Authorities ID Teen Killed By 1969 At Downtown Oakland Hotel

OAKLAND, CA — A body found strangled to death at a hotel in Oakland nearly 60 years ago has been identified, and police believe she may have been the victim of a suspected serial killer who was once on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, according to authorities.

The body found at the former Hotel St. Louis in the 500 block of Seventh Street in Oct. 1969 was identified as 16-year-old Joanne Yvonne Burdick, also known as "Joanie" to her family, the Oakland Police Department announced on Thursday, just one day before the 57th anniversary of her death.

"Today’s announcement is about Joanie—about restoring her identity, honoring her life, and bringing long-overdue closure to her family after nearly sixty years," FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble said in a statement. "This outcome reflects the unwavering collaboration between the FBI, the Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Coroner’s Office."

Joanie was strangled to death at the hotel, according to police. Witnesses described seeing her enter a hotel room with a white or Native American man, which police believe was Taylor Morris Teaford, according to authorities.

Teaford at the time was also a suspect in the death of his grandmother, who was killed in Northern California two years earlier, according to authorities.

Police say staff described hearing a scream from the room Joanie and the suspect were in. The suspect then left before officers arrived, authorities said.

When officers arrived, they found a woman's body in the room, police said.

Law enforcement struggled to identify Joanie for decades. That is, until a living relative provided DNA that helped confirm Joanie's identity, authorities said.

Her suspected killer, meanwhile, was never arrested or convicted of the accusations against him. Police say Teaford served time in prison for several crimes, the most significant being rape.

It's unclear what happened to Teaford. Authorities say they're still investigating his whereabouts.

"There are leads on that portion of the case," Oakland Police Department Chief James Beere said during a press conference on Thursday. "We don't have an actual answer as to where he's at right now or if he's even still alive, but there are additional searches and some more technology that is going to be used to hopefully figure out where he's at."