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LINDEN-

It was inevitable, during the foggy February backhoe-powered dig in Linden, that the bones of Speed Freak victims and possible victims would get mixed up.

A forensic scientist at CSU, Chico determined the remains believed to be solely that of JoAnn Hobson are in fact mixed with two other people. Among those remains, a bone belonging to a juvenile, aged 5 to 14, fitting the profile of missing Hayward girl Michaela Garecht, a case that has run cold for 24  years.

“Based on the potential this could be related to the abduction of Michaela Garecht of 1988, we were contacted and took custody of that bone,” Sgt. Eric Krimm of Hayward PD.

The bone is now at a lab in Virginia for DNA testing with results expected in several weeks, but possibly as soon as two weeks.

File photo of “Speed Freak” victim dig site in Linden.

Rumors of a link between Garecht’s disappearance in 1988 and the “Speed Freak Killers” – Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog has been a suspicion in police circles for years. It was known the Herzog family had property near the Garecht home in the Bay Area and the timeline of Garecht’s disappearance fits that of the known killings.

For Hayward investigators, it’s another chance to close a troubling case.

“Every lead means something. it gives us an opportunity to solve the crime that was committed, so, we’re hopeful that we can further our investigation,” Krimm said.