Cold Case: 60 Years After Riverside Student's Murder, Friend Launches Final Push for Justice

Cheri Jo Bates was 18 years old when she was stabbed to death on the Riverside City College campus. Her body was discovered in an alley on Halloween morning in 1966. The case has remained unsolved for six decades.

Ken Welty, now 78, has spent the last 30 years attempting to solve the crime. A retired Los Angeles Police Department homicide lieutenant, Welty was a classmate of Bates at Ramona High School. He recently secured a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. He described this effort as a final push to identify the killer before he dies.

Bates was found at 6:32 a.m. on Oct. 31, 1966, between Terracina Drive and Fairfax Avenue. A man’s wristwatch was recovered nearby. Police believe the watch was ripped from the suspect’s wrist during a struggle. A witness reported seeing two people in the alley after midnight, one holding a flashlight.

Detectives currently focus on a primary suspect identified early in the investigation. Police Chief Larry Gonzalez told KABC/7 that investigators are re-examining DNA and fingerprint evidence with modern technology. The department declined to provide further details this month. Authorities have largely ruled out the Zodiac Killer, a theory that persisted for years. In 1967, a handwritten letter suggested the Zodiac was responsible, but the author recanted that claim in 2016.

Welty said Bates likely knew her attacker. Her boyfriend at the time was cleared because he was out of town on the night of the murder. Welty noted that Bates would not have walked away from her car with a stranger in the dark. He stated that she appeared to be walking willingly with someone when she was killed.

Michael Bates, Cheri’s 79-year-old brother, has worked with Welty on the case for three decades. They met in person for the first time this month. Michael Bates, a former electrician, said his sister moved to California from Nebraska in 1958. He learned of her death while watching a movie in Jacksonville. He said he receives letters and packets of information from people who believe they have solved the case, but he holds little hope for a breakthrough after so many years.

One theory from a man named Carlos included 12 questions and a photograph he claimed showed Bates and her mother near San Francisco. Michael Bates said his sister’s mother was not present and that the girl in the photo was not his sister. Another letter from a woman in Louisiana claimed her son committed the crime, but the son is now deceased.

Welty has collected newspaper clippings, police reports, and Bates’ death certificate. He has not investigated the case in an official capacity but has contacted detectives and reviewed public information. He said he is satisfied with the efforts made to keep the case alive.

Welty spoke to Bates in the present tense in a recent interview. He said he is keeping her memory alive and ensuring the case remains active. He pointed to a photograph of her and called her an All-American girl.