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Decapitated Body Found in California Vineyard Finally Identified After 13 Years

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – In a shocking revelation, the identity of a decapitated body discovered almost 13 years ago in a vineyard near Arvin, California, has finally been determined.

Back in March 2011, the remains of a woman’s decapitated body were found in a vineyard located in Kern County. The circumstances surrounding the discovery were unsettling, as the body was found completely nude and positioned on its back in a deliberate manner.

While finding bodies in vineyards and orchards throughout the county was not uncommon, this particular case stood out due to its gruesome and rare nature. Former Kern County Sheriff’s Lt. David Hubbard described it as “very unusual” and emphasized that homicides involving mutilated bodies were infrequent.

According to Ray Pruitt, a former member of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, it appeared that the perpetrator had drained the blood from the victim’s body, leaving a clean crime scene behind.

Pruitt stated, “This person took their time to pull into this dirt access road, remove the body, place it on the ground, and pose it in what I would consider a sexual manner and wanted the body found like that.”

Despite extensive efforts, law enforcement initially struggled to identify the victim. Investigators found no distinctive features that could aid in identification, leading them to believe that the killer intentionally made her unrecognizable. Furthermore, the woman’s thumbs had been removed. As she had no criminal history, her thumbprints were not on file for documents such as driver’s licenses or passports.

Additionally, the woman’s head was never recovered, further complicating the investigation.

However, there has been a breakthrough in the case. The remains have now been identified as those of Ada Beth Kaplan, a 64-year-old resident of Canyon Country, according to the officials from the coroner’s office.

Despite exhaustive attempts to determine her identity, Kaplan was eventually laid to rest in Union Cemetery. In 2020, the coroner’s office collaborated with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, which utilized a DNA profile to construct a family tree. This effort yielded two potential family members who provided DNA samples for comparison, leading to the identification of Ada Beth Kaplan.

Officials stated, “Kern County Sheriff detectives followed up on the investigation and interviewed family members, revealing that no missing person report had been filed for her.”

Unfortunately, the exact location of Kaplan’s murder and the identity of her killer remain unknown, according to the coroner’s office.

As of now, authorities have not released any further details. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has yet to respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.