One of San Francisco's most infamous cold case serial killers, the "Doodler" is getting renewed attention.
On Thursday, the 47th anniversary of the killer's first homicide, the San Francisco Police Department announced that the reward for any information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect has increased from $100,000 to $200,000.
The police also identified a likely sixth victim, which they hope will lead to a new break in the case.
"It's nice that they've boosted the reward, but...whenever stuff like this happens, I sort of put myself in the mind of someone who has information, and I'm thinking 'Okay, am I really sitting on the identity of the murderer for $100,000 but now that it's up to $200,000 I'm finally going to make that phone call? I find that a little hard to believe," author and journalist Elon Green told KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer on Thursday.
Green's long-form story about the unsolved case was first published in 2014 by online publication "The Awl."
The likely sixth victim, Warren Andrews, was found unconscious, suffering from battery and assault at Lands End on April 27, 1975. He never regained consciousness and died from his injuries weeks later.
The Doodler claimed several victims in the mid-1970s in San Francisco. Police received reports from several gay, white, male victims that they had been assaulted by the same man. At the same time, five men were found murdered in the city in the Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park area.
The victimology was the same as the assault victims.
The survivors were able to provide enough information to create a forensic sketch of the suspect. Also based on collected information, he was believed to be a cartoonist, who doodled drawings while conversing with a victim. In 1976, police identified a person of interest as a possible suspect. He was interviewed that year and still remains a person of interest in the current investigation.
"I'm not sure I understand how this will help solve the case beyond creating publicity for it," Green speculated.
The case received renewed attention last year after the San Francisco Chronicle launched an in-depth investigation, drawing fresh eyes to the mysterious killings.
"We believe there are other persons who may have survived attacks by this same suspect or may have information regarding this suspect and these attacks," police wrote in Thursday's release. Police have re-released an age progression, based on the 1975 sketch, of what he might look like today.
"The value of composites are, as I've sort of indicated about other things, they're publicity tools," Green added. "People pay attention to composites. But do they help the general public identify a perpetrator? Almost never."
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the department's 24-hour tip line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.
Tips can remain anonymous.
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