Similarly Tragic (Leslie Perlov & Janet Taylor)
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What happened to Leslie Perlov?
But back in the 1970s, this particular part of California became infamous for another reason. serial murder. The San Francisco Bay Area was an absolute hunting ground for prolific killers like Edward Kemper, who murdered 10, the still unidentified Zodiac killer, who killed at least five, and of course, Ted Bundy, who sexually assaulted and killed dozens of young women. And as it turns out, Palo Alto was the home to yet another predator who, until recently, had gone unidentified for more than 40 years.
Today's story begins back on February 13th, 1973, when a recent Stanford graduate, 21-year-old Leslie Perloff, left the local law library where she worked.
Here's Sergeant Noe Cortez from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, who has headed the Cold Case Division since 2016.
She was accepted to go to law school. She had recently moved back to live with her mother in the city of Los Altos. Her father had passed away six months prior. So she had been living with her mother, and she was also working in the law library at the Palo Alto Courthouse.
Along with being an aspiring lawyer, Leslie was also a passionate student of the arts and literature and had the promise of a bright future. In fact, it was art that led Leslie on a mission that day in February of 1972.
She talked to her supervisor and wanted to leave right at 3 p.m., which was her normal time to leave work, because she wanted to go to the hills that were west of Stanford.
If you're not familiar with this area, Palo Alto and Santa Clara County, it's just stunningly beautiful country. And according to friends, Leslie had the idea to commission a local artist to create a painting of the landscape as a gift for her mother. Her plan after leaving work was to scout the perfect location, thinking she'd be up and back before sunset.
She drove to the intersection of Page Mill Road and Old Page Mill. She parked her vehicle at the entrance of an old quarry. And this would have been west of Stanford University in the hills between Stanford University and Highway 280. She parked her vehicle there sometime after 3 p.m. It would probably have taken her at the most 10 minutes from her work to that location.
Hours later, at about 10 p.m. that night, Leslie's car was spotted by local police. still parked at the entrance to the quarry, which was definitely unusual for the remote area.
A deputy on patrol saw her vehicle, which stood out. It was an orange Chevrolet Nova. He got out and checked the area around the vehicle, noticed that the vehicle was unlocked and there were a pair of women's shoes in the vehicle. Nothing else. Nobody was around the vehicle. So he decided to... Just come back later on to see if it was still there.
The deputy returned about midnight and Leslie's Chevy Orange Nova was still there. He did another search of the area but found no one. So he decided to contact the registered owner, who was Leslie's mom.
And it was a welcome phone call because Leslie's mom was beside herself with worry. She explained to the officer that she had expected her daughter home hours before. And for her not to check in was totally out of Leslie's character. That Leslie typically had a routine and stuck to it.
She would go to work and be at work at 1030 in the morning. After work at 3 p.m., she would go straight home, be home by 3.30 p.m. to make dinner for her mother. If Leslie had something else to do after work, she would either call her mother or leave a note. On this day, she did not leave a note. She did not call her mother.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What happened to Leslie Perlov?
0:59–6:52
2
How did the investigation unfold in Leslie's case?
6:52–26:58
3
What similarities exist between Leslie's and Janet's murders?
26:58–34:27
4
How did new technology aid in solving the cold case?
34:27–38:07
5
What was the significance of the DNA evidence?
38:07–41:05
6
Who was John Arthur Getrue?
41:05–41:52
7
What were the implications of John Getrue's criminal history?
41:52–53:47