14 h, sep 7, 1969 y - Castaic Jane Doe 1969 UID & HOMICIDE

Description:

At about 2pm on Sunday, September 7, 1969, three brothers — Charles, Larry, and Phillip Law — were out with their wives and children, hiking, target shooting, and picnicking in the area of Whitaker Peak, approximately 16-19mi south of Gorman and 9-10mi north of Castaic, Los Angeles County, CA. There they found the partial remains with soft tissues of a white female in a shallow grave near Whitaker Peak/Summit, a short distance from the Ridge Route. The area is within the Angeles National Forest, and the grave itself was about one mile off of the old Golden State Highway. The earliest newspaper clipping regarding the discovery noted that, "Deputies at the Newhall Sheriff's Substation said the body was unearthed near a truck trail that may be used to supply a US Forest Service lookout."

The brothers had been walking along the trail when they smelled an awful odor. Charles Law looked under the trees and saw what he first thought was a deer. When he got closer, he saw a leg sticking up and realized that it was human. The body had been unearthed from its shallow grave by animals. Her skull was not located. While COD was undetermined, Doe Network states that she had possibly been shot.

While official databases state that Jane Doe is estimated to have been 19-26 years old, contemporary newspapers stated that she was 18-25 or 20-25 years old. She died three to six months before being found, though one clipping stated 6-8 months instead. One of the Law brothers, Charles, told police that he used the area "practically every weekend for target shooting, and only two weeks ago had shot a bird not 20 feet from the shallow grave that he found Sunday." Charles did not see the body at that time; he said, "If it had been there then I should have seen it."

Due to the state of her remains, Jane Doe's weight and eye color could not be determined; however, one contemporary news article stated that she was estimated to have weighed 130 to 140 lbs. She was estimated to be about 5'5 to 5'6, and she had brown hair. Newspapers from the time specified that she had long, shoulder-length hair that was light brown with reddish tints.

Doe Network notes that it does not appear that Jane Doe was from the Santa Clarita Valley, and that she may have been a hitchhiker who was drawn to the Hollywood scene.

Jane Doe was wearing a white or light beige blouse or mini-dress, a photo of which is available on both websites. The blouse/mini-dress had a dark brown check and floral pattern. The fabric was an eyelet-type weave and was lined in a beige lining. The mini-dress or blouse measures 21 inches from collar to hemline.

A size 9.25 white metal ring with a cross on top was also found in Jane Doe's grave. The inside of the ring contains a stamped insignia with three candles. The ring was manufactured by James Avery Jewelers, which has stores in TX, OK, GA, LA, and CO. The ring was most likely purchased in Texas, near the Kerrville, Austin, or Dallas areas.

Jane Doe's dental records are available for comparison, while her DNA and fingerprints are not. She was reported to have had "perfect teeth," with the exception of "a small pinhole cavity with a silver filling."

She has zero MP rule-outs on NamUs. If you have any information regarding Jane Doe, please contact Betsy Magdaleno of the LA County Medical Examiner's Office at 323-343-0512. The agency case number is 1969-09955.

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CONFIRMATION OF COMPLETION DATE: May 31, 2025
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SEPT 7 1969
LUNAR PHASE:
ZODIAC SIGN:
DAY OF WEEK: Sunday

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