You’re driving through Vinewood Hills at 2:00 AM, the radio is playing something synth-heavy, and you see it. A tiny, glowing piece of paper fluttering near a pool. Most players just drive past. They’re busy with heists or trying to outrun a five-star wanted level. But if you stop, you’ve just started the grimmest scavenger hunt in Rockstar’s history. GTA 5 letter scraps aren't just some mindless collectible meant to padding out the game's completion percentage; they are the breadcrumbs leading to a brutal, 1970s-style Hollywood noir murder.
It’s honestly dark.
The whole thing revolves around the death of Leonora Johnson. If you’ve spent any time looking at the in-game internet on your character's phone, you might have seen the "Who Killed Leonora Johnson?" website. It’s a clear nod to the real-life Black Dahlia case. Rockstar didn't just throw this in for flavor. They hid 50 scraps of a confession letter across the entire map, from the heights of Mount Chiliad to the literal trash heaps in Sandy Shores. You collect them all, and you get a name. You get a face. And then, you get to decide if that person deserves to keep breathing.
Why people still hunt for GTA 5 letter scraps years later
The map in Grand Theft Auto V is massive. Like, genuinely too big sometimes. Most people find maybe five or six scraps by accident while playing as Franklin, Michael, or Trevor. But completing the set is a different beast entirely. You have to go into the places the game usually doesn't force you to visit. Think airport terminals, the back porches of derelict beach houses, and the very top of the Vinewood Sign.
Why do it? Because it’s one of the few missions that actually feels like detective work. Most missions are "go here, shoot this guy." This is different. You're piecing together the psyche of a high-society predator.
The letter was written by Peter Dreyfuss. He’s a Vinewood director, the kind of guy who thinks his "art" justifies any level of depravity. As you collect the GTA 5 letter scraps, the text begins to fill in. You realize this wasn't a crime of passion. It was a calculated, sadistic act. He wrote the letter to a friend, bragging about the torture and murder of a young starlet. It’s some of the most uncomfortable writing in the series. Honestly, it makes the torture scene with Trevor look almost tame because of how cold and clinical Dreyfuss sounds on paper.
Finding them without losing your mind
If you’re going for 100% completion, you have no choice. You need these. But don’t try to find them naturally. You won’t. You’ll die of old age first.
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Most players use a helicopter. The Frogger or the Buzzard are your best bets here. Some of these scraps are on top of cranes or tucked into narrow skyscraper ledges where a car just won't go. There’s one scrap specifically located on a tiny rock outcropping in the Pacific Ocean. If you don't have a boat or a chopper, you're swimming for ten minutes. Nobody wants that.
Here is the thing about the locations:
- They glow. It’s a faint, yellowish shimmer.
- They make a sound. It’s a subtle wind-blowing-paper noise. If you’re wearing headphones, you can hear it through walls.
- They are often near other "creepy" landmarks, like the Altruist Cult camp or abandoned mines.
I remember finding one under the bridge at Lago Zancudo. It was raining in-game, and the atmosphere was just... off. That's the magic of this specific collectible. It changes the vibe of the game from an action movie to a true-crime documentary.
The Confrontation: "A Starlet in Vinewood"
Once you have all 50 GTA 5 letter scraps, the "A Starlet in Vinewood" mission triggers. You have to play as Franklin. Why Franklin? Probably because he’s the outsider. Michael is too much a part of that fake Vinewood world, and Trevor... well, Trevor would probably just ask Dreyfuss for an autograph or a job.
You head to Dreyfuss’s mansion in Vinewood Hills. He’s old now. He’s hanging out by his pool, probably thinking he got away with it decades ago. When you confront him, he doesn't even deny it at first. He’s indignant. He thinks he’s an "artist."
You have a choice. You can let him run, or you can kill him.
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Most people kill him.
There isn't a huge gameplay reward for it. You don't get a million dollars. You don't get a secret car. You get a trophy/achievement called "A Mystery, Solved" and the satisfaction of ending one of the worst people in San Andreas. If you let him go, he just screams at you while he runs away. If you kill him, Franklin usually says something about justice for Leonora. It’s one of the few times Franklin feels like a genuine hero rather than just a guy trying to get paid.
The technical side of the hunt
Let's talk about the Rockstar Games Social Club. If you’re actually doing this, log in there. They have an interactive map that shows you exactly which scraps you’ve picked up and which ones you’re missing. Without this, you will get to 49/50 and want to throw your console out the window.
There is always that one scrap. For me, it was the one inside the tunnel under the Richards Majestic film studio. I had driven past it fifty times.
The scraps were part of the original 2013 release on PS3 and Xbox 360, but they look much better on the PC and "Expanded and Enhanced" versions. The draw distance makes the glow easier to spot from the air. If you're playing on a high-end PC, the flickering light of a scrap at the end of a long pier is actually quite beautiful, in a haunting sort of way.
Why Leonora Johnson matters to the lore
The Leonora Johnson case isn't just a random side quest. It’s woven into the history of Los Santos. You can find references to her murder in the in-game newspapers and on the radio. It’s Rockstar’s way of building a world that existed before you pressed "Start."
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It mirrors the real history of Los Angeles—a city built on broken dreams and unsolved mysteries. By finding the GTA 5 letter scraps, you are interacting with the "soul" of the city. It’s a reminder that beneath the neon lights and the high-speed chases, Los Santos is a graveyard.
The mystery also connects to other Easter eggs. Some theorists think there’s a link between Dreyfuss and the Epsilon Program, though that’s mostly fan speculation. What we do know is that the murder stayed unsolved for decades because the powerful people in the film industry protected one of their own. Sound familiar? It’s a biting critique of Hollywood culture that still feels relevant today.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not try to do this as Trevor if you want the mission to pop immediately. While any character can pick up the scraps, the final mission is specifically a Franklin Strangers and Freaks encounter. If you pick up the 50th scrap as Michael, you’ll just have to wait for the green "S?" icon to appear for Franklin anyway.
Also, watch out for the police. A lot of these scraps are in "restricted" areas or require you to trespass on private property. Getting a two-star wanted level while you're trying to carefully navigate a helicopter onto a small roof is a recipe for a wasted twenty minutes.
- Check the subway tunnels. There’s a scrap down there that everyone misses.
- Look under the piers. Not just the main Del Perro pier, but the smaller ones too.
- The lighthouse. There’s one at the El Gordo Lighthouse. It’s a long trek, so grab a sea plane if you can.
The Actionable Path to 100%
If you’re serious about clearing this out of your quest log, stop wandering aimlessly. Follow a specific route. Start at the top of the map in Paleto Bay and work your way south.
- Step 1: Get a Maverick or a Buzzard. The Buzzard is better because it’s smaller and can land in tighter spots.
- Step 2: Use the Social Club map. Seriously. Don't guess.
- Step 3: Collect in "chunks." Do all the Sandy Shores scraps, then all the Rockford Hills scraps. It keeps you from zig-zagging across the map and wasting fuel.
- Step 4: Once you hit 50, switch to Franklin.
- Step 5: Head to the "S?" icon in Vinewood Hills.
- Step 6: Decide the fate of Peter Dreyfuss. (Pro tip: use a sticky bomb on his car if he tries to drive away).
The GTA 5 letter scraps are a grim journey through the dark side of a digital city. They turn a chaotic sandbox into a focused noir thriller for a few hours. Even if you aren't a completionist, the story told through these fragments is worth the effort. It’s a reminder that in Los Santos, the ghosts of the past are never truly buried; they’re just waiting for someone to find the right piece of paper.
To get the most out of this, try hunting for the scraps at night. The atmosphere is significantly better, and the glow of the paper is much easier to see against the dark terrain. Once you finish this, you'll likely have a much better handle on the map's layout, which helps with the other collectibles like the Spaceship Parts. Just keep your eyes on the ground and your ears open for that tell-tale rustle of paper.