Yates’ Gps Locations Drawing Attention Serial Killer Recorded 72 Spots On His Satellite Marking System

Spokane serial killer Robert L. Yates Jr. recorded 72 geographic sites in his computerized locator, and detectives are now trying to figure out the significance of them.

All but two of the locations in a Magellan Global Positioning System device owned by Yates are in the state of Washington, authorities said Monday.

One is in North Idaho and the other is in Oregon, near Portland.

Many of the sites logged into the Yates GPS device appear to be related to the confessed killer’s job as a helicopter pilot for the Washington Army National Guard, authorities said.

For instance, several locations at Fort Lewis, the Yakima Firing Range and mountain passes are listed as entries.

But other sites interest Spokane’s Serial Killer Task Force, whose detectives still haven’t found the handgun tied to 10 women Yates admitted killing in Spokane County.

He also confessed to killing a woman in Skagit County and a couple near Walla Walla.

The task force doesn’t have the funds necessary to hire a helicopter to fly to the 72 sites, but must check each location, sheriff’s Sgt. Cal Walker said Monday.

“We need to see what Yates saw when he made those entries,” said Walker, who supervises the task force, now down to five members.

Other police agencies, including those in Western Washington, are assisting in checking out the locations, Walker said.

The task force asked the Washington Army National Guard for help, but state military officials said their resources couldn’t be used in that manner - unless there was a drug connection, Walker said.

Walker said he then attempted to persuade state guard officials that most of Yates’ victims are believed to have been tied to drug use or trafficking.

Guard officials are now reportedly reconsidering the request but didn’t return a telephone call Monday seeking comment.

The computerized Magellan GPS was found in a search of Yates’ home at 2220 E. 49th after his arrest on April 18.

A portable GPS, which now can cost as little as $200, is used by pilots, backpackers, anthropologists and others interested in retaining precise locations.

With the push of a button, the devices make use of satellites and automatically record longitude and latitude readings to accurately describe a location.

The log entries in a GPS device can then be used to revisit a site.

The GPS found in Yates’ home was turned over to specialists working for the Spokane County Information Systems Department. The department provides technical expertise to manage networks and computer systems.

John Bottelli, an information specialist with the department, said he developed a computer-generated map plotting the 72 locations on Yates’ GPS device.

It contains 20 sites in Western Washington and two on mountain passes in the Cascades. There are 48 sites in Eastern Washington, plus the single sites in Oregon and North Idaho.

“A fairly significant number of the points are within the boundaries of either Fort Lewis or the Yakima Firing Center,” Bottelli said.

Walker said analyzing the locations wasn’t a high priority immediately after Yates’ arrest because detectives were doing DNA and other investigative work linking him to specific murders.

The scaled-back task force continues its work a month after Yates was sentenced to 408 years in prison after confessing to 13 murders.

Yates is in jail in Tacoma, awaiting trial for two murders in Pierce County.