The Homicide of Littlerock John Doe, September 1980
On Saturday, September 20, 1980, a dog discovered a human leg bone in the area of Littlerock, LA County, CA. Investigators were notified, and they soon found a shallow grave on or near Pearblossom Highway.
The Doe Network describes the location of the grave as "on Pearblossom Highway, ½ mile East of Avenue V" in Littlerock. This description, however, is confusing for a few reasons: a) there is no roadway specifically named just "Avenue V" in Littlerock, b) there is E Ave V (i.e., East Avenue V), as well as E Ave V-8, E Ave V-9, etc. up to E Ave V-14, and c) all of the E Ave V's run east-to-west, parallel to Pearblossom Highway, so there are no locations where the highway is east of any of the avenues. Because of this, I believe the intended meaning of "East of Avenue V" could instead be simply "E Ave V," however which one is intended — as well as its relation to the gravesite — is uncertain on my part.
Regarding the shallow grave, the area was reportedly covered with twigs and branches in an attempt at concealment. The grave had also been covered "with a large amount of lye." Inside the grave were further human remains, including a skull inside a box. Both a shell casing and a knife were also recovered from the site.
The remains consisted of the complete or near-complete skeleton of a single individual, and were therefore visually unrecognizable. According to NamUs, the estimated PMI and year of death of the victim are one year and 1978, respectively; however, if the former is to be believed over the latter, then that would put the estimated year of death at 1979. The Doe Network simply lists the estimated PMI/DOD as one to two years prior to discovery.
The decedent is believed to be a white male aged 23 to 30 years old, or possibly 20 to 30 years old. Furthermore, his estimated age group on NamUs is "Adult - Pre 30." John Doe had straight, fine brown hair. He is estimated to have been about 5'9 to 6'0 tall.
Due to the condition of the remains, John Doe's weight, eye color, possible tattoos or scars, and cause of death could not be determined. He did not have any jewelry with him, and it is unknown if there were any clothes or other items found.
John Doe does not have any rule-outs listed on his NamUs exclusion page. According to the Doe Network, his dentals are available for comparison, while the availability of his fingerprints or DNA is unknown; it is likely that the former are unavailable, considering the fact that the remains were skeletal at the time of discovery.
There is very little information regarding John Doe's case to be found online. I could not find any contemporary newspaper clippings concerning the discovery of his remains. According to the Doe Network, John Doe was at one point profiled on the LASD-run LA County Murders site, which the Doe Network obtained much of its information on this case from; however, the specific page was never archived, and the site has since been taken down. The archived site can be found through the Wayback Machine here, though viewer discretion is advised due to the presence of postmortem images.
John Doe's NamUs case, #UP57084, was created May 3, 2019, and last updated November 9, 2022. His Doe Network case number is 1982UMCA, previously Hot Case Number 1378.
Anyone with information regarding John Doe's case is urged to contact Medical Examiner Investigator Betsy Magdaleno of the LACME Office at (323) 343-0512 or IDUnit@me.lacounty.gov. The agency case number is 1980-12167. Informants may also contact the LASD's Homicide Bureau by calling (323) 890-5500; a tip can also be submitted here. The LASD agency case number is 1980-10675-1178-010. Any little piece of information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is appreciated, and may be the key to recovering John Doe's identity.
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