Identified! CA - Los Angeles, HispFem Child 1214UFCA, 3-5, aka 'Little Cowboy', Jul'77

[aThousandYearsWide]

Her case reminds me of the Ingelwood John Doe case [ Inglewood John Doe (1994) ], a little boy found in a storage unit in 1994. Both children were recently identified, cause of death was never released, had very little to no coverage, both cases have so much mystery surrounding them, and their names were both withheld upon identification. I'm extremely glad these babies got their name back, but I'd least want to know they got some justice (assuming they were killed by their caretakers or someone close to them since they were never reported missing). I hope that isn't the case BTW, but it sure makes you wonder. If their relatives were responsible then why protect the perpetrator by not publicly release the name so there brief lives can be celebrated. I understand the relatives of the perpetrators wanting their privacy by not releasing (to avoid what Marcia King's family went through for not reporting her missing) but the way I look at is spreading awareness by sharing the story and maybe preventing this from happening to other children. Then again not everyone is going to be a John Walsh, Patty Wetterling, or Elizabeth Smart. Looking at Anjelica Castillo's case her mother was afraid of reporting her missing in fear of deportation. Makes you wonder how many others haven't been reported for similar reasons. Accidental death maybe? I'd like to think it isn't always criminal... Wish I could at least see a picture of what this baby looked like in life.

Correct a typo: I'd AT least want to know they got justice.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

I wonder if they will release her ID

5 years later she still hasn’t had her ID released. Maybe it’s a Lyle Stevik type deal where the family specifically requested for the name of the deceased to be withheld.

 

[cvaldez1975]

i wonder why they are afforded that.. it would seem that they are responsible in some way, if she wasnt reported missing.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

i wonder why they are afforded that.. it would seem that they are responsible in some way, if she wasnt reported missing.

Yeah. That’s my assumption usually when I see a child, especially under 10, found deceased. The parents seem to be the culprits here I feel like. If they are still alive (probably in their 70s or 80s now) they probably want to hide her identity from the public just so they don’t get accused or caught. I find it odd that they didn’t report her missing.

 

[Goecke]

The little boy found in Greece NY also had his identity withheld. With these child cases, maybe they need the family's permission to release their identities but their families are all deceased/can't be found? And/or their killer was identified and is known to be deceased so the case is closed? Just throwing out some ideas.

 

[Jerri Blank]

Is it theoretically possible to find an identity through death records searching date of discovery? Not suggesting folks go against family wishes, just curious what is and isn’t public info. It seems odd somehow that a person’s death would be hidden from the world. Like it negates their existence almost.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

The little boy found in Greece NY also had his identity withheld. With these child cases, maybe they need the family's permission to release their identities but their families are all deceased/can't be found? And/or their killer was identified and is known to be deceased so the case is closed? Just throwing out some ideas.

Maybe. I can see that being plausible. A lot of child Does with their names withheld are also newborns too so they were likely nameless to begin with. However both Greece John Doe and Little Cowboy were older toddlers, about four years old.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Is it theoretically possible to find an identity through death records searching date of discovery? Not suggesting folks go against family wishes, just curious what is and isn’t public info. It seems odd somehow that a person’s death would be hidden from the world. Like it negates their existence almost.

It’s definitely strange. I’m still mad at whoever decided to go against Lyle’s family’s wishes and leak his identity.

 

[Jerri Blank]

It’s definitely strange. I’m still mad at whoever decided to go against Lyle’s family’s wishes and leak his identity.

Absolutely. I lost a family member to suicide and he was found by strangers. Because we were actively looking for him and he was somewhere that was able to be connected to him, he was easier to ID and it never hit the media. While his manner of death doesn’t cause me any shame, I know older, more religious generations would struggle to have the full story be public knowledge.

 

[Goecke]

Maybe. I can see that being plausible. A lot of child Does with their names withheld are also newborns too so they were likely nameless to begin with. However both Greece John Doe and Little Cowboy were older toddlers, about four years old.

In those cases, even if the baby never got a name the mother (or both parents if they were both involved) is named publicly.
Another thing I thought of is that her parents/likely killer(s) are deceased but she has living siblings that don't want her name to be released? It could be that the parents aren't the ones making the decision to keep her identity withheld.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

In those cases, even if the baby never got a name the mother (or both parents if they were both involved) is named publicly.
Another thing I thought of is that her parents/likely killer(s) are deceased but she has living siblings that don't want her name to be released? It could be that the parents aren't the ones making the decision to keep her identity withheld.

Maybe. She could have living siblings or cousins, maybe aunts or uncles who she was close to that don’t want it released so they can grieve in private.

 

[Goecke]

Englewood John Doe, a child who was mentioned on this thread as being a similar case, was named Kenneth Gridiron Jr. He was identified in 2017 and his name was released, there was even an article where his father was interviewed post-identification. It sounds like Kenneth was never officially reported missing (or if he was he never made it into any database) and he was considered as an identity for the unidentified child when he was found, but he was ruled out for whatever reason. His half-sister was murdered and found under similar circumstances and Kenneth's body was found during the investigation. Despite all of this, none of us here on websleuths (or the greater UID community) made the connection until now.

Resolved - Ca - Inglewood, UnkMale 2-5, UP3708, K-Mart sweatshirt, in storage facility, Feb'94 - NamUs removed

Hello everyone, I recently stumbled upon the case of an unidentified 2-5 years old whose remains were found in 1994 in Inglewood, CA. The Doe Network: 2481UMCA However, on this page, it's written that the John Doe has been identified in 2017, and that his name is withheld. Inglewood John Doe...

www.websleuths.com

It makes me wonder if Little Cowboy's name is out there too but any articles reporting on it didn't get enough attention to be noticed.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Englewood John Doe, a child who was mentioned on this thread as being a similar case, was named Kenneth Gridiron Jr. He was identified in 2017 and his name was released, there was even an article where his father was interviewed post-identification. It sounds like Kenneth was never officially reported missing (or if he was he never made it into any database) and he was considered as an identity for the unidentified child when he was found, but he was ruled out for whatever reason. His half-sister was murdered and found under similar circumstances and Kenneth's body was found during the investigation. Despite all of this, none of us here on websleuths (or the greater UID community) made the connection until now.

Resolved - Ca - Inglewood, UnkMale 2-5, UP3708, K-Mart sweatshirt, in storage facility, Feb'94 - NamUs removed

Hello everyone, I recently stumbled upon the case of an unidentified 2-5 years old whose remains were found in 1994 in Inglewood, CA. The Doe Network: 2481UMCA However, on this page, it's written that the John Doe has been identified in 2017, and that his name is withheld. Inglewood John Doe...

www.websleuths.com

It makes me wonder if Little Cowboy's name is out there too but any articles reporting on it didn't get enough attention to be noticed.

Her name is out there - LA County Death Records are public record. As far as I can see no mainstream media is reporting on her case. She was 3 years old.

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Her name is out there - LA County Death Records are public record. As far as I can see no mainstream media is reporting on her case. She was 3 years old.

I see; so young RIP sweet girl

 

[Goecke]

Her name is out there - LA County Death Records are public record. As far as I can see no mainstream media is reporting on her case. She was 3 years old.

How do you view the records? Do you have to request a death certificate? It seems like the records on the LA county coroner's cite only go back to the '90s.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

How do you view the records? Do you have to request a death certificate? It seems like the records on the LA county coroner's cite only go back to the '90s.

I searched on Ancestry by death date.

 

[Goecke]

I'm pretty sure I found her- Obviously I can't say for 100% since there's such little information (either on Little Cowboy's identification or the girl I found). Hopefully her murder has been quietly solved and LE hasn't given up on her.