Bizarre Twist In 2014 'Mom-In-The-Box' Case

MONTEREY, CA — A DNA analysis has revealed the true identity of a deceased woman who was at the center of a 2014 cold case in Monterey, police said.

According to the Monterey Police Department, officers found a woman who died of starvation at an apartment on Fourth Street on Feb. 4, 2014. She was initially identified as Francesca Linda Jacobs.

Monterey officers were shocked when they discovered another dead woman in the residence. She was inside a box under the kitchen table while being fully clothed, police said.

"The virtually empty apartment that Francesca Jacobs had been living in for the past 12 years revealed a handwritten will, outlining that the woman in the box was her mother, whom she identified as Florence Jacobs. Due to the condition of the remains in the box, which appeared to have been in that state for many years, no cause of death could be determined and foul play
could not be ruled out," Monterey police said in a press release.

Investigators noticed something was off as Francesca looked much older than her listed age of 58 years on her California driver's license.

"Additionally, her driver's license photo seemed to show a much older woman. The records
for 'Francesca Jacobs' were only related to her time living on the Monterey Peninsula,
starting in the 1990s. Almost no records could be found for Jacobs' 'mother,'" police said.

In 2022, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office Cold Case Task Force with the county's Sheriff-Coroner's office began a joint effort to identify all unknown human remains cases in Monterey County, including the case of Francesca and Florence Jacobs, which garnered a reputation as the "Mom-in-the-Box" case.

Samples from both women were used to create DNA profiles that could be used in Forensic Genetic Genealogy through Othram, a private forensics lab based in Texas.

"The new process, utilizing Othram's DNA profile work, led to surprising facts and a truth
that had been known only to the woman who had died in 2014 in Monterey," according to police.
Francesca turned out to be Linda Rae Jacobs, born in 1942, 12 years older than she had led people to believe. She was also confirmed to be the daughter of Florence.

"Utilizing the newly developed DNA facts, MPD Detectives followed new leads and contacted relatives, including a previous husband who helped confirm the true identities and the unusually strong life-long bond between the daughter and mother," Monterey police said.

Investigators concluded that no foul play occurred in the deaths of the two women.

"Many who may have shed light on other details as a result of knowing both women earlier in their lives, have also passed away," police said. "The reasons Linda Rae Jacobs assumed a new name or why she would keep her mother's body in a box under the kitchen table will likely never be known."

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