oct 30, 1980 - Placer County Jane Doe 1980 UID & HOMICIDE

Description:

At about 9am on Thursday, October 30, 1980, a hiker discovered a badly decomposed body in a brush-covered field near the intersection of Colfax & Iowa Hill Rd.s in Colfax, Placer County, CA. Traffic on the Colfax-Iowa Hill Road was halted that morning while sheriff's investigators examined the scene, which was less than a mile west of the Iowa Hill Bridge.

It was determined that the body, which was that of a young woman, had been deceased for at least one year, and her estimated year of death is 1979. Her COD is undetermined, and there were no weapons or signs of violence at the scene, but her case is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators were unsure whether she died at the scene, which is a known dumping site for trash, or at a different location.

Jane Doe was estimated to be a white female, 18-27 year old; however, a newspaper article from the time stated that she was believed to be 18-22 years old. She was 5'0-5'5 tall and had brown hair with reddish/blond coloration. Due to the condition of her remains, her weight and eye color could not be determined. She was wearing dark blue Levi's jeans; a blue-ish multicolored halter top, size small; and blue Adidas tennis shoes with a white stripe, size 3.5. A blanket was also found near the scene, though a description of it is unavailable.

Jane Doe's dentals are available for comparison, while her fingerprints and DNA are not. She has two MP exclusions on NamUs: Jane Doe is not Connie Minchaca or Alma Root. There are photos of a sculpted reconstruction of the victim's face on official databases.

Anyone with information regarding Jane Doe is urged to please contact the Placer County Sheriff's Office Coroner Division at 916-409-8253.

On May 2, 2025 I submitted Denise Dorfman and Placer County Jane Doe 1980 as a potential match on Doe Network. Mary Bell of DN responded, "Thank you for the suggested match. I don't show any comparison of these having been done so I will have our panel look at it. If [it] is proven to be a positive match, I will contact you further."

-----
CONFIRMATION OF COMPLETION DATE: May 31, 2025
—
Cases mentioned above that are also/will be present on this timeline:
Connie Minchaca, Denise Dorfman; Alma Root
-----

OCT 30 1980
LUNAR PHASE:
ZODIAC SIGN: scorpio
DAY OF WEEK: Thursday

Added to timeline:

Date: