Identified! CA - Rancho Cucamonga, WhtFem 633UFCA, 15-30, in vineyard, Jun'79 - *GRAPHIC* - Karen Marie Heverly

[SleutherGirl]

The recreation's not half bad. Nose and eyes are spot on in my opinion.

 

[SimsGuy67]

We have a photo now:

Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe (1979) is now Identified

San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department Teams with Othram to Identify 1979 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

Great to see!

The nose seems pretty close, but the facial expression is likely skewing my opinion about the similarity with the rest of the face.

 

[stefaniied]

I have a subscription to newspapers.com and there are no articles about her disappearance at all, and there are no info on Internet, looks like she wasnt even reported missing... Weird

 

[SimsGuy67]

I have a subscription to newspapers.com and there are no articles about her disappearance at all, and there are no info on Internet, looks like she wasnt even reported missing... Weird

It could be that way, but maybe her missing persons report was lost in a filing cabinet somewhere or, as I'm fearing, police refused to take a missing persons report due to the fact that Karen was a runaway. The report may have also been purged when she turned 18, which was only months after the murder.

Of course, Karen having not been reported missing is still a possibility.

 

[SleutherGirl]

I have a subscription to newspapers.com and there are no articles about her disappearance at all, and there are no info on Internet, looks like she wasnt even reported missing... Weird

Maybe not so weird in the '70s. Police may not even have been willing to take a report. And quite frankly, even if they had, who would look for a Pennsylvania kid in California?

Edit: even if it had been sent in, Doe Network might have rejected it on distance alone, and I couldn't blame them.

 

[stefaniied]

It could be that way, but maybe her missing persons report was lost in a filing cabinet somewhere or, as I'm fearing, police refused to take a missing persons report due to the fact that Karen was a runaway. The report may have also been purged when she turned 18, which was only months after the murder.

Of course, Karen having not been reported missing is still a possibility.

You're right, I forgot about how police operated in that time period.

 

[dotr]

Apr 3, 2024
According to investigators, the body of a homicide victim found in California in 1979 has now been identified as Karen Marie Heverly from Jersey Shore.

 

[HmmMysterious]

Great to see!

View attachment 494999

The nose seems pretty close, but the facial expression is likely skewing my opinion about the similarity with the rest of the face.

I was a bit surprised that this is what Karen looked like. Though her 2 front teeth are unmistakable; she seemed to have a small jaw which make her teeth crowded. The photo also looks like it was taken when Karen was younger.

I wonder how she made it from Pennsylvania all the way to California and for what reason? That is impressive and it definitely indicates she was a hitchhiker imo.

 

[stefaniied]

Maybe not so weird in the '70s. Police may not even have been willing to take a report. And quite frankly, even if they had, who would look for a Pennsylvania kid in California?

Edit: even if it had been sent in, Doe Network might have rejected it on distance alone, and I couldn't blame them.

The parents could have talked to medias to bring attention to their missing daughter, especially because she left under unknown circumstances. No need for an official police report.

Edit : Grammar

 

[lightofmine99]

The only girl I could find with the surname Heverly is Jersey Shore had a different first name. Maybe a relative, but I don't think Karen ever had a school photo taken.

Maybe. There's bound to be a high school in the area without an available yearbook for c. 1978 (when Karen's yearbook photo would've been taken).

There are a few schools in Jersey Shore, PA (relatively small area). The middle school has zero yearbooks available via Classmates, but the high school has several with the newest available being 1978. Depending on her birthdate, she was likely a freshman (9th grade) in 1978. Some schools consider 9th grade high school and some consider it junior high. I think I may have found the Heverly you found, but interestingly she is also listed as "not pictured."

 

[DS2021]

The parents could have talked to medias to bring attention to their missing daughter, especially because she left under unknown circumstances. No need for an official police report.

Edit : Grammar

The media probably wouldnt have covered her case

 

[JP-Wrath]

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachments/karen-heverly-png.494999/

Her teeth was pretty much intact in the pm photo after all. I can't dissociate that image upon seeing this despite the smile (or because of it, maybe).

Poor, poor soul........ You deserve so much justice

 

[PinkButtercup]

We have a photo now:

Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe (1979) is now Identified

San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department Teams with Othram to Identify 1979 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

Carl's recon:

 

[Susikatze]

Carl's recon:

View attachment 495025View attachment 495026

Actually it is the best recon

 

[SleutherGirl]

Carl's recon:

View attachment 495025View attachment 495026

It's almost perfect

 

[shehangsbrightly]

I did try to find a picture of Karen in the yearbooks, but she's not there. I found her (I think) sister (she looks like her), but no Karen. Maybe she had dropped out?

 

[Andreee]

There would surely be a yearbook photo somewhere (unless she was home schooled) but we don't know where she would've gone to school.

Again I just hope it's not too late for her to get justice.

I dont think there would have necessarily been a yearbook photo. Sometimes students elected not to get one taken or werent available during photo taking. I recall that from my own school days years ago.

 

[LucyOso]

RIP Karen. Glad you have your name back!

 

[Myrrh]

SOLVED: Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe (1979) is now Identified

A bit late, but thanks so much again for another case solved! She was found close to where I live, and looked quite familiar (though she definitely wasn't anyone I knew), so I had a high interest in her case. Hopefully justice will be brought some day.

RIP Karen.

 

[chaddylex]

Keystone Cold Cases just released an episode about Karen Heverly aka Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe.

Episode #123: Karen Heverly - Murdered (1979)

The body of a Caucasian female was found by a worker in a vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga, California on June 7, 1979. The next day, the San Bernardino sheriff's office began circulating the details about the discovery through the media, citing her age as between 18 and 30 years. She was dubbed...

www.kccpod.com

Episode #123: Karen Heverly - Murdered (1979)​

The body of a Caucasian female was found by a worker in a vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga, California on June 7, 1979. The next day, the San Bernardino sheriff's office began circulating the details about the discovery through the media, citing her age as between 18 and 30 years. She was dubbed the Rancho Cucamonga Jane Doe. In April 2024, she was finally identified as 17-year-old Karen Heverly, a runaway from Jersey Shore, PA. How did a PA teen make it to California and what happened that ended with her death?​

Karen Heverly​

Birth: 01/27/1962 – Death: Body found 06/07/1979​

Ethnicity: Caucasian Sex: Female​

Hometown: Jersey Shore, PA – County​

Crime Scene: Body found in vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga, CA​

Last Known Location Alive: Left home in May​

Injury Description: Stabbed and beaten, left naked except for shoes and socks​

Suspect Description: Unknown, theories on Reddit suggest a possible connection to Richard Ramirez​

Anyone with information should contact the San Bernardino Sherriff's Office at (909) 884-0156​