Investigators Seek Leads in Allen-Cutshall Murders

The Sonoma County California Sheriff's office has released for the first time details of evidence they collected at the scene of the murders of two Christian camp counselors, who were found shot to death at Fishhead Beach in August 2004, in hopes of generating tips in the investigation.

Jason Allen, 26, of Michigan and Lindsay Cutshall, 22, of Ohio and were found shot to death on August 18, 2004. The engaged couple were on a weekend trip from their summer jobs as counselors at the Rock-N-Water Christian Adventure Camp in Coloma, California.

Cutshall and Allen were found in sleeping bags zipped together at the foot of a cliff just north of Jenner, California. Authorities said both had been shot in the head, there was no sign of a struggle, and neither their valuables nor their vehicle were disturbed.

Each had been shot in the head. There was no sign of a struggle or other assault. The couple's valuables and red 1993 Ford Tempo were not taken.

The following is the complete news release issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff's office in connection with the investigation. The links in the news release are to PDF files.

Jenner Homicide Investigation Update May 2006

The purpose of this press release is to update the public on the progress of the investigation and release previously undisclosed information. We are hoping this will generate additional leads, or help to clarify our interpretation of some case facts.

On August 18th, 2004 the bodies of 22-year-old Lindsay Cutshall and 26-year-old Jason Allen were located on a beach just north of Jenner, California. Cutshall and Allen each died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Both Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen were Christian missionaries, who had been working at a Christian Camp in El Dorado County. They were due to be married in September 2004.

On Monday, August 16, 2004, a missing persons report was filed with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department when the couple failed to return from a weekend trip. Their bodies were discovered two days later on Fishhead Beach, near Jenner. The investigation into this murder has been far-reaching and non-stop for the past year and a half. Detectives continue to work on this case daily.

We have received assistance from several outside law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Department of Justice, Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, and several county and municipal agencies. Hundreds of people have been interviewed as a result of tips from the public. Governor Schwarzenegger's Office has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this crime. Despite our efforts, the case remains unsolved.

From our initial investigation at the crime scene and through on-going follow-up, we have collected boxes of evidence and other items of possible evidentiary value. We have been using much of what we have collected to further our investigation and analysis. At this point, we want to publicize some of what we have.

We are releasing some details and photos of four items located at or near the crime scene: journal writings, drawings, a hat, and a beer bottle. Additionally, we are releasing a photograph of a necklace that one of the victims may have been wearing at the time of the killing that has not been located.

The "Camo 40" beer bottle was located on the beach near the victims. The hat, which is a distinctive, short-brimmed, black-and white patterned hat that is partially covered with black and white fur, was located near a turn-out on Highway 1 above Fish Head Beach. We would like to become clear on how they came to be deposited at their locations.

The journal writings below are among many journal entries that were located in an informal journal left for beach visitors in a make-shift driftwood structure near the victims. Photographs of these entries accompany this release and the entries are described briefly as follows:

• Writing #1 -- Salutation from – "Friendly neighborhood Spiderman friend & sidekick!"

• Writing #2 -- Another salutation from, "your friendly neighbor hood friend, Spiderman, 7/25/04" With a response, "Ha Ha Ha Spiderman, A, 8/12 A+, the Drifting Inn"

• Writing #3 -- Contains a unique signature in the upper right corner and then contains a brief writing by "Chrissie" from "Auburn 7/10/04"

• Writing #4 -- A rhyme talking about Santa Claus, leprechauns, and the tooth fairy.

• Writing #5 -- This writing is dated 8/4/04 and signed by the letter "R" written uniquely. It begins with the following: "At the Driftwood Inn, alone again, outside of myself and placid as hell…"

The handwriting styles for each of these journal entries are fairly distinctive. We would like to identify the author of each of these writings.

The drawings are of devil-like faces drawn onto driftwood that was located near the victims. We would like to know who drew these.

The photograph of the necklace depicts a necklace similar to one that Lindsay Cutshall was reportedly given in the days leading up to the killing, but was never located by detectives. This information is based upon statements from a witness in the case.

Additionally, we are still looking for the weapon used in these murders. The weapon used was a .45 caliber Marlin rifle, either a semi-automatic or a lever action. Finally, we are reporting for the first time that we collected DNA at the crime scene that may have been deposited by the suspect in this crime.

Someone Knows More Information

Given the heinous nature of this crime and the difficulty the suspect would have in being able to completely isolate himself from suspicion, we feel that it is probable that someone knows more information that would lead us to the murderer of Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall. We would ask anyone with information or suspicions to please contact us so we can compare these suspicions with our evidence.

Photographs and descriptions of the aforementioned items accompany this release. If any of these items mean anything to you, please contact the Violent Crimes Unit of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department at 707-565-2185.

Please do not discount the relevance of your information. Your piece of information may have a significant impact on the investigation when viewed in the context of what we already know. For further information contact Lt. Edmonds at 707-565-2185.

Background:
The Allen-Cutshall Murders

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