2 h, sep 1, 1977 y - Daphne Elizabeth Collier HOMICIDE & POSSIBLE SEXUAL ASSAULT

Description:

Daphne had been in the foster system for three years at the time of her death. Her biological father was named John P. Collier, and he lived at 20291 Franciscan Way in Salinas. Her biological mother — name not mentioned in any sources — supposedly lived in Oregon, and Daphne was trying to hitchhike to go visit her. According to a camp counselor, Daphne, "didn't feel welcome in her own home and she didn't want to stay"; it's unclear if the home in question was her foster home, or the home of her biological father.

On August 12, 1977, a Monterey County Superior Court judge declared Daphne an emancipated minor. Her most recent foster parents were Dee Fernandez and Dee's husband. Daphne's desire to leave Seaside stemmed from a disagreement she had with another child, Dee had said. Despite her recent emancipation, some newspapers stated that Daphne started hitchhiking directly from her foster home.

Before she left Seaside, Daphne drew a star over/around her right eye and "little circles drawn in a flower-like fashion" under her left eye with a felt pen. She left wearing overalls, a jacket, shoes, and hat, along with panties and a Young Life football jersey from a Christian high school group camp that she attended the first week of August. She also brought with her a backpack, tote bag, and purse.

Daphne hitchhiked along the I-80 freeway, planning to visit her biological mother in Oregon. On the evening of Wednesday, August 31, 1977, Daphne was picked up by a female motorist in Davis. The motorist noticed the drawings around Daphne's eyes, indicating that Daphne had drawn/painted them before hitchhiking. The motorist told investigators that she dropped Daphne off near Sacramento, in the vicinity of the I-80 and I-5 intersection.

After being dropped off by the female motorist at the intersection of 15th St and W St, Daphne was seen on the I-5 freeway on-ramp there, trying to catch another ride. This was the last time she was seen alive.

At either 7:00 or 7:20am on September 1, 1977, Daphne's body was found by dove hunters in the southeastern section of Sacramento County, in a field east of Mather Air Force Base. She was found on the side of Grant Line Rd, about 0.75mi south of Douglas Rd.

Daphne had been strangled to death with a black, white, and red scarf that was still tied around her throat. She was found wearing only her underwear and Young Life football jersey. The rest of her clothing and belongings, including her shoes (and socks (if she was wearing any to begin with)) that she had with her were missing. She had green grass stains on the soles of her feet, "indicating she had been barefoot before being strangled."

Daphne was identified through fingerprints, which the State Department of Justice had on file because she was a frequent runaway from a series of foster homes. Investigators/coroner's deputies estimated that she was killed at approx. 2am on Sept. 1.

The Sacramento Sheriff's Dept.'s cold case page states that Daphne had been sexually assaulted. However, none of the newspaper clippings from the time say that she was: in fact, they all state that there was no evidence of sexual assault or rape, according to the coroner.

On September 3rd, an investigator said, "We don't know if she was killed right there or if the body was transported." However, investigators were looking into the possibility that she was killed and shoved through strands of barbed wire fence that bordered the Grant Line Road field where she was found. No suspects were ever named in Daphne's case. Her murder is still unsolved.

ADD STUFF ABT CONNECTION TO CECELIA JACOBSEN

LUNAR PHASE: waning gibbous
ZODIAC SIGN: virgo
DAY OF WEEK: Wed. (Aug. 31), Thurs. (Sept. 1)
EVENTS: Sept. 5 = Labor Day (4-5 days later)
Aug. 31: Moon Decreasing Node 17:21; Sept. 1: Venus 34.3*W

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