Police questioned many people during the course of the investigation, with one in particular standing out as a viable suspect. The unfortunate part of that is the many of the young men, even those who were assaulted and survived would not testify in court. They were concerned with outing themselves as gay.  One was as well known diplomat while the other was an entertainer.

During the time in question, gay men were not always socially accepted. Gay activist Harvey Milk was very publicly supportive of the victims who refused to speak with police. He stated emphatically “I understand their position. I respect the pressure society has put on them.”

As a consequence of the men’s refusal to support the police, the police could not hold the suspect and had to let him go.

To this date, the suspect was never publicly named, nor has anyone come forward to testify against him to allow police to identify and prosecute the subject. No one has ever been arrested or prosecuted for the San Francisco crimes that rocked the gay community, frightened an entire city, and took the lives of many young men of promise.