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Desert Cold Case Solved After 50 Years: Victim Identified
12 Aug
Summary
- A 50-year-old cold case homicide victim found in Riverside County has been identified.
- Advances in forensic genetic genealogy helped identify the victim as Rebecca Jean McMahan.
- McMahan was reported missing in 1973 and her body was found in 1974.
A victim from a 50-year-old cold case homicide investigation has finally been identified, thanks to advances in forensic science. The body was discovered partially buried in the remote Riverside County desert on January 19, 1974.
Investigators were unable to identify the victim for five decades, despite using fingerprints and dental records. The Regional Cold Case Homicide Team re-examined the case and utilized forensic investigative genetic genealogy. Bone samples were analyzed, and DNA was uploaded to an ancestry database, leading to the identification of relatives.
The victim was identified as Rebecca Jean McMahan, also known as Becky McMahan or Becky Solis. She was 19 years old when she was reported missing by her family on July 3, 1973. She was last seen on June 11, 1973, and had lived in Washington and various California locations.
McMahan was described as a White female, approximately 5-foot-3, weighing 120 to 145 pounds, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. She had distinct tattoos: 'SS' on her ankle and a butterfly on her right chest. Investigators are appealing for anyone with information regarding Rebecca or the circumstances surrounding her death to contact the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team.
