1974 Peninsula Cold Case Linked To Hayward Man: SMC Sheriff's

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Another San Francisco Peninsula cold case involving a 45-year-old murder may be solved with a Hayward man's DNA-related connection made to the grisly murder of another woman leaving Stanford University in Palo Alto, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday.

John Arthur Getreu, 74, is charged with suspicion of the murder of 21-year-old Janet Taylor, who left the campus to hitchhike to her La Honda home. Her body was found by a delivery driver on Sandhill Road in Woodside. Along the way, authorities contend she found Getreu, who already was charged for the killing of Leslie Marie Perlov last seen leaving her Palo Alto employer the year before. Both victims were strangled, the sheriff's department reported.

Getreu was transferred to the San Mateo County Jail from neighboring Santa Clara's to be arraigned. Following that hearing, he'll return to Santa Clara County.

Even though the San Mateo County Coroner's Office had not concluded if a rape of Taylor had occurred, county Assistant Sheriff Greg Rothaus said in a press conference the detectives believe the crime had "sexual motivation."

The sheriff's department used the same DNA methods implemented in connection with Santa Clara County's Perlov case as well as those in the notorious Golden State killer case that shook the Sacramento area. The Peninsula county used DNA evidence off Taylor's clothing.

"Law enforcement is not giving up on the victims," Rothaus told a crowd of reporters broadcast live on Facebook.

Getreu, who's been in custody since last November for the Perlov murder, worked as a security guard and in a laboratory. He logged time at Stanford University. However, unlike Perlov, Taylor was not a student there. The campus has endured a ground-zero reputation for direct or indirect links to other cold case murders.

Getreu is from Hayward but spent most of his years on the Peninsula as well as some time in Ohio, the county added.

The investigation into Getreu revealed that he had been connected to the Palo Alto area during
the time both Taylor and Perlov were murdered. In addition to him now being a suspect in two cold case homicides on the Peninsula, he was put on trial for rape resulting in the death of a 16-year-girl in Germany in 1964. Getreu was just 18-years-old at the time, the sheriff's department added. Further, the murder suspect was also convicted of raping a woman in Santa Clara County. Many of the records on Getreu are old or incomplete,"so we are still researching his past," the county said.

The case was presented to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. An arrest warrant was issued for Getreu last Friday for Taylor's murder, the county added.

Taylor's family issued a statement regarding the case.

“Janet lived life with enthusiasm and courage. As a spunky, fun-loving youngest of three
children, she added much laughter and joy to our family. She loved animals and cherished her
friends. We have missed being able to have her in our lives. 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. We’re grateful today for the diligent, meticulous work of the law enforcement officers whose efforts have resulted in (Thursday's) announcement. They’ve done this difficult work with integrity and excellence, and with compassion for our family.”

Rothaus expressed a concern the sheriff's unit has with discovering more similar crimes as DNA evidence methods are honed.

"What's the likelihood of him stopping the pattern? We don't know," the assistant sheriff said.

Santa Clara County detectives found themselves working with similar pieces of a puzzle about a year ago, linking the horrific discovery of Perlov's body on the same day of her 1972 orange Chevy Nova, found parked at the gate of an old quarry located near the intersection of Old Page Mill and Page Mill roads, with DNA evidence connecting the victim and the killer.

Last July, the sheriff's office enlisted Parabon NanoLabs and a Virginia technology company, Snapshot DNA Analysis Service, to make a genetics analysis that identifies relatives and ancestors.

Anyone with information in this case or further background information about the suspect is asked to call the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Anonymous Tip Line at 800-547-
2700.

See also

• 1973 Cold Murder Case Leads To Arrest Using DNA, Genetics