New Forensic Rendering to Identify 1983 Jane Doe

Orange County Sheriff's investigators have released an updated forensic rendering of a 1983 Jane Doe in an effort to identify the woman and hopefully generate new leads on her homicide case.  

In April 1983 near Canada road in the City of Lake Forest, a human female skull was discovered, and nearly 70 percent of her remains were excavated. Based on the preliminary anthropological analysis, it is believed Jane Doe was 18-24 years old, Black or possibly mixed-race, and 5'3 to 5'6 with a slight build. She had a distinctive front tooth with a gold crown on the left lateral incisor. No official cause of death was found; however, investigators believe it was a homicide. 

After the case ran cold in 1983, investigators reopened the case in 2018 after convicted serial killer Samuel Little confessed to targeting Black females between 1970 and 2005 in multiple states. There was no plausible link between Little and Jane Doe. Again, the case went cold till 2019. The Sheriff's Department in 2019 partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to produce a forensic rendering (a scan of the victim's facial features) of Jane Doe. The image was circulated but no new information was discovered. 

The Sheriff's Department is determined to identify Jane Doe and now has partnered with forensic artist Carl Koppelman to develop an updated rendering based on evidence evaluation. 

Anyone who recognizes or may have information regarding Jane Doe is asked to contact Investigator Bob Taft at 714-647-7045 or email coldcase@ocsheriff.gov. Anonymous tips may be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227 or at occrimestoppers.org. 

Visit https://www.ocsheriff.gov/news/investigators-release-new-forensic-rendering-identify-1983-jane-doe to read the full news release from the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 

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