Only sixty miles away near the small town of Linden, investigators are still digging up bones and skulls from murder victims of Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog. Known as the “Speed Freak Killers,” Shermantine and Herzog have been linked to multiple murders as a result of their killing spree fueled by Methamphetamine in the 1980s and 90s.
The investigations re-opened earlier this month when Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla offered Shermantine, now on death row, $33,000  in exchange for the burial sites of the pair’s missing victims. Shermantine accepted the offer and has since drawn maps to direct investigators to the burial sites.  
This information has led investigators to three wells in San Joaquin County, near Linden. After digging almost 50 feet deep and sifting through piles of dirt, over 1,000 bone fragments as well as clothing items, a purse, and jewelry have been discovered.
“Well I’ve been in this business over 30 years,” said Les Garcia, spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. “And this is the most gruesome crime scene that I’ve been involved with.” 
According to Richard Gonzales for the NPR.com article, “For Cash, Murderer Leads Police To Victims’ Remains.”
In addition, parts of a skull and bone fragments were discovered in Calaveras County on property previously owned by Shermantine. Officials have recently confirmed that these remains belong to Cyndi Vanderheiden and Chevy Wheeler, two of the four murder victims Shermantine was sentenced for. Both were residents not far from Turlock in the San Joaquin County area.
After years of murdering, the duo finally faced legal action for their crimes in 1999 after Vanderheiden’s blood was identified in Shermantine’s car. Shermantine was then sentenced to death for four murders and Herzog was sentenced to 78 years in prison for three murders.
Shermantine still sits on death row in San Quentin State Prison. Herzog was released on parole in late 2010 due to an alleged coerced confession, but committed suicide last month.
The gruesome case also has had an effect on students at California State University, Stanislaus. 
“It’s scary, and a case that’s close to home,” Stockton resident Drew Rohleder (junior, Communication Studies) said.
The goal of finding victims’ remains is to bring some closure to families that have gone years without knowing the location of their loved ones. 
“I think it’s great for those who have been identified,” said Rohleder. “But for those who haven’t and maybe never will, I just feel bad for them.”
The investigation continues to find the remains of the unknown number of the duo’s victims. 
“It’s already sad that our system failed and let one of them [Herzog] out when he killed so many people,” said  Stephanie Trussler (junior, Criminal Justice). “I just hope to see investigators achieve their goal to find the victims and for families to have some closure.”