mar 1, 1978 - Alameda County Jane Doe 1978 UID & HOMICIDE

Description:

On Wednesday, March 1, 1978, Delta-Mendota Canal personnel discovered the remains of a young female lying face-down on the side of the road near mile marker 3.40 on Mountain House Rd in Livermore, Alameda County, CA, near the San Joaquin County line. Her lower torso, still clothed, was mummified, while her skull, collarbone, and some ribs were skeletal. Her arms and hands were not present, having been carried away by animals.

Jane Doe had been shot in the head with what was believed to be a .357 caliber magnum slug. A towel still wrapped around her neck indicated that she had also been strangled. She was the victim of a homicide, and had died some months prior to being found, having died in 1977-1978. One contemporary clipping specified that she had been dead for two to three months, putting her death at approximately December 1977 to January 1978.

Based on the angle of the bullet's trajectory, which traveled from right to left, it is believed that Jane Doe was sitting up when shot. Investigators believe that Jane Doe was killed elsewhere then dumped at the site, beneath shrubbery near the Delta-Mendota Canal pumping station on Mountain House Rd, as the bullet was not found, and there was no sign of a struggle at the scene, which was noted to be a "very wet area."

Contemporary sources claimed that Jane Doe was believed to be a mix of white and Indigenous, based on analysis of the skull and other bones. Modern sources simply list Jane Doe as white. Because the reason for this is unclear, I have still tagged this post with MMIWG.

Jane Doe was estimated to be about 19-21 years old, 5'6, and 110-120 lbs. A contemporary source noted that Jane Doe was "no older than 20," while another puts her at 18-21 years old. She had long, dark hair that was "quite wavy", 12in or longer. The hair on her legs was rather long, consistent with not shaving them. Her pubic hair was black. No shoes were found with her. Discovered near her body was a cardigan-type orange knit sweater with seven buttons & buttonholes on the front, and no collar or label.

Jane Doe was wearing light brown waist to feet panty house; white cloth knitted pattern panties; calf-length multi-colored tie dye socks, printed with designs of apple pie wedges, the shape of a fork, and the words "my apple pie"; and a shirt and pants. Her shirt was a light blue or gray cotton knit blouse. The neckline and arm holes show some embroidered or lace cloth surrounding it.

Jane Doe's pants were light blue denim, with quilting around the hips and from knee down. The pants had a zipper in front with a metal button, two small front pockets, and no rear pockets. The brand name of the pants was "On Time" by "Prime Time", and the waist and inseam measurements were 29in and 35.5in, respectively. The label stated "Made in British Colony Hong Kong, 100% Cotton RN45507."

There is only one exclusion on Jane Doe's NamUs page, which was last updated in February 2024. Kimberly Stewart is present on the exclusion list of Alameda County Jane Doe 1978. However, the reverse is not true.

Because of this, on June 12, 2025, I submitted the pair as a possible match on the Doe Network in the hopes of finding out whether or not they have actually been ruled out as a match.

Mary Bell of DN replied, "Most probably what happened was that Kimberly was not yet listed on
NAMUS when they made that exclusion. Sorry, but it would not get voted to forward to law enforcement if it's on the UID's exclusion list. Unfortunately, listing NAMUS exclusions is not a high priority. We get exclusions all the time that never show up on the NAMUS exclusion list."

Jane Doe's dentals are available for comparison, though it is unknown if her fingerprints or DNA are. Anyone with information is urged to please call the Alameda County Sheriff's Office- Coroner's Bureau at (510) 382-3000. The agency case number is 78-50829.

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** Note: I am the creator and manager of her FindAGrave memorial. **

WRITE-UP COMPLETION DATE: May 23, 2025
LAST UPDATED: June 13, 2025

Cases mentioned above that are also/will be present on this timeline:
Kimberly Stewart
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MARCH 1
LUNAR PHASE:
ZODIAC SIGN:
DAY OF WEEK: Wednesday

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