Cold Cases of the Golden Coast

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...

At roughly 4:45pm on Sunday, October 8, 1978, a man from Boron, Kern County, CA was searching in the high desert two miles west of Kramer Junction, San Bernardino County, CA — located at the intersection of Highways 58 and 395 — for a part of his camper that he had lost earlier in the day when he discovered human remains half-buried in sand.  The man first notified Kern County authorities, who then reported the discovery to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department shortly before 5:00pm, as the corpse was found about 2.5 mi east of the Kern County line. The specific location was 0.75 mi south of State Highway 58, and about twenty miles from the incorporated community of Hinkley; because of this, the body, that of a male, became known as Hinkley John Doe 1978. The sheriff's department also designated him "John Doe #14-78." According to one newspaper source, "Detective Rod Conder from the Barstow [sheriff's] office was assigned, and with homicide investiga...

At about noon on Sunday, March 31, 1974, Kenneth Knock, a man from La Verne, CA, was driving in his four-wheel-drive vehicle through a remote desert area 12 mi southeast of Baker, San Bernardino County, CA, when he discovered a badly decomposed body. At 3:25pm that same day, Knock called police to report finding the body in the area of a mine off of, or two miles west of, Kelbaker Rd. The location of the body, which was found lying face-down, has been variously described as a "remote desert rock formation"; "hidden among rocks"; and "in a cove area of a large rock formation." The body was found completely nude, and no possessions could be found near it. The case has been handled by homicide investigators from the onset. The remains were determined to be those of a 20 to 39 year old white man, who was estimated to be 5'5 to 5'7 and 140 to 150 lbs. He had long red-brown hair and a red-brown mustache and beard. His eye color could not be determined du...

On Tuesday, July 16, 1974, a tourist couple stopped to stretch their legs in a rural desert area about 33 mi north of Wells, Elko County, Nevada, where the California Trail runs into US Highway 93. The area has also been described as either 8 or 11 mi north of Thousand Springs. There the couple discovered a human body in a dry wash full of sagebrush either 200 ft or approx. 120 yds off of US Highway 93, about 100 yds west of the old service station site at the turn-off to the Winecup Gamble Ranch. The body was determined to be that of a white female, about 16 to 25 years old. NamUs lists Jane Doe's age group as "Adult - Pre 30," while an official project on unsolved female homicides in rural Nevada states that Jane Doe was in her early 20s. She was estimated to have been 5'7 to 5'9 and 110 to 130 lbs. She had red/auburn hair. Her eye color could not be determined. Upon autopsy it was discovered that she had no adrenal glands. All parts of Jane Doe were recovered, ...

At about 9am on Friday, July 14, 1972, a rancher named Marion Morton discovered the nude body of a young woman in the Starr Valley area of rural Elko County, Nevada, about 8 mi south of I-80. The body was found lying on the north side of a hill just off of Dennis Flats Rd, about 0.5 mi west of Starr Valley Rd. According to one source, "Although the road is known by locals, a person not familiar with the area would have to have driven a considerable distance to get to the location." Jane Doe's body had been posed: some sources say she was posed in "an odd cross-like manner," while others state that she was spread-eagle, i.e. arms extended away from her body and legs splayed. According to one modern source, one of her hands was outstretched with the index finger pointing west, while her head was turned the other way.  Reconstruction from NamUs. Jane Doe was the victim of a homicide. She had been shot in the head twice with a .22 caliber pistol, once in the left ch...

At 12:30pm on Friday, February 25, 1977,  a rock collector discovered a badly decomposed body near the Cactus City water pumping station/rest stop, and promptly called authorities. While contemporary newspaper articles state that the area of discovery was located about 20 mi east of Indio, Riverside County, CA, modern sources differ: NamUs states that the body was, "found on a dirt frontage road 19 miles east of Indio." Meanwhile, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office (RCSO)'s website, the body was found in, "open desert north of [the] I-10 freeway and east of the Cactus City rest stop area, concealed under brush that had been set [on] fire. This area is about 25 miles east of Indio, CA." Investigators were initially unable to determine the sex of the decedent due to the advanced decomposition, though by February 28th — three days after discovery — it was determined that the body was that of a female. All sources differ on the PMI. According to ...

Alan Wayne Soper was born on April 27, 1952, and is officially missing from Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from college, Alan left home with the intention of traveling around the country. He told his parents that he was working for truck drivers — specifically loading and unloading cargo — in exchange for rides. The Tulsa Police Department site lists Alan's date of last contact as Friday, March 1, 1974; this may be the date he left home. Alan, 22, last contacted his family on Friday, June 7, 1974, when he called and said that he was in Sacramento, California at the time. According to all databases, he was never heard from again after this phone call in Sacramento, however according to one later clipping, a truck driver told police that after Alan traveled to northern California, he (the driver) dropped him off in Needles, San Bernardino County, CA. Alan Soper. Photo from NamUs. Almost exactly three years later, on June 8, 1977, Alan's wallet and clothing were found in Needle...

On Friday, March 23, 1973, a black labrador retriever brought the skeletal remains of an unidentified female into the residential yard of the house trailer of his owner, Donald Parsons, 28, in an isolated desert area near State Route 383 and about a mile south of White and Phelan Roads in Phelan, San Bernardino County, CA. Parsons, believing the bones were those of a Wild West prospector or from an old Native American burial, originally gave the bones to a neighbor's granddaughter, an Ontario, CA high school student who planned to show the bones to her anthropology class. However, Parsons had second thoughts and called authorities, who picked up the bones on Monday, April 9, 1973. Investigation swiftly confirmed that the unidentified person had in fact died recently. Despite being described as skeletal, NamUs also states the condition of the remains were "partial remains with soft tissues." Parsons's dog originally found a skull, jaw bone, and leg bone. Further search...

Scott Howard Allison grew up in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, before he and his family moved to Bakersfield, Kern County, CA for his senior year of high school. He was a varsity wrestler at West High, and finished third in the league. His former coach stated that Scott was "extremely strong, wrestling at 154 pounds." He graduated from high school in 1974. Scott Allison. Photo from FindAGrave By September 1977, Scott, 21, was an active-duty Army soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. At the time of his death he was on 30-day leave before departing for his new post in Ft Richardson, Alaska. On Thursday, September 1, 1977, Scott set out on a cross-country trip to visit his family at their residence at 1805 Esther Drive in Bakersfield. Scott's family heard from him for the last time on the afternoon of  Sunday, September 4, 1977 , when he called his mother from Prescott, Yavapai County, AZ and told her that he would be home in about 10 hours. According to Google Maps, the dr...