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Desert Jane: Cold Case Solved After 30 Years?
27 May
Summary
- A woman's body found in the desert in 1994 has been identified.
- Advances in forensic science, including DNA analysis, led to the identification.
- Investigators are seeking community help to identify the victim.
A cold case homicide from the California desert, dating back to 1994, is gaining new traction thanks to forensic science. On October 20, 1994, employees of Southern California Edison found the body of an unidentified woman in the desert near Desert Center. Investigators at the time described her as being between 25 and 35 years old with distinctive jewelry.
For decades, identification efforts proved unsuccessful. However, the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team re-examined the case in 2023. Utilizing advances in forensic investigative genetic genealogy, bone samples were analyzed for DNA. This led to the creation of a victim profile, which was uploaded to an ancestry database.
In 2024, a photo rendition and ancestry information determined the victim was of Southeast Asian descent with brown eyes and black hair. Riverside investigators are now appealing to the community for any information regarding her identity, jewelry, disappearance, or death. Anyone with details is urged to contact Investigator Ebony Caviness or the cold case unit via email.
