Cotton Cove is a picnic area at the south-eastern edge of Lytton, CA, along the banks of the Clearwater River. A scenic spot, it has nevertheless been the site of two gruesome murders during the time of Jessie Bains' criminal empire and its aftermath. Jason Taselli was executed by Bains at this location prior to his arrest, and later murdered kidnapped jailer Luis D. Pate at the same location. Both bodies were thrown into the river. Taselli was found floating near the cove, whereas Pate's body became lodged in the rocks under the water and had to be retrieved by SCUBA divers.
Location and Layout[]
Overhead view (bottom right corner)
Cotton Cove is located at the very south-eastern edge of Lytton, on the corner of River Road and Clearwater Drive. A small parking area extends out of the street towards the banks of the Clearwater River, where it meets an open grassy area designed for picnics and other leisure activities.
The are is lightly wooded, with reeds growing along the water's edge. Footpaths run along the water's edge in both the south and north directions. A wilderness area outside the municipal limits extends east on the other side of the river.
Near the end of the 1980s, a public phone booth was installed on the southern side of the parking area, and a garbage can placed near its northern edge. Most dense vegetation was removed from the banks of the river, and the opposite bank was completely cleared of trees (possibly during the creation of Aspen Falls park).
The water at Cotton Cove was dangerous to swim in, due to the strong undercurrents.
Jason Taselli Murder[]
Dangerous criminal Jason Taselli was arrested by patrol officers Sonny Bonds and Jack Cobb in connection to several crimes, including the murder of local drug dealer Lonny West. Following the arrest, Bonds managed to block Taselli's release on bail by proving that he was wanted by the FBI for the murder of a Colombian national, and securing a No-Bail Warrant against him. Shortly afterwards, Jason Taselli managed to escape Lytton City Jail. A dragnet was set up to recapture him.
During the planning stages of the undercover operation at Hotel Delphoria, temporarily-promoted Narcotics detective Bonds was on the way back from Lytton City Jail where he had recruited the help of prostitute "Sweet Cheeks" Marie, when he received a dispatch call to Cotton Cove to identify a corpse found in the river. Bonds was called because the body was suspected to belong to Taselli.
When Bonds arrived at the cove, patrol officer Steve Johnson was already at the site, along with another unnamed officer. A bloated body had been pulled out of the Clearwater River and laid out on the grass. The face of the corpse was impossible to recognize, so detective Bonds removed its shirt and observed a flower tattoo above its left nipple, positively identifying the corpse as belonging to Jason Taselli.
Homicide detective Oscar Hamilton took over the investigation, and a forensic examination by the city coroner revealed that Taselli had been executed with a shot to the head. Ballistic analysis later found a positive match between the gunshot wounds in the body and a .32 caliber pistol belonging to Jessie Bains, a drug kingpin and close associate of Taselli's, who had been the primary target of the Hotel Delphoria operation. This evidence helped convict Bains of Taselli's murder, among his other convictions. Police investigators came to the conclusion that Bains had executed Taselli in an attempt to prevent him from being recaptured and revealing details about Bains' criminal network.
Luis Pate Murder[]
After serving a year behind bars, Jessie Bains managed to escape from Lytton City Jail by attacking and kidnapping corrections officer Luis D. Pate, and escaping in Pate's car. A short time afterwards, a woman jogging through Cotton Cove came across blood stains and drag marks along the river's edge. She was startled by cracking noises in a nearby bush, and ran off to call the police. Two units responded: patrol officer Mario Gelepsi, followed by detectives Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson.
Detectives Bonds and Robinson ambushed by Jessie Bains.
After the Jogger gave her account to the officers, detectives Bonds and Robinson began inspecting the picnic area when they were suddenly ambushed by Bains. A brief shootout erupted, with no injuries to either party. Bains ran to a getaway vehicle he'd stolen previously at Oak Tree Mall and took off, attempting to run over the two officers. Bonds and Robinson jumped back into their unmarked car and began to pursue. An APB was sent out to all units, but neither the detectives nor any other vehicle managed to intercept Bains. The detectives returned to Cotton Cove to resume the investigation.
Scanning the area more intensively, detective Bonds discovered Bains' prison jumpsuit in a nearby trash-can. A short distance away, near the riverbank and thick foliage at the northern end of the picnic area, Bonds found a large pool of blood as well as drag marks leading into the river. Collecting all of the evidence, Bonds concluded that Pate's body may have been dumped into the river.
A SCUBA dive team was called to the location. Officer Moore arrived in the LPD dive van, whereupon he and Bonds donned SCUBA gear and dove into the river to recover Pate's body. Detective Bonds also recovered Bains' makeshift knife, used in his prison break, from the bottom of the river. Pate's body revealed that he had been executed with a gunshot to the head.
Glitch[]
In the VGA version, if you look at Jason Taselli's corpse and then click on the car, Sonny will slide over to the car. There is no animation for him standing up and walking over to it.
Gallery[]
