Frederick Capin, 32, was found dead on May 11, 1975, in San Francisco; he had suffered multiple stab wounds and is counted among the victims attributed to an unidentified serial killer known as the Doodler. The Doodler operated between January 1974 and September 1975 and is believed to have targeted men in the city’s gay community, meeting some victims at bars and nightclubs, sketching their likenesses and later attacking them.

Investigators at the time identified a suspect described as a young Black man about 19 to 25 years old, but efforts to obtain a conviction were thwarted when several surviving victims refused to testify, reportedly because they feared exposure of their sexual orientation. The total number of killings attributed to the Doodler has been estimated between six and sixteen, and the identity of the killer remains unconfirmed.

The case remains unsolved and is one of San Francisco’s most notorious cold cases; renewed interest and attempts to reexamine evidence have been reported, but no arrests have been made. Does anyone who knew Frederick Capin or was in that community in 1974–75 have information that could help clarify what happened?