Cold Cases of the Golden Coast

On Saturday, January 6, 1973, a hiker named Barbara McAninch discovered partial skeletal remains scattered over a 25-foot area in a gully at the top of Mt Tamalpais in Marin County, CA. It was in a wooded area near the outdoor Mountain Theater — aka the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater — within the Mt Tamalapais State Park. The remains were comprised of a nearly complete human skeleton, though the skull was missing. McAninch, a college student majoring in anatomy, took the bones home to San Francisco to study them. She decided to call authorities on about January 9th. On Wednesday, January 10, 1973, then-Deputy Coroner Bill Thomas told the press that he expected to receive the skeleton that day. At the time the remains were believed to be that of a male, and Thomas stated that the body could be of a victim of foul play; as he said, "Marin County often serves as a dumping ground for San Francisco's murder victims." A photo of Marin County coroner Dr Donovan Cooke examining th...

At about 7:00pm on Wednesday, September 5, 1973 — two days after Labor Day  —  a man on horseback was out with his dog  near a fire road east of Skyline Drive in La Habra Heights, LA County, CA when he discovered human remains in a hilly area. The fully-clothed body was that of a teenage girl lying in an open grave that measured  12" deep, 69" long, and 27" wide.  As the body was found in the evening, authorities waited until daybreak September 6th to remove it to preserve possible evidence. Jane Doe's remains are listed as skeletal, however, due to some of the information provided, it seems that there was still some soft tissue remaining. A newspaper article from 2010 indicated that the remains were decomposing at the time of discovery.  Jane Doe had been killed by a single gunshot to the head either 30 to 60 days (according to contemporary clippings) or 30 to 90 days (according to modern sources as well as the police bulletin) before discovery. This ...

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...