Jane Curtis and Kathleen D'Olivo

Jane Curtis and Kathleen D'Olivo were both students at Central Washington State College in the spring of 1974. In April, Susan Rancourt vanished from the CWSC campus without a trace-- the third victim in what would become a terrifying series of disappearances. By July, clues to the epidemic of missing young women finally emerged as witnesses described the suspect last seen with Janice Ott at Lake Sammamish.

Media reports of the softspoken young man with his arm in a sling, asking for assistance, and driving a VW Beetle prompted Jane and Kathy to report their earlier encounters to police. King County Detective Bob Keppel interviewed both of them; these are the transcripts.

DET.: On the way to wherever you were going, did he wince, or say anything about his arm hurting?

JANE : No. That was the surprising thing. The only thing... only the times when he needed help, like when I was leaving, when I approached the car, then he wanted me to get in, then all of a sudden he started, like, "Ohhh, my arm"... he went on about his arm hurting him, and he said don't forget I have a broken arm, you feel sorry for me... get in."

DET. : What did he do with the books?

JANE: I can't remember if he gave them to me... I was holding a bunch of them... I can't remember if he... I remember he unlocked the door, that it wasn't me that unlocked it.

DET: What was he saying at that time?

JANE: He wasn't saying anything. He unlocked it then he told me after he opened it up, "Get in." I said, "What?" Then he said, "Ohhh, could you get in and start the car for me?" I said, "I can't."

DET.: So he was wincing at the time about his arm.

JANE: On his arm more or less to make me feel sorry for him... then when I looked, what really got me was that the passenger's seat was gone. That's what really bothered me, was that it was gone.

DET.: It was completely gone?

JANE: It was completely gone... it was just out...

JANE: I've been thinking about this. The way he looked at me bothered me.

DET: How did he look at you?

JANE: I... he put his head kind of sideways and stared at me.

DET: Like he was looking through you?

JANE: Yeah. Just kind of... his eyes looked weird. He just stared funnylike.

DET: Could you see them?

JANE: No. Just kind of big eyes that stared at me.