santa Cruz County for 3 years (since 74). Could he have been a resident of a different institution in another county all that time? It's possible, and if so, I don't think he could be Z. The issue is, we don't know.

Here's the info about a mental conservatorship- http://www.scscourt.org/self_help/proba ... _lps.shtml

[morf13]

Thinking about the timing of the mental conservatorship- December,1970

When is the last Z letter received in 1970? October,1970. When is the next one received? March,1971. That's about 90 days. I am curious,if Ross was Z, he may have been on a mental hold for some sort of mental evaluation for 90 days. and then got out. The timing fits well. Then, Z does not write again until January,1974 in which he writes letter from January until May,1974 then is never heard from again. This is where Ross's timeline again matches up well with the Z letters ending. In September 77, when Ross dies, it says he has been a county resident for 3 years(September, 1974?)

Ross's timeline possibly fits into the Z scheme, but we can not prove or verify any of it.

[JeffP]

RE: The 1970 Conservatorship...

I have to go back and look again, but I recall the Investigator mentioning 1973 for some reason. If Ross was locked up in a mental institution since 1970,and in Santa Cruz, well then, he simply could not be Z. But we know he wasn't, because when he died in 77, his death cert said he was a resident of Santa Cruz County for 3 years (since 74). Could he have been a resident of a different institution in another county all that time? It's possible, and if so, I don't think he could be Z. The issue is, we don't know.

Here's the info about a mental conservatorship- http://www.scscourt.org/self_help/proba ... _lps.shtml

That isn't necessarily true. The 1970 conservatorship began on DECEMBER 17th, 1970. This doesn't mean he was locked up right away either. Only one known Zodiac event took place after this. The March 13th, 1971 letter to the LA TIMES. March 13th, 1971 was a Saturday.

On edit: I see you figured this out in your next post. The 90 day hold makes sense.

[Paul_Averly]

RE: The 1970 Conservatorship...

I have to go back and look again, but I recall the Investigator mentioning 1973 for some reason. If Ross was locked up in a mental institution since 1970,and in Santa Cruz, well then, he simply could not be Z. But we know he wasn't, because when he died in 77, his death cert said he was a resident of Santa Cruz County for 3 years (since 74). Could he have been a resident of a different institution in another county all that time? It's possible, and if so, I don't think he could be Z. The issue is, we don't know.

Here's the info about a mental conservatorship- http://www.scscourt.org/self_help/proba ... _lps.shtml

That isn't necessarily true. The 1970 conservatorship began on DECEMBER 17th, 1970. This doesn't mean he was locked up right away either. Only one known Zodiac event took place after this. The March 13th, 1971 letter to the LA TIMES. March 13th, 1971 was a Saturday.

On edit: I see you figured this out in your next post. The 90 day hold makes sense.

It might actually make a whole lot of sense. Look at the timeline. Mid November 1970 the Riverside connection is made public in the press. Ross would learn this and have a mental breakdown by December from the stress this would have caused him.

[thedude]

My grandmother just went through a conservator ship. She was locked up with the county for months before the conservator ship started. And getting a conservator ship is a very difficult and long process. It wouldn't surprise me if he was locked up well before the conservator ship started.

[Paul_Averly]

My grandmother just went through a conservator ship. She was locked up with the county for months before the conservator ship started. And getting a conservator ship is a very difficult and long process. It wouldn't surprise me if he was locked up well before the conservator ship started.

Interesting thing, Z letters stop in the summer of 1970. Then 2 in Oct. Then 2 in March 1971. Then nothing till 1974.

[morf13]

Regarding the fact Ross was in and out of mental facilities, I want to point out, there was a Suspect mentioned in the Berryessa reports who was out of the Napa state hospital for the weekend to visit his Family. He was considered a Suspect, but his Family provided an alibi for that weekend. This tells me that people,under certain circumstances, could come and go from the mental hospitals.

[Nick, no Nora]

The semi-problem is that the conservatorship is filed in Santa Cruz County. Presumably that is where he lived at the time. In terms of timeline, it's possible he moved to the SF or Vallejo area, then moved back to SC. But if he is there mid-1968 and he's there in Dec. 1970, isn't it more likely that he lived there during the whole time? That doesn't rule him out, but how does he know lovers lanes in the Vallejo area? Why does he choose those places? This isn't connecting for me.