A Woman's Body Was Found 46 Years Ago Off Highway 74. She Finally Has A Name.

PALM DESERT, CA — The body of an unidentified woman found 46 years ago near Palm Desert finally has a name. Now, investigators are seeking the public’s help to help solve her homicide.

On February 18, 1980, motorists traveling on Highway 74, south of Cahuilla, spotted the body. The remains were about 35 feet down a ravine, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

At the time of the grim discovery, investigators described the victim as a 20- to 25-year-old white woman with brown hair, approximately 5-feet 4-inches tall, and weighing about 115 pounds.

Despite their efforts, including comparisons of fingerprints and dental records, investigators were unable to identify Jane Doe.

A photograph taken of the woman during an autopsy was released to the public in hopes of generating leads. But no viable information was received, and the case eventually went cold.

The case was reviewed again in 2008 and 2009, but no new leads were developed, according to the DA’s office.

Over the decades, however, DNA technology — specifically, investigative genetic genealogy — has helped crack hundreds of cold cases. With the new tools, county investigators wanted another chance to try to identify their Jane Doe.

So on December 4, 2024, her remains were exhumed. Bone and tissue samples were collected for DNA analysis and sent to Texas-headquartered OTHRAM Labs, a private forensic laboratory.

Finally, in January 2026, a DNA profile was developed for Jane Doe, and that information was uploaded to a direct-to-consumer ancestry database. It didn’t take long before her DNA showed a potential match to “a close relative” in Alabama, according to the DA’s office.

Investigators contacted those family members. In turn, they reported that a relative, Victoria Jean Hargrove, had gone missing from her home in Opelika, Alabama, on January 28, 1980.

Hargrove's disappearance was reported to local law enforcement at that time, but the mystery went unsolved.

Hargrove’s family voluntarily provided DNA samples for comparison to what investigators had on file for their Jane Doe. With that, on March 20, 2026, the California Department of Justice Crime Laboratory officially confirmed the victim's identity: Victoria Jean Hargrove. She was just 29 years old when she vanished.

Investigators are now seeking additional information regarding Hargrove’s mysterious disappearance and the circumstances surrounding her death, including what may have brought her to California.

The Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team is asking the community to contact investigators with any information about Hargrove or her homicide — any leads, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can be reported to the Supervising Investigator, Billy Hester, at 951-955-0070, or by emailing coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org.