Clifford Raymond Peranteau, Missing, Jan. 1985 CA.
Clifford Raymond Peranteau Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: January 20, 1985 from San Francisco, California Classification: Endangered Missing Date Of Birth: February 23, 1961 Age: 23 years old Height and Weight: 6'1, 185 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Blond hair, blue eyes. Peranteau's nickname is Cliff. Details of Disappearance Peranteau was employed at Dennis Moving Company in San Francisco, California in 1985. Witnesses told authorities that he often argued with one of his co-workers, Charles Chitat (occasionally spelled "Chat") Ng. Peranteau was last seen in San Francisco on January 20, 1985. He has never been heard from again. Several of Peranteau's personal belongings were discovered shortly afterwards in an apartment owned by Ng, as well as in the cabin Ng frequented with his friend, Leonard Lake. Authorities believe that Peranteau was a victim of Ng and Lake, serial killers who operated in the San Francisco area in the 1980s. Photos of Ng and Lake are posted below this case summary. The men reportedly met through an advertisement in a survivalist magazine in the early 1980s. Lake was a former United States Marine and a Vietnam War veteran. Ng was a citizen of Hong Kong and falsified American citizenship documents in order to enlist in the Marines. Ng was charged with stealing weapons from the military in 1982 and was apprehended on Lake's property in California later that year. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and should have been deported to Hong Kong after completing his sentence, but a bureaucratic error allowed Ng to remain in the United States. Ng was released in 1984 and moved on to Lake's ranch in Wilseyville, California. Lake was a survivalist and the residence was stocked with weapons, explosives and provisions. Ng and Lake began using the ranch as a veritable sex slave compound shortly thereafter. Authorities believe that the men found their victims at random. The female victims were often videotaped and forced to perform sexual acts for Ng and Lake prior to their murders. The male victims and children were usually tortured before their deaths. Investigators apprehended Lake after he and Ng were caught shoplifting from a San Francisco hardware store in 1985. Ng fled from officers, but Lake was taken into custody. The men were driving a vehicle owned by a missing person, who was later determined to have been one of their victims. A pistol and a silencer were discovered inside the car. Lake swallowed a cyanide capsule he taped to the collar of his shirt while in custody. He reportedly told authorities that Ng was his partner prior to his death several days later. Investigators searched Lake's property and uncovered the remains of several victims. Many of the bodies had been dismembered and burned, making identifications of the victims difficult or impossible. Ng was apprehended in Canada later in 1985. He was convicted of eleven murders in California in 1999 after 14 years of legal wrangling and stalling. Ng's trial was one of the most expensive in California history. He claimed Lake was the actual murderer and has never accepted responsibility for the murders. Authorities believe that Peranteau was murdered as a result of his disagreements with Ng. Peranteau's remains have never been located. Ng and Lake are also believed to be responsible for the 1984 San Francisco disappearances of Deborah Dubs, her husband Harvey and their young son Sean, as well as the 1985 disappearance of Jeffrey Gerald. Left: Ng; Right: Lake, circa 1985 at link below. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: San Francisco Police Department 415-553-0123 http://charleyproject.org/cases/p/peranteau_clifford.html