California Cold Cases

Early in the morning on Sunday, July 31, 1982, Patricia Schneider, 25, who also went by the nickname Patti, completed her shift as a cocktail waitress at an Indian Hills Golf Course restaurant and nightclub. At 3:45am, after getting off of work, Patricia made a call from the Circle K market on Limonite in Pedley, Riverside County, CA, reporting her car had broken down. Her car was a brown & white 1974 Toyota Celica with the CA license plate 018POF. Patricia has never been seen or heard from again. Patricia Schneider. Photo from NamUs. A clerk at the Circle K stated that he saw two white males with sandy hair in the parking lot while Patricia made calls from the phone. It's unclear if these individuals had anything to do with her disappearance. Between 5am and 6am that same morning, a Riverside County sheriff found Patricia's car on fire in a field near the intersection of Van Buren Blvd and Doolittle Ave. It was determined that the vehicle was burning due to arson. The area...

At about 4pm on Saturday, August 23, 1975, a hiker named Charles Jones discovered the body of a woman just inside the entrance to the Lake Anza area in Tilden Regional Park, about 20 ft from an auxiliary parking lot. The woman was lying on her side in the bushes along a pathway in the park in Orinda, Contra Costa County, CA. Charles Jones then notified the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) police of the discovery, and authorities responded promptly. The young woman had been killed by blunt force injury to the head; she was beaten to death, with her skull being crushed. It was determined that she was murdered at another location than where she was found. Jane Doe's face was recognizable, and a reconstruction is available on both databases below. Her death is estimated to have occurred about four to seven days before discovery, though NamUs simply states the estimated PMI is four days. Either way, the aforementioned range puts her date of death as occurring sometime between Sa...

At 12:30pm on Friday, February 25, 1977,  a rock collector discovered a badly decomposed body near the Cactus City pumping station/rest stop, and promptly called authorities. While contemporary newspaper articles state that the area of discovery was located about 20 mi east of Indio, Riverside County, CA, modern sources differ: NamUs states that the body was, "found on a dirt frontage road 19 miles east of Indio." Meanwhile, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s site, the body was found in, "open desert north of [the] I-10 freeway and east of the Cactus City rest stop area, concealed under brush that had been set [on] fire. This area is about 25 miles east of Indio, CA." Investigators were initially unable to determine the sex due to the advanced decomposition, though by February 28th — three days after discovery — it was determined that the body was that of a female. All sources differ on the PMI. According to a contemporary newspaper clipping, it was initial...

Angela Mae Jeff was born on June 24, 1959. She is an enrolled member of the California Valley Miwok Tribe. Her parents are David Arlen Jeff and Adeline Peninnah "Nina" Jeff (nee French), who have both since passed away. Angela had at least one sister. Angela Jeff. Photo from NamUs. Angela was last seen sometime in the summer of 1979 in Oakland, Alameda County, CA. The exact date of her disappearance is unknown; the date provided by all sources — June 24, 1979  — is Angela's 20th birthday and is used by said sources as a sort of placeholder. Angela had a boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. After her family reported her missing, her boyfriend suddenly moved to Mexico. Said boyfriend had at some point broken Angela's jaw. Accredited sources do not indicate when this incident occurred or the nature of it, or whether Angela's jaw was still broken at the time she disappeared or if it instead had already healed. None of the sources provide the boyfriend's nam...

On Saturday, January 6, 1973, a hiker named Barbara McAninch discovered partial skeletal remains scattered over a 25-foot area in a gully at the top of Mt Tamalpais in Marin County, CA. It was in a wooded area near the outdoor Mountain Theater. The remains comprised a nearly complete human skeleton, though the skull was missing. McAninch, a college student majoring in anatomy, took the bones home to San Francisco to study them. She decided to call authorities on about January 9th. On Wednesday, January 10, 1973, then-Deputy Coroner Bill Thomas told the press that he expected to receive the skeleton that day. At the time the remains were believed to be that of a male, and Thomas stated that the body could be of a victim of foul play; as he said, "Marin County often serves as a dumping ground for San Francisco's murder victims." A photo of Marin County coroner Dr Donovan Cooke examining the skeleton were published in the Modesto Bee and San Rafael Daily Independent Journal...

Earl Lee Dannels, 19, was in his junior year at UC Berkeley and lived in Albany, Alameda County, CA at the time of his disappearance. He did not attend classes starting the week of Monday, November 3, 1969 and has not been heard from since.  However, his DLC on NamUs is Wednesday, October 1, 1969, and Charley Project states that he was last seen on that day in Albany. It is unclear which of these dates is the actual date of his disappearance. According to NamUs, Earl was reported missing on Monday, November 10, 1969. According to Whereabouts Still Unknown, "[Earl] left nearly $400 behind in bank accounts, which is now listed in the California Unclaimed Property database, which shows his residence as 939 Solano, Apt. 5 in Albany." Earl Dannels. Photo from CA DOJ. At the time of his disappearance, Earl was 19 years old, 5'9, and 150 lbs. He is a white male with blue eyes and short brown hair. His birthday is October 8, 1949. If alive today he would be 75 years old. Earl...

On the evening of Wednesday, September 5, 1973 — two days after Labor Day  — a man who was either riding a horse or walking his dog discovered the fully-clothed remains of a teenage girl lying in an open grave in a hilly area near a fire road east of Skyline Drive in La Habra Heights, LA County, CA. The grave measured  12" deep, 69" long, and 27" wide.  As the body was found in the evening, authorities waited until daybreak September 6th to remove it to preserve possible evidence. Jane Doe's remains are listed as skeletal, however, due to some of the information provided, it seems that there was still some soft tissue remaining. It was determined that she was killed by a single gunshot to the head either 30-60 days (according to contemporary clippings) or 30-90 days (according to modern sources + the police bulletin) before discovery. This puts her death in June, July, or August 1973. Jane Doe was a white female who was estimated to be 5'2-5'5 and 100-105 lbs...

Gregory Hinz, 22, was last seen on Monday, November 15 or Friday, November 19, 1976, in Altadena, LA County, CA. He was reported missing on December 14th of that year. On March 1, 1977, the LAPD located Gregory's vehicle and towed it away as abandoned. They eventually released it to Gregory's family. NamUs and Doe Network list his date of last contact as Monday, November 15, 1976, while CA DOJ and Charley Project state that Gregory went missing on Friday, November 19, 1976. Gregory is a white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. At the time of his disappearance he was 22 years old, 6'0, and 165 lbs. He had a mustache and short beard. His date of birth is April 17, 1954. If alive today he would be 71 years old. Gregory Hinz. Photo from NamUs. Gregory's case is being handled by the homicide bureau. He is classified as Endangered Missing on the Charley Project and Doe Network.  When his mother died, her obituary listed him as having predeceased her. Very few details are av...

On Sunday, August 13, 1978, the decomposed and/or mummified body of a white woman was found by hikers under a large bush on a ridge, 0.5mi south of Forest Lawn Drive and 1.0mi east of Barham Blvd in LA. Her head was resting on a brown tote bag. Inside the bag was a packet of birth control pills with fifteen pills left. Her cause of death is unknown, though it is estimated that she had died in 1978, the same year she was found. Jane Doe was a 30-45 year old white woman. At the time that she was found, she measured in at 5'2 and 85 lbs. She had brown hair, as well as a possible scar "on the lower abdominal and right quadrant." Jane Doe was wearing a multicolored sweater, a beige sweater, tan pants, a white bra, and brown shoes. Also on the body was her brown shoulder strap tote bag containing the birth control pills; a brown coin purse; and a Shriek Alarm brand anti-rape defense device. Jane Doe has zero MP exclusions on NamUs. Her fingerprints and dental records are not av...

William Elroy Meyer was born on June 18, 1953; Charley Project erroneously states that he was born in 1933. He was last seen in San Francisco, CA on Sunday, May 7, 1972, when he was 18 years old. Very few details are available in his case. He is listed as Endangered Missing on the Doe Network, and simply Missing on the Charley Project. William Meyer. Photo from NamUs. William is a white male who was 18 years old, 5'10, and 160 lbs at the time of his disappearance. He has blue eyes and brown hair. The available photo of him has him wearing large, apparently clear-framed glasses, and his hair seems to be wavy and parted on the left. His dental x-rays are not available for comparison, and it is unknown if his fingerprints or DNA are available. He has zero rule-outs on NamUs page, which was created on December 26, 2017. The Fond Du Lac County (Wisconsin) Sheriff's Department is investigating his case. The reason why WI authorities are investigating is not stated, though it seems th...

At 8:45am on Thursday, October 16, 1980 Kathleen Neff, 21, who also went by "Kathy," dropped her vehicle off at a Mazda dealership on Florin Rd near Franklin Blvd in Sacramento for service. She planned to pick the vehicle up later that same day. Contemporary sources differ as to how Kathy left the dealership. One states that she reportedly left the dealership on foot, "possibly to walk to her home on D Parkway." Another indicates that she "reportedly rode off in another vehicle with an unidentified person." Kathy was never seen alive again. She was last seen wearing a white knit top and blue jeans. She didn't reach her home and never returned for her car. She was reported missing by family and friends the next day. The Sacramento Bee published postings about her as part of their Secret Witness program, asking for information regarding her disappearance and whereabouts. She was described as a white female, 5'6 and 118 lbs, with brown hair and blue e...

On Wednesday, July 30, 1975, a tractor driver was using a scraper to clear underbrush and weeds for a fence west of Gardner's Cove in Modesto, Stanislaus County, CA, when he noticed a bit of clothing among the debris he was clearing off. Upon closer inspection, he realized that there were human bones inside the clothing. Authorities were promptly notified, and investigation of the area continued up to at least August 1st to search for more remains. Newspapers reported that the bones, "have been found scattered over an area about seven yards square. Some remains were moved by the tractor driver and his scraper Wednesday as he cleared a path for workmen to build a fence. Others were found when the detectives and inmates — ["a work crew of five men from the Stanislaus County Honor Farm"] — unearthed them with shovels. Others may have been carried off by animals or fallen in the river, and may never be found." Only partial skeletal remains, including "an arm bo...

Christine Moore. Photo from CA DOJ. Christine was born Christine Betty Lowe on February 20, 1936 in Kern County, CA. Her parents are William M Lowe and Beulah Alice Lowe (nee Holland), who was part Cherokee. She has three older siblings — LaVada Williams, James, and Mildred Lilly — and three younger siblings, Doyle Ray (b1938), Thomas Eugene (b1940), and Loretta Faye Wagoner (b1943). Christine's father William passed away on November 19 1969 in McFarland, Kern County, CA at age 70. Christine married James H Moore (b1911) in 1964 when she was 28 years old, and he was 53. They divorced in October 1970, however in the 1971 city directory, Christine was listed as living with James at 718 Oxford St in Delano, Kern County, CA. James had been living at that address since at least 1967. He was remarried, this time to a woman named Joyce, by 1979. Christine was 35 years old at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen by family when she visited her mother in McFarland, Kern County, C...

At the time of his death, 19-year-old Everett Lloyd Bradley, a young Black man, was a cook. At 7pm on Friday, February 1, 1974, Everett's wife Emma and her mother-in-law  — Everett's mother, Rosa  — returned to the couple's home at 80 West Point Rd in San Francisco. Emma had been in the hospital, and had not seen Everett since Wednesday, January 30. Upon returning home, Emma and Rosa discovered Everett's body sprawled behind a couch in the living room. He had been stabbed several times in the back. According to investigators, there was evidence of a violent struggle in the front room of the house. While newspapers don't state when he was last seen by anyone other than Emma, his death date is listed as February 1st on all records/clippings I could find, so it seems that he had been murdered on the same day that he was found. Little can be found about his case, but his murder was still unsolved by November 14, 1974, more than nine months after his death. His case is n...

At 4:17pm on Sunday, September 5, 1965 — the day before Labor Day  — 16-year-old Humberto Cepeda was riding his motorcycle down a hill at 22nd and Noe St.s in San Francisco when he was suddenly shot in the back. The .25 caliber bullet entered high up in his back, then emerged through his upper right chest. Humberto managed to bring his motorcycle to a stop on the side of the curb and get off. He then slumped to the pavement on his back. Several witnesses heard the gunshot, and the police were called. Humberto was taken to Mission Emergency Hospital, where medical staff found the bullet caught in his clothing. He was reported to be in good condition the following day. Two witnesses told police that they saw a light-colored station wagon with a rooftop luggage rack coming down the hill behind Humberto, but nobody actually saw the shooting occur. The owner of the station wagon was being sought for questioning; it's unclear if anything ever came of it. Humberto was a newspaper boy for ...

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.  Reconstruction of Jane Doe created by NCMEC. Uploaded to and accessed from NamUs in July 2025.   While her COD is officially undetermined, Jane Doe 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,...

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....