Sun City woman on new CNN series after surviving brutal rape in 1976 by serial killer

A Sun City resident who survived a brutal attack by "one of the nation's most prolific uncaught serial killers" appeared on CNN's Headline News channel's premiere of "Unmasking a Killer" on Sunday.

The five-part series will profile the man known as the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker and Golden State Killer, who is responsible for 12 murders and 51 attacks — 45 of which were rapes — across California between 1976 and 1986, according to FBI and HLN.

Jane Carson-Sandler, who retired to Sun City Hilton Head in 2000, was his fifth victim. The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette published Carson-Sandler's story on March 8.

On Oct. 5, 1976, Carson-Sandler, then 30, was in bed in her Citrus Heights, Calif., home with her three-year-old son. Her husband had just left for work. She heard the garage door close, saw a light in the hall and heard the sound of someone running toward her room.

Then a man in a ski mask stood before her holding a knife. He shone a flashlight in her eyes.

"I thought he was just there to rob us, and he was just going to take our money and leave," Carson-Sandler said in "Unmasking a Killer."

But the man tied her ankles and wrists, blindfolded and gagged both her and her three-year-old.

"He came to the bottom of the bed and he untied my ankles," Carson-Sandler said. "And then I knew what he was there for."

Carson-Sandler was raped, but managed to escape from her home with her son after the intruder had left.

Richard Shelby, a now-retired detective from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, is one of many who responded to the call.

“It was a well planned assault," Shelby told HLN. "It was just too well timed. He knew exactly when her husband was leaving. And I thought, there’s more to this than just a guy having the chance to run in and rape somebody."

Shelby analyzed reported rapes from the prior year and found that several other cases had attackers with similar methods of operation.

Paul Holes, chief of forensics at the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office, told HLN he decided to test the DNA of three available rape kits, despite the statute of limitations being up.

He was able to link many of the rape cases originally united by method of operation with DNA. In 2001, Sacramento's "East Area Rapist" was linked by DNA to Orange County's "Original Night Stalker."

Michelle McNamara, a true crime writer, was like an "investigative partner" to Holes, according to him. In a story she wrote, she renamed the East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker the "Golden State Killer."

According to HLN, when one is arrested or convicted of a crime in California, they have their DNA taken. Each week, investigators continue to search for a match to the Golden State Killer's DNA.

To date, there has been no match.

There is reason to believe the Golden State Killer is still alive, according to investigators.

In 2001, the fourteenth victim received a call from the Golden State Killer.

"He tracked her down, called her up, and said 'Remember when we played?'" Holes said. "At that point in time, 2001, we know he's still alive."

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the Golden State Killer. Today, he would be anywhere from 60 to 75 years old.

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Sun City woman on new CNN series after surviving brutal rape in 1976 by serial killer."