The Murder of Palm Desert Jane Doe, February 1980

Note: While this write-up was originally published on August 18, 2025, I regularly revisit cases, fix any typos or formatting errors, check for updates, hyperlink new posts, ensure that I have exhausted all sources, etc. When edits are extensive, I re-post the write-up. This post was last updated on October 1, 2025.  

At about 11:00am on Monday, February 18, 1980, three tourists from Canada stopped at a mountain viewpoint on Highway 74 about four or six miles south of Palm Desert, Riverside County, CA. As the tourists peered over a guardrail, they spotted a body either at the bottom of a 20-30 ft gully, or about 35 ft down a ravine near a turn-out in the highway.

The body was determined to be that a young woman. All parts were recovered, and Jane Doe's face was recognizable. It is believed that she had died only one or two days before discovery, putting her death at about Saturday or Sunday, February 16 or 17, 1980.

NamUs erroneously states that Jane Doe was found on Saturday, February 16, 1980. Whoever entered the data seems to have incorrectly interpreted the date listed on the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau website, Feb. 16th, as the date of discovery, when it seems to instead be the estimated date of death. All newspaper reports consistently place the discovery of the body as occurring on Monday, February 18th. 

Jane Doe was a white female who was younger than thirty years old. An early newspaper clipping listed her estimated age range as 15 to 25. Later articles, as well as modern sources, revised the age range to her early 20s, about 20 to 25 years old. 

Jane Doe measured in at 5'4 and 120 lbs. She had hazel eyes. While contemporary newspapers reported her hair color as blonde, modern sources state that it was light brown. Her hair was wavy and short, about three to four inches long; she had recently had a haircut.

Jane Doe's body hair is described as "normal" on NamUs. She had a 5in scar on her right forearm, as well a 1in scar on her upper right arm; both were well-healed. She did not have any tattoos, and no jewelry was found; sources do not indicate any piercings.

One newspaper described Jane Doe as, "a muscular, comely woman." She was well groomed; in addition to the recent haircut, her fingernails were manicured, and her clothing was "pretty expensive." She was found wearing royal blue slacks, tan or brown sandals with no socks, and a long-sleeved pull-over velour sweater or blouse that was light in color, possibly tan. No sizes of any of the clothing or shoes were noted. No eyewear, jewelry, or accessories were found on or near the body. No purse or identification was found either.

Reconstruction by Carl Koppelman. Accessed from Wikimedia.

Jane Doe's case is being handled as a homicide; then-Deputy Coroner Ray Carrillo said at the time that her death was "other than natural." Carrillo speculated that Jane Doe died at a different location before being dumped in the gully where she was found.

An autopsy completed on Tuesday, February 19, 1980 did not establish a cause of death (COD). "'There were no signs of trauma,' Carrillo said, explaining that there were no apparent knife or bullet wounds to the body." Toxicology tests were also unable to determine the COD. 

Identifiable photos of Jane Doe's recognizable face were taken and sent to various LE and news agencies; these photos are available on some sites below. Jane Doe's fingerprints and dental records were also sent to both the state Criminal Intelligence Information Center in Sacramento and the FBI in Washington DC. According to Deputy Coroner Carrillo, "'six or seven' people came in and 'looked at her' but that, too, produced no leads."

The investigation into Jane Doe's identity, as well as her death, has since gone cold. 

On September 4, 2025 I submitted Denise Dorfman as a potential match to Palm Desert Jane Doe directly to the latter's investigating agency. The following day, I was told through email, "I will ask for a comparison to be completed. Thank you for reaching out."

Jane Doe's NamUs case, #UP7139, was last updated on September 27, 2025, and then again two days later: it has been confirmed that Palm Desert Jane Doe and Denise Dorfman are not the same individual. The comparison seems to have been done through dental records.

Jane Doe's fingerprints and dental records are available for comparison, while her DNA is not. She has four MP exclusions on NamUs: she is not Denise Dorfman (see above), Debra Kidwell, Rebecca Dunn, or Lana Coronado.

Anyone with information regarding Jane Doe is urged to contact Coroner Sergeant Nancy Rissi of the Riverside County Sheriff- Coroner Bureau at (951) 443-2300 or CoronerUnidentified@riversidesheriff.org. The agency case number is 1980-44366. The decedent's unidentified ID is U80-003.

Sources

NamUs   [PM IMAGE WARNING]

Doe Network

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau   [PM IMAGE WARNING]

WebSleuths

Unidentified wiki 

The Desert Sun 2/19/80, 2/20/80, 12/9/80

Palm Desert Post 2/21/80