Ron Eason

“Independent reviews may be the best method to effectively deal with cognitive biases as rethinking a case is difficult for detectives with prior involvement in the investigation.”  - Doyle, J. M. (2017, June 6). 

1997 INVESTIGATION

• After the Gregoires had Janet declared legally dead, they pushed APD for a new investigation, which was assigned to APD Det. Ron Eason. His typed notes were eventually provided to the defense. Eason sent a letter to Paul noting the case was classified as an “unattended death investigation.” 

•Auburn PD Chief Willick issued a letter of authorization for retired PCSO Dave Milam to assist per the Gregoires’ specific request because: “he was the only one around who wasn’t Catholic.” 

•This investigation ended on December 1, 1997. Eason was placed on administrative leave following a dispute with co-worker, Sgt. Reams. Eason retired from Auburn PD on March 16, 1998 to avoid appearing at his pending disciplinary hearing.

•Unfortunately for Janet’s case, Eason did not start his new investigation by going back to August/September, 1982—he simply invited former APD Boon to give a presentation to get Eason “up to speed.” 

•Instead of a new cold case investigation that may have caught some of the original investigative mistakes and tunnel vision, Eason simply started his work where Boon and Smith left off—with Paul as the only possible suspect in Janet’s disappearance. 

Following Danny Boon’s case review for APD, Eason became the lead investigator. He created a “To-Do List ” on September 5, 1997:

List of Things To Do:

1.  Find all tapes from interviews. Have all been transcribed?

2.  Who dug up the dog “Fuzz”? Report? 

3.  Who went to the parents cabin? Report?

4.  Who interviewed the daughter at school? Dave Milam? Report?

5.  What reports, photos, etc. does PCSO have?

6.  Contact Johnnie Smith for review.

7.  Sighting of Janet in Sacramento? Sac. P.D. supp. by Det . Brown. Follow-up? Vehicle R/O Skierka? Witness Tanieda/Taniedo?

8.  Why did Janet have breast implants?

9.  Key found by Paul in Janet’s purse follow-up?

10. Secret Witness call follow-up?

11. Search & Rescue reports: Jerry Johnson? Sisters of Mercy? Any done?

12. Names of Paul’s friends who helped him look for Janet at her mom’s prior to last disappearance?

13. Dollinger / Lake Tahoe connection:  Coast Guard report?

14. Who took kids to school the day Janet disappeared? Rubio said he saw her driving the Bronco!

15. Need to talk to daughter… who should do it? FBI/DOJ profile and best way to approach her and son?

16. Was Dollinger’s boat insured?

17. Pull up the carpet out of Paul’s old Bronco to examine for blood! Now owned by Dana of Dana & Sons towing.

• Eason’s investigation was the first documented examination of the Sisters Of Mercy property, which noted the secluded wooded area between Kovacich backyard and convent property. Eason also re-examined the death of “Fuzz,” and the drowning of PCSO Dollinger. 

Eason’s typed notes of the actions he took during his investigation:

•September 15, 1997:  Rebecca Gutierrez called DOJ for copies of photos. Rebecca found possible burial site at Sisters of Mercy. The Forest Court address across the fence between Stations of the Cross #9 and #11. Very secluded area where a grave could easily have been dug and concealed by the bark, shrubs, trees and ground cover. Follow-up to be done. Young Joe Venancio (groundskeeper) says the ground is very rocky and difficult to dig in once you get down below the top few inches of soil. 

•September 25, 1997:  Rebecca and I met with Lindy Virgil at the Sisters of Mercy. He’s been there over 20 years and recalls Janet’s disappearance. He does not recall any search of the grounds. The German Shepards at 244 Forest Court always acted vicious, as he recalls.  No memory of ever seeing the residents. Last spring, Lindy and a new employee (another "Joe") trenched for a pipeline to install sprinkler valves in the NE pasture. They dug up a bone that we need to relocate and examine. He'll call when Joe returns from funeral leave next week.  

•October 2, 1997:  Johnnie Smith came in to discuss his involvement in the investigation. He retired from PCSO in ’95 and destroyed a stack of reports about 6” high so Dixie couldn’t get them! He had give a copy of everything to Dan Boon. Sheriffs Nunes and Bonner may have maintained a locked-up file of the Kovacich case. Boon also has his own file, according to Smith. Johnnie does not believe that Fuzz’s grave was ever dug up! 

(NOTE: Dixie was a PCSO major crimes investigator, and Paul's long-term girlfriend. The false statement from Smith that Fuzz’s grave had not been excavated in 1982 was picked up from Eason's notes as fact, and later repeated as true in front of the trial jury.) 

•October 7, 1997:  1325 hrs  While  I was at Court, Paul called in response to my letter! I’ll wait to call back until after I meet with the DOJ psychological profilers tomorrow morning. Eddie Leighton took message.  

•October 14, 1997:  Called Lindy at Sisters of Mercy at 1310. Joe is there today... I’ll go by and pick up the bone for analysis. Met Joe Olivera and recovered bone at 1400 hrs. Eddie and Rebecca are sure it's an animal bone... it's been sawed at one end... looks like a bovine bone. 

(NOTE: This bone was never given to any of the forensic experts for comparison to the cut pork rib bone found within Fuzz’s remains. The location of a similar cut bone on the Sisters of Mercy property behind the Kovacich home could point to a stranger approaching Fuzz and Adolph from the back fence, and dropping an extra spare rib rejected by Adolph.)

•October 20, 1997:  Nick Willick to call Mrs. Jean Gregoire, Janet’s mother to arrange for interview... also need blood samples from her and husband Leo. They still live at 8457 E. Granite Drive, Roseville. 

•October 21, 1997:  Rebecca and I meet with Leo and Jean Gregoire (greg-wah) at 1130. Very nice people! It’s amazing how open and rational they are after all the years of torment. We visited and began learning about Janet... Leo stated that they contacted Sacramento County Sheriff Duane Lowe, who offered investigators to assist but was refused! He’s a long time friend. 

[NOTE: Leo then provided Lowe’s personal home telephone number. Lowe led the 1976-79 investigation into the East Area Rapist/Joe DeAngelo crimes, and knew all of the specific detail, locations and exact MO match to Janet's case, but there is no evidence that Lowe shared the information with Auburn PD]

•On October 22, 1997, APD obtained blood stain cards for possible DNA testing, coordinated with CalDOJ: 

•October 27, 1997:  Rebecca and I meet with parapsychologist Kathlyn “Kay” Rhea in Novato:  “I took four pages of notes and we recorded the whole interview... She thinks Paul dumped Janet’s body off a cliff and that it's very unlikely we’ll ever find her.”  

-“Parapsychologist ” was Eason’s fancy word for psychic. Eason was looking to Janet’s mother, a psychic, and a deputy who shredded the original case file for investigative direction. Once again, Auburn PD Chief Willick had failed to supervise his officer, and the case veered even further off course. 

•November 19, 1997:  Dave Milam offered his time and experience to assist in the investigation, since he’s retired and would like to help. Leo and Jean Gregoire felt they could trust Dave when the investigation began... he was about the only one around who wasn’t Catholic!  

•November 20, 1997:  I approached Nick Willick with Dave Milam’s offer and he thought it was a great idea. He ran it by the Chief and he concurred. I called Dave and he’ll come in on 11/24.

•November 24, 1997:  Dave Milam came in and began reading through the case. Talked to Nick about giving him Reserve Officer status in the event of any liability of legal issues. 

•November 25, 1997:  Nick advised that the Chief will give Dave Milam a letter of authorization to cover his working on the investigation. Dave came in and finished reading through the case. 

Rebecca, Mike Goff, psychic Nancy Matz and I drove to the tunnels behind Blackstone Court. We went to Drivers Flat, up Foresthill Road, across Ponderosa Way to Weimar, and then to the CDF station for a map to the Robber’s Roost area (North of Lake Clementine). Nancy will return on Dec. 4th and we’ll check it out.

•Eason’s “psychic” took him on a tour of three known, unsolved PCSO homicide locations, yet Eason still didn’t wonder if a serial killer had taken Janet Kovacich. 

•December 1, 1997:  I was placed on administrative leave by Chief Morello pending further action over my “insubordination” after catching Sgt. Chris Reams as he was eavesdropping on a private phone call between me and my wife.

•March 16, 1998:  I retired amid a pending disciplinary hearing. Chief Morello agreed to give me a Retired Peace Officer I.D. Card, which he did that day. 

•In the end, there was no cold case review of Janet’s disappearance, only an attempt to find new evidence against Paul. Once again, Jean Gregoire seemed more in charge of the investigation than anyone at Auburn PD. 

•Former Sacramento Sheriff Lowe must have known that Janet’s case was an MO match to the East Area Rapist’s attacks, but he had already lied, and issued multiple public statements saying that the EAR “left the area” in early 1978, and never returned. It was the best lead they had in 1982, and should have been picked up in 1997, but Eason stepped right into Boon and Smith’s tunnel that only led to Paul Kovacich.