A Perfect Match
A desperate search ensued. Their goal was to find a male relative who might fit the Golden State Killer's description, location, and timeline. Finally, they stumbled across one particular descendent in April 2018—two months after the publication of I'll be Gone in the Dark. His name was Joseph James DeAngelo.
Joseph James DeAngelo
Born in 1945, DeAngelo spent most of his childhood at an Air Force base in West Germany. There, he witnessed two servicemen sexually assault his young sister. DeAngelo's father abused him and his siblings, locking them in closets, forcing them to eat off the floor, and beating them senseless.