Badlands Cold Case: Who Killed This Woman and Dumped Her Body Along Freeway?

BEAUMONT, CA - Two decades after she was found, cold case investigators are still attempting to identify a homicide victim dumped alongside a freeway in Beaumont.

Riverside County sheriff's detectives this week re-posted information related to "Jane Doe'' in the hope of generating leads that could determine what happened to her and why, according to Sgt. Robert Thompson.

The victim was located on the morning of Jan. 27, 1996, alongside the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway, roughly 1 1/2 miles east of Gilman Springs Road.

Thompson said a motorist spotted the remains while driving through the area, known as the "Badlands'' for its remoteness, and alerted the California Highway Patrol, who in turn summoned sheriff's investigators.

The woman was either Hispanic, Native American or Asian, possibly mixed, 20-30 years old, 5 feet tall and about 130 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She was fully clothed, wearing a gray tweed checkered blazer, purple sweater, blue jeans with an "Original Honey Dip'' label and white Keds shoes.

According to Thompson, the victim was wearing two gold necklaces -- one adorned with a rose stem symbol and two leaves, the other with a religious medal bearing the word "Jesus'' on one side, "Mary'' on the other. She also had on two gold rings -- one a possible wedding band with a floral design, the other bearing two clear stones -- and a gold wristwatch with a flower-shaped cover and several clear stones.

"The victim had a small scar on her chin and a surgical scar on her right abdomen,'' the sergeant said. "Evidence indicates that she was possibly married and had possibly given birth in the past.''

He would not disclose the cause of death.

A sketch of the woman was made at the time and distributed, apparently without any response. Detectives have placed it back on the sheriff's website: http://www.riversidesheriff.org/coroner/unidentified/1996-0527.asp .
Anyone with information was asked to contact the cold case unit at (951) 955-1187.

--City News Service