– Jane Doe Orange County murder victim identified after four decades
– Jane Doe Orange County cold case victim finally named after over 40 years.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) has recently made a breakthrough in a cold case that has baffled investigators for over four decades. The remains of a Jane Doe homicide victim, discovered over 41 years ago, have finally been identified.
In April 1983, a group of children playing near the area of Canada and Old Trabuco roads in what is now Lake Forest stumbled upon a human skull in a culvert. Following an excavation, approximately 70 percent of a female’s human remains were recovered. An anthropology examination revealed that the victim was a Black or mixed-race female, aged between 18-24 years old, standing between 5’3″ and 5’6″ with a slight build and a distinctive gold tooth. Despite extensive efforts, her identity remained a mystery for decades.
In 2022, OCSD submitted a DNA sample from Jane Doe to Othram Laboratories, with funding provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NamUs). The DNA extraction and testing resulted in a genetic profile, allowing OCSD’s Cold Case investigators to launch investigative genetic genealogy in collaboration with the FBI’s Regional Genealogy Team. Despite exhaustive efforts, a direct familial connection could not be established, and multiple forensic renderings of Jane Doe were released over the years.
In late 2023, investigators reached out to a distant genetic relative of the victim, who suggested sharing Jane Doe’s forensic renderings on a Facebook group dedicated to Jane Does and missing women from the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately a month after the posting, a woman contacted investigators, believing that the Lake Forest Jane Doe could be her missing mother.
Maritza Glean Grimmett, a native of Panama, married a U.S. Marine in the summer of 1978 and gave birth to a daughter. The family relocated to the U.S., residing in Columbus, Ohio, and Millington, Tennessee from late 1978 through mid-1979. In July 1979, the couple began divorce proceedings. Maritza informed her sister of her plans to move to California, after which her family lost contact with her.
Relatives of Maritza provided DNA samples, confirming that Jane Doe was Maritza Glean Grimmett, who was 20 years old at the time of her disappearance.
Investigators are actively pursuing Maritza’s homicide case. Anyone with information is urged to contact Investigator Bob Taft at 714-647-7045 or coldcase@ocsheriff.gov. Anonymous tips can be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or occrimestoppers.org.
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– Jane Doe Orange County homicide victim identified after years
– Jane Doe Orange County homicide victim identified after long years.
