San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office: DNA test solves cold case killing

At a press conference Thursday, Rothaus described how a collaborative effort between San Mateo County investigators and Santa Clara County sheriff’s detectives and investigators connected Getreu to Taylor’s murder as well as the 1973 killing of 21-year-old Leslie Perlov, whose body was found off Old Page Mill Road Feb. 13, 1973.

By matching DNA found on Taylor’s clothing with a comparison sample available after Santa Clara County investigators linked Getreu with Perlov’s murder in November, investigators with the Cold Case Homicide Unit within the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office were able to identify Getreu as the Taylor’s killer, said Rothaus. He explained Santa Clara County’s break in Perlov’s case was crucial to San Mateo County officials’ efforts to bring some closure to Taylor’s family.

“Law enforcement isn’t giving up on victims,” he said. “We have cold cases and we actively work our cold cases.”

Since March 25, 1974 — the day a delivery driver spotted Taylor’s body off Sand Hill Road as he was driving west of Interstate 280 — her family has been waiting for word on what happened to the youngest of three siblings. Rothaus said Taylor was last seen hitchhiking to her home in La Honda the day before her body was found. He noted the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office ruled the death as a homicide as a result of strangulation, and though the investigation concluded she had not been raped, evidence has led investigators to believe the crime was sexually motivated.

Because the murderer behind Taylor and Perlov’s deaths employed similar methods and the young women were both last seen near the Stanford University campus, detectives with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office began working with law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County just days after Taylor’s murder with the belief the cases could be linked, said Rothaus.

DNA analysis

The crimes remained unsolved until David Tresmontan and Rick Jackson with the Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Homicide Unit began working on the case again in 2017 with homicide investigators with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, said Rothaus. He explained both agencies submitted evidence to their respective crime labs for DNA analysis, and though none was found in the evidence San Mateo County submitted, an unknown male DNA profile was detected on the items Santa Clara County provided.

He said Santa Clara County officials sent the DNA sample to a private lab, where it was connected to Getreu through DNA markers and further investigation. Rothaus noted CODIS — the FBI’s DNA database enabling federal, state and local forensic laboratories to compare DNA profiles — has in the past helped investigators connect DNA samples to a distant relative of those suspected of crimes.

“It’s very difficult, complex, time-consuming and expensive, but it works for us from time to time,” he said.

Rothaus said San Mateo County investigators are still researching Getreu’s past, an ongoing process that has so far revealed he was put on trial for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl in Germany when he was 18 years old and convicted of raping a woman in Santa Clara County in 1975. He said Getreu is believed to have lived in Ohio and on the Peninsula, where he worked as a carpenter, security guard and at Stanford University, among other jobs.

Rothaus said San Mateo County investigators are in the process of researching where Getreu has lived in the past and reaching out to agencies in those jurisdictions to determine whether he might be linked to other crimes.

Arraigned in San Mateo County Superior Court Thursday, Getreu was charged with murder and bail was set at $10 million. The county’s private defender program was appointed to his case, and he will next appear in court May 30 for appearance of designated attorney and entry of plea. Also charged with Perlov’s murder, Getreu was returned to Santa Clara County jail immediately after his arraignment Thursday and will remain there without bail.

Prosecuting cases

Though he acknowledged Getreu cannot stand trial in both counties simultaneously, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he will work with Santa Clara County prosecutors to ensure his cases in both counties move forward simultaneously when possible. He said they are hoping they can reduce the time it would take for the cases to be prosecuted one after the other.

Having recently seen a 70-year-old man convicted of two of a string five 1976 killings of teens and young women on the Peninsula, Wagstaffe acknowledged the increasingly important role DNA has played in solving cold cases. Following the Sept. 18 conviction of Rodney Halbower, who killed 18-year-old Veronica Anne Cascio and 17-year-old Paula Baxter in 1976, 72-year-old convict and known sexual predator Leon Melvin Seymour will face a murder charge in the death of 19-year-old Denise Lampe, who was found stabbed to death in her car at the Serramonte Shopping Center in Daly City April 1, 1976.

“We’ve been able to bring some finality to the families to victims of crimes from 40 to 45 years ago,” he said. “That is the phenomenal benefit that DNA brings to our criminal justice system.”

Family reaction

In a prepared statement, Taylor’s family described her as someone who lived life with enthusiasm and courage, loved animals and cherished her friends. The statement expressed the family’s gratitude toward the law enforcement officers whose efforts resulted in Thursday’s announcement.

“Janet’s future was bright. It would have been wonderful to see what she would have done. We can’t ever know all that we missed, but whatever she pursued, Janet would have served others with passion and kindness,” according to the family’s statement.

Those with any information in this case or further background information about Getreu are advised to call the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Anonymous Tip Line at (800) 547- 2700.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106