The Likely Homicide of Arvin Jane Doe, June 1978

On Wednesday, June 21, 1978, the partial skeletal remains of a young female were discovered in Arvin, CA in southern Kern County. The body was discovered in a shallow grave in a grape vineyard after cultivation of the fruit.

The condition of the remains was partial skeletal parts only. One or more limbs, as well as one or both hands, were not recovered. It has been estimated that Jane Doe had been dead for three to four months, which would mean her death occurred sometime in about February or March 1978. Jane Doe's COD has not been released and/or is unknown, but it seems that she is believed to have been the victim of a homicide.

Reconstruction of Jane Doe from NCMEC.

Jane Doe is a white female who is estimated to have been 13 to 24 years old. Her age group on NamUs is classified as Late Teen / Young Adult. 

NamUs states that Jane Doe's height and weight could not be estimated; however, according to the Doe Network, she was estimated to be 5'3 to 5'8 tall. Her weight and eye color could not be determined due to the condition of the remains.

The hair collected at autopsy was described as "mostly auburn"; however, the color at time of exhumation was described as "red/blonde coloration." Jane Doe is noted to have had large front teeth.

A pair of underwear was found with the remains; no description or size was documented, and the underwear was not seized. Jane Doe was wearing two white metal necklaces, one of which had a round religious medallion. No other clothing, footwear, accessories, etc were found with the body.

Jane Doe's DNA and dentals are available for comparison, while her fingerprints are not. Her full DNA profile is available in CODIS. She has three UID exclusions on NamUs: she is not Cheryl Wyant, Connie Minchaca, or Marie Spannhake.

I could not find any contemporary news reports about Jane Doe. The NCMEC, NCIC, and Doe Network case numbers are 1115079, U990027379, and 1469UFCA, respectively. Jane Doe's NamUs profile, #UP13916, was last updated on August 18, 2025.

In November 2025, Jane Doe was commemorated alongside other homicide victims by the Kern County District Attorney in the Victims of Violent Crime Memorial. More information can be found here. 

Anyone with information regarding Jane Doe should contact the Coroner's Division of the Kern County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) at (661) 392-6700; reference agency case number is C522-78. Individuals may also contact KCSO's Detective Section at (661) 391-7500 or detectivecommander@kernsheriff.org; reference case number L782658.

Note: Jane Doe was found on the summer solstice. See the Holiday & Events Reference Page for an explanation as to why this is being mentioned.

Sources

NamUs 

NCMEC 

WebSleuths 

Doe Network 

Unidentified wiki 

2019 KCSO Facebook post 

2017 Help ID Me Facebook post 

Mojave Desert-News, Oct. 7, 2019 

Kern County Victims of Violent Crimes Memorial [under the entry "6/21/78 Jane Doe"]

Note: While this write-up was originally published on July 16, 2025, I regularly revisit cases, check for updates, ensure that I have exhausted all sources, etc., and then make note of when I last did so, no matter how minor. When edits are extensive, I re-post the write-up entirely. This post was last updated on January 19, 2026.