California Cold Cases

On Tuesday, February 14, 1978, the remains of a recently deceased white female were found next to the pavement of Proctor Valley Rd in the rural area of Otay, San Diego County, CA, near the San Miguel Ranch area of Chula Vista. It is believed that Jane Doe had been deceased for about two days, though a newspaper at the time said 3-5 days. Combined, these ranges indicate that Jane Doe likely died anywhere between Thursday, February 9 to Sunday, February 12, 1978, inclusive.  While her COD is officially undetermined, she had a dangerous amount of Meperidine in her system, which was ruled the likely cause of her death. According to Google, Meperidine is an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain, with a high risk for addiction and dependence. It can cause respiratory distress or even death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances (like alcohol, heroin, cocaine, etc). Jane Doe's wiki page states that, "Examiners noted facial injuries suggesting she was ...

Sandra JoAnn Rushing was born on August 27, 1960 in Denver, CO to parents Joe Baily Rushing Jr and Shirley Joan Rushing (nee Otey). Sandra's mom's side of the family was from Denver, while her father's side was from Abilene, TX. Sandra had two older siblings, sister Brenda Kay Tate (nee Rushing) and brother Terry Joe Rushing. Brenda was born in about 1957. Terry was born in late September 1959, making him 11 months older than Sandra; despite this, the two of them were in the same grade in high school. This is likely because Sandra's birth date was on the cusp of the cut off; she was only 17 when she graduated. Sandra Rushing. Photo from FindAGrave. The Rushings lived in Denver proper up to at least 1969, though by 1973 they were living in Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO, a suburb of Denver. All three Rushing children went to Lakewood High School. Both Sandra and Terry graduated from high school in the spring of 1978. In March 1979, when she was 18 years old, Sandra gave ...

At 2:10pm on Sunday, March 9, 1980, the body of a young white female was discovered on a mountain side/hillside in the West Los Angeles area. The body was found about 150ft below a turnout on Topanga Canyon Blvd in Los Angeles, CA, approximately 3mi north of the Pacific Coast Highway. It was determined the cause of death was strangulation by ligature, and the manner homicide. The victim is estimated to have been dead for approximately 3-4 weeks prior to discovery, putting her death at about February 10-17, 1980. However, she is generally thought to have died as early as 1979. All parts of Jane Doe were recovered, though due to decomposition, her face was not recognizable. However, a drawing of Jane Doe is available on NamUs and Doe Network. 1980 artist rendering posted to NamUs. Jane Doe is estimated to have been 17-23 years old, though NamUs puts her estimated age group as Adult - Pre 20. The May 8, 1980 LAPD police bulletin available on NamUs estimated Jane Doe to be 18-22 years old....

According to CA DOJ — as well as Doe Network and Charley Project, which use CA DOJ as a source — Rebecca Jean Dunn was born on March 21, 1958. Through research on Ancestry, I have found that Rebecca was born on that date in LA County, CA to a mother with the maiden name Newquist. This is the only information I could find matching Rebecca’s info on that site. Rebecca was last seen in April, May, or June 1979, possibly specifically Thursday, May 10, 1979. Either way, she was 21 years old when last seen. Rebecca Dunn. Photo from NamUs. In early 1979, Rebecca and a female friend left their residences in Las Vegas, NV and traveled to San Diego, CA together along with two men. The drive from Las Vegas to San Diego is about 5.5 hours. The friend eventually returned to Las Vegas, having last seen Rebecca in about April 1979. The friend told investigators that she and Rebecca had traveled to CA to act as prostitutes. At least one of the two men is believed to have acted as the women’s pimp whil...

On Easter Sunday, April 11, 1976, remains of a human were found in a remote canyon area 90ft west of a paved portion of Lopez Canyon Rd in San Fernando, LA County, CA. While NamUs states that the remains consisted of a complete or near complete skeleton, Doe Network indicates that the condition of the remains was decomposed; this is supported by the fact that some things that would not be able to be determined if the body was fully skeletal, such as eye color and scars, were noted. It was determined that the body was that of a white female who was a victim of homicidal violence. Evidence at the scene indicated that Jane Doe was either shot or stabbed to death. It is estimated that she died two to seven days prior to discovery, putting her death as occurring sometime between Sunday, April 4 to Friday, April 9, 1976. The unidentified body became known as San Fernando or Lopez Canyon Jane Doe. Reconstruction created by NCMEC. A special bulletin was released by the LA County Sheriff's ...

On Wednesday, March 1, 1978, Delta-Mendota Canal personnel discovered the remains of a young female lying face-down on the side of the road near mile marker 3.40 on Mountain House Rd in Livermore, Alameda County, CA, near the San Joaquin County line. Her lower torso, still clothed, was mummified, while her skull, collarbone, and some ribs were skeletal. Her arms and hands were not present, having been carried away by animals. Jane Doe had been shot in the head with what was believed to be a .357 caliber magnum slug. A towel still wrapped around her neck indicated that she had also been strangled. She was the victim of a homicide, and had died some months prior to being found, having died in 1977-1978. One contemporary clipping specified that she had been dead for two to three months, putting her death at approximately December 1977 to January 1978. Based on the angle of the bullet's trajectory, which traveled from right to left, it is believed that Jane Doe was sitting up when shot...

Donna Larrabee is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She is not missing from, nor was her primary residence on, tribal land. According to her nephew, Randall Larrabee, Donna was born on June 7, 1960. At the time of writing, she would be 65 years old. Donna Larrabee. Photo from NamUs. Donna, 16, was living in Rapid City, Pennington County, South Dakota with her mother and other family members. On Wednesday, November 17, 1976, she left home to take a Greyhound bus to Sacramento, CA to visit her father. However, it is unknown if she ever arrived. She has never been seen or heard from again. According to Doe Network, "the bus route traveled through South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California." Donna is an Indigenous female with black hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance she was 16 years old, 5'6, and 120 lbs. She wears glasses. It is unknown what clothing she was wearing when she disappeared. Few details are available in Donna's case. She...

At about 6:30am on Tuesday, July 9, 1968, a man named Clarence Lewis — of 560 Scott St — was walking in San Francisco when he spotted a bundle wrapped in a bedspread in a driveway off 1262 Grove St, in SF's "hippie area." Lewis pulled back a corner of the bedspread and saw that it covered a body, then called the police. The body was that of a blonde woman who had died only days prior. Her ankles and wrists were tied, and there were marks on her throat indicating that she had been strangled. Inspectors William Armstrong and Dave Toschi said that it appeared that the woman had been killed somewhere else, then transported to the driveway and dumped there. At the time, it was first reported that the woman was "blonde, somewhere in her 20s, [and] wore a blue-green pullover blouse, brown jeans, an olive-colored corduroy jacket, [and] blue anklet socks but no shoes." The woman apparently had a "hippie appearance." One clipping states that she had been dumped ...

Linda Mary Garrison, 19, was last seen on Tuesday, November 19, 1968 in Sumner, Pierce County, WA. She is not missing from tribal land. According to clippings posted to WebSleuths, Linda left home after a horse ride and hasn't been seen since. As of three weeks after the last sighting of her, her German shepherd, named "Checko," had apparently refused to eat since Linda's disappearance. One month before her disappearance, Linda — who was 18 years old and living at 1522 Fryar Ave in Sumner at the time — was, "rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup Thursday [October 10, 1968] for treatment of back injuries sustained when she fell to the pavement from a horse." Linda is a white female with blond/strawberry hair and blue eyes. She was 5'1 and 125 lbs at the time of her disappearance. One newspaper clipping spelled her middle name as "Marie" rather than "Mary." According to NamUs, her current age (as of 10/30/24) would be 74 years o...

Marina Habe was born on February 23, 1951 in Germany to writer Hans Habe and actress Eloise Hardt. She graduated from University High School in West LA in June 1968, and at the time of her death she was attending the University of Hawaii and was home for the Christmas holidays. Marina's parents were divorced at the time, and her mother Eloise had reportedly remarried. Her father Hans lived in Zurich, Switzerland. Marina was 5'3 and 113 lbs, with blue eyes and black hair. Marina was described by friends as "very quiet," and was planning on becoming an artist. Marina Habe. Photo from FindAGrave. At about 4:30pm on Sunday, December 29, 1968, 17-year-old Marina left the home she shared with her mother to meet with her date, John Hornburg, 22, at his family's house at 13326 Sunset Blvd in Brentwood, Contra Costa County, CA. The Hornburgs were close friends of Marina's family at the time. The pair later left Hornburg's home, and at about 8:30pm they met with two...

Reet Jurvetson was born on September 23, 1950 in Sweden. She was  a Canadian citizen  of Estonian descent. In the late summer of 1969 she left her home in Montreal to visit a man named either "John" or "Jean" in California. Reet Jurvetson. Photo from  People  magazine. She had become acquainted with John/Jean while working at a Toronto post office several months before her murder. According to family and detectives, Reet had been "absolutely smitten" by John/Jean, and saved her earnings so she could travel to meet up with John/Jean after he had relocated to CA. According to a witness, John/Jean had been a medical student with a slight French accent. On Friday, October 31, 1969, Reet wrote a postcard in Estonian to her family, describing her "general satisfaction" with life in LA and encouraging her parents to maintain correspondence with her. She also sent a postcard to her closest friend; these were the final contacts she had with friends or fam...

Rose Tashman was born in Israel; she and her parents — Mr & Mrs Charles Tashman — moved to the US in 1962. Rose graduated from Fairfax High School in June 1967. By 1969, she and her parents lived at 448 N Formosa Ave in Hollywood, and she was a student at San Fernando Valley State College. She planned to enroll in the fall at UCLA. Rose had dark hair and dark eyes. Rose Tashman's 1967 Fairfax High School senior yearbook photo. On the evening/night of Sunday, May 18, 1969, Rose, 19, left her home at 448 N Formosa Ave in Hollywood to study for final exams with a friend who lived in Van Nuys or possibly Panorama City, depending on the source. She eventually departed late in the night, driving home. At 6pm on Monday, May 19, Sgt Eugene Thompson was on patrol in the area when he spotted a nude female body in the bushes near Mulholland Drive and Coldwater Canyon Rd in the Hollywood Hills. The body was found in a brushy ravine near Beverly Drive, only 0.5mi from where Marina Habe was ...