In 1988, nine-year-old Michaela Joy Garecht was abducted in broad daylight from a Hayward, California supermarket, by a pockmarked young man with long blond hair. Perhaps, if they had had Amber Alerts back then, the outcome would have been different. But in any cases, she was never found and her abductor was never identified, although many suspects have surfaced over the years.
Well, the cops are now looking into the possibility that Wesley Shermantine and/or Loren Herzog, the so called “Speed Freak Killers,” are responsible for Michaela’s abduction and presumed murder. Shermantine’s on death row and Herzog, who was on parole, killed himself early this year. Shermantine recently wrote a letter accusing his friend Herzog of a slew of unsolved murders, and Michaela’s was one of those mentioned. This article points out that Herzog resembles the sketch of the abductor.
Personally, I doubt he had anything to do with it. I think Shermantine’s just trying to screw around with people. As far as I know, both men victimized adult women and teens, not little girls. But presumably the police will make up their own minds about this.
The Charley Project Blog 
This story has a side by side picture.
It does look like him, kind of.
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/hayward-police-looking-at-speed-freak-killers-in-1988-case/
I hope that you do not mind but I am re-posting.
🙂
Reblogged this on Real Life Monsters and commented:
The sketch does kind of look like Herzog but I agree that this girl was young and not their typical victim.
The sketch does sorta look like him, but not realy al that much.
Shantae’s money is still on Tim Binder.
Shermantine agreed to lead Investigators to burial sites. The County Sheriff would not allow this to happen because of “Security Issues”. I find this excuse ridiculous and self centered. The families of those missing deserve closure.
No, Shermantine is the one who is self serving. Probably he was only trying to get a day out of jail, at best. At worst he was hoping to escape. I say he can draw them a map and talk to them over the phone or the radio while they search if he really has bodies to lead them to. He doesn’t belong out of prison for a minute, especially not going around in the woods.
Bundy and Alcala, Toole, et. al. were known to kill both children and adults, so I wouldn’t rule out Herzog on the grounds that he was known to only kill adults.
Isn’t it Loren Herzog and not Warren Herzog?
My bad. *fixes*
Right now Shermantiine is drawing maps to bodies and 2 have been found already.
Maybe some closure can come to this family soon?
The sketches are similar but the glaring inconsistency I see is Herzog does not have severely pockmarked or acne-scarred skin in the 1988 photo. That was a major identifier in witness reports.