The Disappearance of Rebecca Jean Dunn, Spring 1979

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 while in CA. Rebecca has no known vehicle. Neither the female friend nor Rebecca’s family ever saw or heard from her again. Few details are available in her case, and the specifics of her disappearance are unknown at this time.

Rebecca is variously described as 5’8 and 150 lbs or 5’9 and 179 lbs. Some sources, such as NamUs, state that she had blue eyes, while others like CA DOJ state that her eyes were green. She had blonde/strawberry blonde hair. There was a (large) bump on the bridge of her nose.

Rebecca’s dental x-rays and charting, as well as her DNA, are available, while it is unknown if her fingerprints are as well. She is classified as Endangered Missing according to the Charley Project and Doe Network. According to official databases, Rebecca has used the aliases Babette Powers and Sandy Long.

There were no instances of “Sandy Long” or “Rebecca Dunn” corresponding to her in NV or CA from 1976 to 1979. The only instance of "Babette Powers" in US newspapers from 1976-1979 is of a girl/woman named Babette Powers being among the winners of a watermelon eating contest in September 1977, published in SF's Enterprise Journal.

Anyone with information regarding Rebecca’s case is encouraged to call the Las Vegas Metro PD at either (702) 229-3716 (according to CA DOJ) or (702) 828-2907 (according to NamUs). The agency case number is either 707191319 (according to CA DOJ) or 970719-1319 (according to NamUs).

NamUs states that 31 UIDs have been excluded as being Rebecca, however, one of these is blank and two are repeats, so in reality there are 28 distinct UIDs on Rebecca's exclusion list. The most relevant of these exclusions are LA Jane Doe March 1980, Palm Desert Jane Doe 1980, and Rimforest John Doe, as well as Newhall Jane Doe and Valencia "Younger Doe" 1980 — both believed to be victims of the Sunset Strip Killers, Doug Clark and Carol Bundy — and two decedents who have since been identified as Gwenn Marie Story and Pamela Diane Salley.

Rebecca is also on the NamUs exclusion list of Corona Jane Doe 1981, though the reverse is not true. They are likely still exclusions, as, according to a personal email from Mary Bell of the Doe Network, "Unfortunately, listing NamUs exclusions is not a high priority. We get exclusions all the time that never show up on the NamUs exclusion list." 

Sources

CA DOJ 

NamUs 

Charley Project 

Doe Network 

WebSleuths

California Birth Index