List of unidentified murder victims in California

In California, there are a number of [...] victims in the category of unidentified decedents, whose identities have yet to be found. In most of these cases, their [...] or murderers have also gone undiscovered.

"Sherry Doe"

On 16 November 1969, the body of a white female was located in Los Angeles, California. She had been stabbed to death multiple times two days before and left in a ravine at the side of a road. The young woman was between twenty and twenty-three and was five feet nine inches tall, weighing 112 pounds. Because of her clothing that was manufactured outside of the country, she is believed to have been native to countries such as Spain and Canada, as her boots and jacket were made in the respective areas. Other articles of clothing included cutoff shorts from Massachusetts, a leather belt and a sweater. A buckle on the belt was made of brass and the victim wore two rings, white and yellow in color and were both made of metal. The yellow ring contained a red stone and the white one had Native American designs and was created in Mexico. A woman matching her description had been seen days before with the inhabitants of Spahn Ranch. The woman had green eyes, brown hair with vaccination scars on her left arm and left thigh'. A scar was also found under her left breast a birthmark was located on her right buttock.

Hacienda Heights John Doe

On the night of 5 November 1972, the body of a young man who was between eighteen and twenty-five was discovered in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California. The victim had suffered several gunshot wounds, which were previously heard by residents. He was found at the base of a ditch next to a road that had blood visible on it, which was likely his. The John Doe wore a denim jacket, brown boots a pink shirt, bell bottoms and jeans with the words "love" and "peace" sewn on the legs, respectively. Jewelry worn by the decedent consisted of a gold-colored earring with a peace sign, a white chained rosary bead necklace. His brown or strawberry blond hair was long and his eyes were blue. He stood at six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds. He also may have worn a pair of yellow glasses found near his body.

Los Angeles County John Doe (1973)

On 5 February 1973, the [...] body of a young man, Between Seventeen and Twenty-five was located in a ditch near a freeway in Wilmington, California. He was five feet eight inches tall with a faint beard and medium-length brown hair with a fair complexion. His teeth were recorded to have had several fillings. He had been strangled and was sodomized with a sock 24 to 48 hours prior, possibly being murdered by Randy Kraft, who was a serial killer. His hair and eyes were brown in color.

Long Beach John Doe (1978)

A white teenage male, between fifteen and nineteen, was discovered less than a day after his death on 3 June 1978 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. He had been strangled and his right hand had been stamped with the word "paid," possibly indicating that he had attended some sort of festival or party recently. His hair was brown; his eyes were hazel and he was approximately five feet seven to five feet eleven inches tall and weighed between 130 and 145 pounds. He had been strangled and left at a parking lot lying face down. He wore running shoes and all of his clothing was blue, except for a brown belt. Examiners reported that he had a scar above one of his eyebrows.

Mendocino County Does

The skeletal remains of a young male and young female were discovered July 8, 1979, west of Willits in Mendocino County, California, near milepost 21 off of Highway 20. They had been bound with duct tape. The male was between ten and twenty years of age, possibly thirteen. He was between and tall, possibly , with light brown hair. The female was also between ten and twenty years old, perhaps no older than fourteen. She was between and tall, possibly . She also had light brown hair. The female was found with an earring of a bird, presumed to be handmade from a shell-like material. The two are estimated to have been murdered around 8 December 1978. Partly contrary to initial reports that there was "[A] high probability that the two were brother and sister", mitochondrial DNA testing indicate that these two are not related maternally. It is believed that they may have been in a romanic relationship, which could have been a reason why they were together. It is also presumed that they hitchhiked from as far away as the Midwestern United States, possibly being runaways. Investigators currently have no leads.

Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe

The body of a female aged seventeen to twenty-three was discovered on 6 or 7 June 1979 in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County, California. The victim was left at the edge of a vineyard and wore only green socks and Lower Quarter Earth brand leather boots. It is believed that the Jane Doe was dead within days before her body was found, although the cause of death and other circumstances have not been published. She was approximately five feet two inches with shoulder-length light brown hair and weighed between 100 to 110 pounds. Her teeth overlapped somewhat and one of her teeth was mesially fractured. Forty-four missing people have been excluded from the case.

Los Angeles County Jane Doe (1980)

On 26 August 1980, the remains of a female, also known as Jane Doe 18, were discovered in Newhall, Los Angeles County, California. The girl, between fifteen and twenty, had been shot in the back of the head two months to a year before she was found. The victim was white, with light brown to blond hair and was five feet four to five feet eight inches tall. Because of decomposition, her body was skeletonized; her eye color and weight were impossible to determine. The girl wore a red sweatshirt and was found with one hoop earring, indicating that she had pierced ears. Four fillings and a previous surgery were found in the victim's head area. The Jane Doe is presumed to be a victim of serial killer Doug Clark. One missing person has been ruled out as a possible identity of the victim.

San Bernardino County John Doe (1983)

The body of a teen was discovered inside of a gondola car near Bloomington, San Bernardino County, California on 20 June 1983. The victim, a Hispanic male, aged fifteen to seventeen, was killed by gunshot wounds. A pay stub was found with the body, with the name Ernesto Carillo Aguilar, with the birth date of 24 June 1963. However, authorities could not verify if it was his actual name, which indicates he was using a false name and may have been an illegal imigrant. The clothing he wore included a white shirt containing the letters NYC with an apple shape, possibly a reference to New York City. He also wore loafer shoes and a belt with a gold Harley Davidson buckle. He was five feet eleven inches tall and weighed 146 pounds, with dark brown, straight hair and with scars on his hand, right arm and right shoulder. The victim had been deceased within a day before this discovery.

Santa Clarita Does

On 8 January 1986, the partial skeletal remains of the first victim were located in the Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angeles County, California. The decedent is believed to have been female, although the victim may have been male and died between 1985 and 1986. The age of the person was between thirteen and seventeen, although through a dental examination, could have been as old as twenty-two. The person's race may have been Asian or Hispanic, with black hair, standing at four feet nine inches to four feet eleven inches. No traces of dental work were found in the mouth.

A second victim's skull was located near the same area on 26 July 1987. Unlike the previous victim, the skull was positively determined to be that of a female. She had dental fillings present in her teeth and was between thirty and sixty years old. The cause of her death could be due to decapitation. No other remains were ever located.

San Bernardino County John Doe (1986)

In Ontario, San Bernardino County, California, the body of a Caucasian male was discovered in the bedroom of a vacant house on 21 August 1986. He was of average build, standing between five feet eight inches and five feet ten inches and weighed between 130 to 140 pounds. The victim died as a result from trauma to the head and his body was left [...] approximately a week before it was discovered. His upper left incisor, which may have been absent at birth, was missing and some of the other teeth had moved into the gap. Despite that his remains were decomposing, two scars were found on his chin, which were about one inch long. His hair was light brown and he was between seventeen and twenty-two.

San Mateo County Jane Doe

On 11 January 1987, the body of a white female, locally known as Jane Doe 87-37, was located in Daly City, San Mateo County, California. Her body was disposed of on the side of a road, underneath a group of bushes by two bicyclists. A number of pills, imipramine and desimpramine, were found in her body, which she also overdosed on. Although she was strangled, her face had evidence of bruising and a cut lip and there were no signs that she used drugs, authorities concluded that she was likely force-fed the medication. The victim was around five feet three inches, 95 to 105 pounds and was approximately twenty-five to thirty years old when she died. She may have carried a child in the past and evidence was present that she had an appendectomy. She had straight, dark brown hair and brown eyes, her right may have had a cataract. The clothing the victim wore consisted of a hooded gray jacket with fleece lining, a hooded purple sweatshirt, a pair of brown and white socks, brown shoes and jeans. The shoes the victim wore were believed to have been expensive, despite that she may have been a transient. She wore no jewelry, had no observable dental work, had not shaved underneath her arms or her legs and had dandruff on her scalp. Two packs of cigarettes were found with the body, one of which was full. Before she died, the Jane Doe was seen at a diner, where she purchased the cigarettes, and was witnessed arguing with a man by bystanders across the street. Although the woman's face was recognizable and her DNA, fingerprints and dental information were recovered, she was never identified. Those intewrviewed by police who had seen the victim had no ideas who she was. Several missing people from the area that matched her description were eventually found alive.

Anaheim Jane Doe

A young female, also known as Jane Doe 87-4092 EL, who appeared to be a teenage runaway was located in Anaheim, Orange County, California. Her skeletal remains were found on 30 August 1987, at the side of a freeway in the Santa Ana Canyon, with some fragments of soft tissue present. The victim was slender in build and had light hair that was long and she was likely between 15 and 19 years old. At the crime scene, enough hair was found with the body to determine that the girl was blond when alive, although no belongings were discovered. Her skull was reconstructed by Shannon Collis in hopes of identifying the body. Three of her teeth had visible cavities and six were missing. She was estimated to be between five feet one to five feet four inches tall. It is believed that the victim had died around six weeks before, possibly by stabbing in the chest area, as damage to the ribs suggested. Therefore, her death was ruled as a [...].

San Diego County John Doe (1991)

A young man was struck in the back of his head with a two-by-four on 8 September 1991 in San Diego, California. The man died later that day. He was between seventeen and twenty-nine years old and was five feet eight inches at a weight of 112 pounds. He had dark hair and brown eyes and may have spoken to doctors in Vietnamese, although it is not certain if this was true. At the time of death, he wore a long-sleeved shirt with a plaid design and a white undershirt. It has not been published if he wore anything other than these two garments.

Los Angeles County John Does (1992)

Two Hispanic teenage boys were shot at a bus stop on on 19 July 1992. The older victim, estimated to be between seventeen and nineteen, wore a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes and had a scar on both of his thighs and one of his hips. The boy also had a small amount of facial hair and had a darker complexion than his companion. He stood at five feet six inches and weighed 170 pounds. He was initially believed to have been between thirteen and sixteen. The other victim was between fourteen and seventeen and was of the same height, but weighed 128 pounds; his hair was somewhat longer than the other victim. He wore jeans and tennis shoes, like the older male, but wore a Casio watch and a scar was observable on one of his forearms. This victim died the same day he was found, but the other lived until 20 July. His original age estimation was between twelve and sixteen. The two males allegedly died after a gang initiation took place.

Los Angeles County Jane Doe (1992)

On 9 December 1992, the body of a Hispanic female was discovered inside of several trash bags in South Central Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. Despite that she was four feet six inches, she was at the age of fourteen to twenty-five years old. She wore a white shirt and skirt, two silver-colored rings on hand, a black belt and a purple slip. She was of medium complexion and build, weighing 127 pounds. The cause of her death was due to being stabbed several times.

Santa Clara County John Does

The bodies of two Hispanic men were discovered in July 1997 in Gilroy, Santa Clara County, California. The first victim's torso was found severely decomposed on 16 July; his skull was later found. He was between thirty and fifty. His clothing included a Nike shirt and jeans. A second man was found on 31 July and was fifteen to forty years old. Both men were between five feet five and five feet seven inches and may have been killed by asphyxiation. It is also believed that they were disposed of in a sewer line, which lead to the Gilroy Sewage Treatment Plant. They may have been native to Mexico and could have been involved in the [...] trade. They likely were murdered on the same day, up to a year prior.

See also

• List of unidentified [...] victims in the United States