Cold Cases of the Golden Coast

Yesterday, April 3, 2026, it was announced that Palm Desert Jane Doe 1980 has been identified as Victoria Jean Hargrove. This development makes me so happy, as Jane Doe's case was one that stuck out quite prominently in my mind. This is also the third formerly unidentified decedent to be identified since I first posted about them, and all three identifications were announced just this past month!  Victoria Hargrove was 29 years old when she went missing from her home in Opelika, Alabama, on January 28, 1980. She was reported missing to LE soon after she was last seen. Her remains were found less than three weeks later in Palm Desert, Riverside County, CA on February 16, 1980. The distance between her last known location and the site where she was found is more than 2,100 miles. Victoria's identity was confirmed through a DNA match in March 2026. She is believed to be the victim of a homicide. Why/how she ended up in California, as well as the identity of her killer, are sti...

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 ar...

On Sunday, August 3, 1980, a hiker named John Bryant Collins found human remains in unincorporated San Mateo County, CA. Collins found a skull off of Little Butano Creek Trail, which is a 1.5-mile (one way) trail in Butano State Park. Collins turned the skull over to State Park Ranger Thomas Lindsey, who notified the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. Investigators from the sheriff's and coroner's offices responded to the scene and recovered the remains, and conducted multiple searches over the following weeks for further bones or evidence.  Twenty to twenty-five additional bones were found by LE after Collins's initial discovery, including teeth, several vertebrae, and "what appear to be arm bones." The remains were not recognizable as a result of consisting of partial skeletal parts only. The unidentified person's torso, as well as one or more limbs and one or both hands, were not recovered. Also listed among the inventory of remains on NamUs is "he...

UPDATE: On April 3, 2026  it was announced that Jane Doe has been identified as Victoria Jean Hargrove.  For more details, a full update can be found here . This post was originally published on Aug. 18, 2025. Aside from this update (in bold), I have not edited the contents in any way since Feb. 16, 2026. This post will remain standing as it is, containing all information about the victim prior to her identification that was known as of Feb. 16, 2026. Furthermore, due  to her identification, some of the links may no longer work or have since been edited to reflect the recent developments. At about 11:00am on Monday, February 18, 1980, three tourists from Canada stopped at a mountain viewpoint on Highway 74 about four to 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 to 30 ft gully, or about 35 ft down a ravine near a turn-out in the highway. The body was determined to be that ...

At 1:00pm on Saturday, January 26, 1980, a hiker found the remains of two decedents in a riverbed/wash south of the Valencia Sewage Treatment Plant, north of Magic Mountain Parkway and west of the Old Road in the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, LA County, CA. One of the decedents, who I will be calling Younger Doe, was estimated to be 17 to 24 years old, while the other, who I will be calling Older Doe, was estimated to be 17 to 35 years old; while these two decedents may have been the same or similar ages, I am giving these nicknames in order to easily distinguish between the two of them. Reconstruction of Younger Doe, from NamUs. Younger Doe was determined to have died by homicide by gunshot wound. While not explicitly stated by sources, it is implied that this is also how Older Doe died as well; Older Doe's case is also being investigated as a homicide. Younger Doe's estimated PMI is months prior, though less than two years, and both of the Does' estimated DODs a...

Early in the evening of Saturday, February 9, 1980, trappers were "setting lines in the brushy growth" along the banks of the Pajaro River when they discovered a human skeleton on the north bank. The body was found near the confluence of the Pajaro and San Benito Rivers, just west — and/or "2000 yards southwest"  — of the US Highway 101 crossing. The trappers called authorities to report the body. Detectives from San Benito County were the first on the scene, which was along the county line; they soon, however, turned the case over to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, as it was in their jurisdiction, about four miles south of Gilroy, Santa Clara County, CA. The remains were not recognizable, as they consisted of a complete or near-complete skeleton. They were determined to be that of a female. The body had been in the water and/or riverbed for at least a month, i.e., since at least early January 1980; an updated or more specific PMI is not available. Auth...

On Sunday, August 24, 1980, a teenager discovered the remains of a girl in the Montecito Hills Regional Park at Griffin and Montecito in East Los Angeles. The teenager did not report the body to the police until six days later. At 10:00am on Saturday, August 30, 1980, the LA County Sheriff's Department (LASD) located the mummified remains where the teenager had indicated, on the ground at the base of a ravine in a remote, fairly inaccessible wooded area of steep hills and dense foliage 0.25mi east of the 110 Freeway. According to the Doe Network, it was determined that Jane Doe had been murdered, and that she was killed at the location where she was found. All parts were recovered. The decedent's face was not recognizable due to mummification, and there are no reconstructions available of her. It is believed that Jane Doe had died the same year that she was found. Her unidentified wiki page states that the PMI was weeks to months. The information provided by the website of the ...

At 11:18am on Sunday, March 16, 1980, the decomposed body of a man was located on the dirt shoulder of Avenue 50 between Polk & Tyler St.s in Coachella, Riverside County, CA. He had multiple gunshot wounds, and had been dead for one to two days, putting his death somewhere between March 14th to 15th, 1980. He was fully dressed, but did not have any identification or personal belongings on him. His page on the Riverside County Sheriff's cold case website specifies that, "It is unknown where death occurred," indicating that he had been killed elsewhere before being dumped at the location where he was found. John Doe was a white man with possible Hispanic ancestry who stood 5'9 tall and weighed 160 lbs. While NamUs and Doe Network put his possible age range at 20 to 30 years old, The Desert Sun  and the Riverside County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) puts him at 20 to 25 years old. His estimated age group on NamUs is "Adult - Pre 30." John Doe had light to med...

Kathy Neff. Photo from FindAGrave.  At either 8:45, 9:00, or 11:00 am — sources differ — on Thursday, October 16, 1980, Kathleen Emilia Neff, 21, who went by the nickname 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. ...

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 to 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 to 22 year...

Reconstruction. Photo from NamUs. At about 9am on Thursday, October 30, 1980, a hiker discovered a badly decomposed body in a brush-covered field near the intersection of Colfax & Iowa Hill Rd.s in Colfax, Placer County, CA. Traffic on the Colfax-Iowa Hill Road was halted that morning while sheriff's investigators examined the scene, which was less than a mile west of the Iowa Hill Bridge. It was determined that the body, which was that of a young woman, had been deceased for at least one year, and her estimated year of death is 1979. Her COD is undetermined, and there were no weapons or signs of violence at the scene, but her case is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators were unsure whether she died at the scene, which is a known dumping site for trash, or at a different location. Jane Doe was estimated to be a white female, 18 to 27 years old; however, a newspaper article from the time stated that she was believed to be 18 to 22 years old. She was 5'0 to 5'5...