Missing women identified in convicted serial killer's photos

SANTA ANA — The public release of photographs seized from convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala has generated leads on seven other possible victims, a prosecutor said today.

"They're cases of interest, is what we could call it,'' Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy said. "They're very much in their infancy investigation-wise.''

Three of the leads involve potential victims in Seattle, two came from New Hampshire, one from Phoenix and one from Orange County, Murphy said.

Meanwhile, six women depicted in Alcala's photos, which were released to the public last week, have come forward to say they're OK, Murphy said.

Huntington Beach police released the photos of women, girls, boys and toddlers that were seized in 1979 from a Seattle storage locker Alcala rented before he was arrested for killing 12-year-old Robin Samsoe of Huntington Beach.

Alcala was convicted Feb. 25 for killing Samsoe, who was abducted while riding her bike to a ballet class on June 20, 1979. It was his third conviction and death sentence, but both earlier convictions were overturned on appeal.

He was also convicted — for the first time — of killing Jill Barcomb, an 18-year-old runaway slain in the Hollywood Hills on Nov. 10, 1977; Georgia Wixted, a 27-year-old registered nurse killed on Dec. 16, 1978; Charlotte Lamb, 32, slain on June 24, 1978; and Jill Parenteau, 21, killed June 14, 1979.

Jurors recommended that Alcala again be sentenced to death. His sentencing is scheduled for March 30.

Of the three new leads in Seattle, only one came from the release of the photos, Murphy said. The others were the result of heightened publicity about the case after Alcala's latest conviction.

The Phoenix and Orange County leads were generated from the release of the photos, along with one of the leads from New Hampshire, Murphy said.

"Some of the pictures aren't necessarily that good,'' the prosecutor said. "The cases really need to be investigated more thoroughly.''

New York investigators have three cases they suspect may have ties to Alcala, Murphy said. Those investigations have been ongoing for years, Murphy said. New York authorities have not charged Alcala, but since the state does not have the death penalty, it's unlikely prosecutors would want to pursue
Alcala.

In court-ordered searches of Alcala's Monterey Park home and the rented storage locker, detectives recovered hundreds of photos that were apparently taken by Alcala, Murphy said.

Authorities believe the former freelance photographer used his camera to lure his victims.

Most of the people in the photos are unidentified. Anyone who recognizes someone in the photos was urged to contact Huntington Beach police Detective Patrick Ellis at (714) 375-5066 or via e-mail at pellishbpd.org.

KPCC's Nick Roman contributed audio to this report.