The Blazer

[Ausgirl]

Several people saw a white and green vehicle around Keddie, at the time of the murders.

This is variously described as a "Blazer", a "pickup", a "van"... Sorry if this is obvious stuff here, but I'm not familiar with cars in general so I did a bit of a search on the 'Blazer".

The Chevy Blazer was an early 4WD vehicle, which looked somewhat like a pickup (or 'ute' as we call them here) with a roof on the back. The pictures I found of Blazers from the 60's to the 80's show a vehicle that could easily be described as either a van or a pickup:

1969 Blazer: http://image.motortrend.com/f/35423943+ ... rtible.jpg

1988 Blazer: http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/ ... 35867.jpeg

1972 Blazer: http://www.davidhowardemery.com/wp-cont ... er-002.jpg

80's Blazer: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/581 ... 4cec55.jpg

Here's a few mentions of vehicles which might match that description from the timeline. If I've missed any, please do add them below. I think collecting those statements might be useful.

Frank Davis
Moved from Keddie 4/1/81. Frank reported an argument between Sue and man in white and green Blazer on March 1.

Fred Downs
Saw a utility truck with NV plates leave Keddie via the lower road about the time of the murders

Arthur Jawad
Lived Keddie. Walked to the bar and then home @ 0100-0110 4/12/81. His pickup was parked in an 'unusual place'. Took a polygraph.

Seabolt, James Sr.:
Went wood cutting 4/12/81 before crime discovered, heard nothing night before, see Vicky Rhodes, found # 6451 on window sill where John used to sleep, saw wht/grn Blazer at Krois'

Seabolt, Paula:
saw green van front of Sharp's @ 2100, sister saw van too, saw green van front of Sharp's 4/11/81

Walke, Chuck:
lived Keddie area, Keddie @ 0330-0400 on 4/12/81 and saw grn pickup w/ two subjects at old gas station, was with Henry Thompson, told different story about same sighting, similar to composite, possible suspect

[Ausgirl]

A 1975 Chevy Blazer:



A 1975 apple green and white Blazer:



Sorry that's so small, I'm having trouble pasting a bigger version. Here's a link to it:

The same car, but bigger

[Ausgirl]

Jim Seabolt, according to those notes up there, saw a Blazer a "the Krois'"

There was a Margaret Krois who went to Quincy High between 1975 - 1980

Tree52 - Class of 1980, Quincy Jr./Sr. H.S. (Quincy, CA)
www.tree52.com › ... › Quincy › Quincy Schools › Quincy Jr./Sr. H.S.Cached
California » Quincy » Quincy Schools » Quincy Jr./Sr. H.S. » CLASS OF 1980 FAQ · Quincy Jr./Sr. H.S. ... Margaret Krois ...

Were these Keddie people? How close to Sue's did they live? Was that their Blazer?

[dmac]

"Railroad Vickie" Krois lived in Cabin 17 at the time, having recently moved out from her parent's cabin. Her parents (Victor and Kathy) and another child still lived in 23. I believe the hand-drawn green map of the Keddie cabins from years ago came from the Krois' other child, in 23. 23 was the last cabin on the corner of the road behind 28 (the Debris Road, now) and Spanish Oaks, just before it turned down into Keddie Flats.

Also, there's only one road in and out of Keddie (Resort Rd, exiting at the south), so I'm guessing the Fred Downs account of "a utility truck with NV plates leav[ing] Keddie via the lower road about the time of the murders", is of a vehicle not leaving Keddie but driving down to Keddie Flats on Spanish Oaks, north of Cabin 28, right by cabin 23.

Also, most of Detroit were cranking out their own versions of a "Blazer". Chevy / GMC made the Suburban, for instance. None of them could be confused with a van, in my opinion.

[Magnum PI]

I agree D ! I find it very hard to believe that a Blazer could be mistaken for a van. Especially a small blazer, which for some reason is what I picture whenever the subject comes up.

[dmac]

All the vans and Green & whites that night. Break it down: a truck is not a van is not a Blazer. VW Van is the most logical "green and white", yet nobody said VW. VW vans are the singlemost distinguishable vans on the planet, and they were almost always two-tone, and almost always called "VW Vans", never simplified as "vans". You either saw a van, or you saw a VW Van- that's the real story. So we can immediately deduce it was an American van. Bigger, bulkier, blockier.

Due to a 1973 hit song, American vans were "boss". Vans were utility monsters, or were tricked out by the owner to be the orange-shag-carpeted version of his dream life. Most vans proved the asshole that bought it had no valid, original ideas and was incapable of finishing a project. Perhaps that's why so may serial killers used them?

If you want green vans, look here. These are all 60s models, but the 70s never looked better, despite being tripped out by acid-fed Detroit designers.



There is much to be said about the vehicles, the green van supposedly seen in front of 28 the night of the 11th, the green and whites, the suburban, the Greek, but lets get our junk in a pile before attaching make and model. All we have is weird, loose references. We need to start a "green & white blazer" thread, and a "green van" thread and maybe even an "old green truck with or without wooden siderails" thread. There is reason to believe one of them may be associated to the crime, but not five different ideas of the same green something.

The best- and only- way I know of to address the problem is to pull every known reference to this van/truck (nobody said Blazer, right?) fiasco and put the results side-by-side. Yeah, unfortunately, I'm right back to my damned timeline ideal. Find every ref to a green turd and plot it on the timeline, along with who said it, and soon enough you will find there is little in common and much to be pissed off about.


And, PS, Aus already made it quite clear what a green and white suburban/blazer looks like. She gave plenty of examples of blazers, and none of them look like any known van, or a 50s truck with siderails.

Look at the sources first ("witness" vs "law enforcement liar"), then add up all the versions of weird vehicles, then look at commonalities. Why did multiple Seabolts claim they saw a green van parked in front of 28 on the evening of the 11th, yet Sheila only talks of a menacing green van later? The weird old trucks, Philip's story, all of that needs to be addressed as one single slide of this investigation. I believe MK and, more recently, Aus, have good ideas on the origins of old thoughts from past boards. When did Sheila say she was followed by a green van? or is that bull from Craig? I know Sheila has mentioned a weird green van, but I want every known mention of it piled, and I want Sheila to address it now--- what is the Green Van?

This was a huge hit in 73, making VANS a known and loved entity of cheap american 'culture'. Nobody in 81 mistook a truck for a blazer for a van.

[Chichibcc]

When did Sheila say she was followed by a green van? or is that bullshit from Craig? I know Sheila has mentioned a weird green van

I remember Sheila discussing what she remembered about the green van in these two threads:

http://keddie28.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36&p=218&hilit=green+van%2C+followed#p218

http://keddie28.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=468&p=6099&hilit=+yes+we+were#p6099

[tinkerbell]

It was a couple of days afterwards. Myslef and Laronda were walking and a vehicle was following us and we ran into the video store.

[Stay_zee]

Blazer vs Van.
When I was 12 I spent a summer with my cousin in Phoenix. The other day (35 years later) we were talking about that summer. I remember her having a friend with a blue van. We went to a water park and several other places that summer. My cousin could not recall having any friends with a van. After much talking back and forth; my cousin remembered her friend had a blazer type vehicle. I have memories of riding in it, of sitting in the second row seat and I thought it was a van.
Details that seem obvious to some, are unimportant to others. That is why recall is different amoung many. Also, people's memories work differently. When I am recalling something, I tend to get a picture in my mind of how I felt and what my feelings about the event were, then I remember it. Rather than the outside shape of the vehicle, my memories are of the pretty color blue and the blue carpet inside.