Identified! CA - Delano, Hisp/Ntv Fem 59UFCA, 30-34, 'Shirley, Seattle' tattoo, Jul'80 - Shirley Ann Soosay

[ntt1]

And another Canadian article: B.C. genealogist key to naming murder victim in decades-old California cold case - Chilliwack Progress

 

[Feme98]

Hello guys, here is an enhanced version of Shirley’s photo.

 

[SolVic]

Hello guys, here is an enhanced version of Shirley’s photo.

View attachment 298516

Did you enhance this yourself? Because if so, you could definitely help enhance photos of other identified Does.

But more on topic, does anyone know Shirley’s DOB?

 

[Friday Fan]

She may have used the name "Becky Ochoa" because she felt discriminated against. These jobs paid cash and did not require documentation. If she said her name was "Becky Ochoa" people probably wouldn't ask her too many questions about where she was from and why she was there. If she used her real name, they would probably ask questions like, "Why did you come from Washington?".."What kind of name is Soosay?".etc etc..It was probably easier to just to create an alias and get on with the work.
MOO

 

[Susikatze]

Ochoa is a Hispanic name, not sure whether trying to pass off as someone with a Mexican or Central American background would have saved her from discrimination more than being First Nations.

I think Becky Ochoa may be a red herring like "Jacques" was with James Freund.

 

[Friday Fan]

Ochoa is a Hispanic name, not sure whether trying to pass off as someone with a Mexican or Central American background would have saved her from discrimination more than being First Nations.

I think Becky Ochoa may be a red herring like "Jacques" was with James Freund.

She was found in Delano, California where many of the migrant farm workers are Mexican-American. (Majority of the workers were US citizens, ie Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta)
Migrant workers were housed in close quarters.
By saying her name was Becky Ochoa, it would be easier to fit in. She wouldn't need to talk about the life she left behind.

I get the "vibe", that she was a quiet person who kept to herself. MOO

 

[faithx]

Shirley Soosay's remains being returned to Samson Cree Nation, decades after her murder

 

[dotr]

Shirley Soosay's remains being returned to Samson Cree Nation, decades after her murder

''At a women's conference in 2020, Soosay spoke about her search and her hope for closure.

Just four days later, a Facebook post caught her attention.

The post was from the DNA Doe Project — an American non-profit that uses genetic genealogy to identify cold case victims — and it was trying to identify an Indigenous woman who had been murdered in Kern County, Calif. The woman had been stabbed to death and her body was found in an almond orchard on July 14, 1980.

Soosay submitted her DNA to a website listed in the post and the match was confirmed within a few weeks.

In 2018, Wilson Chouest was convicted of murdering Soosay and another woman, who remains unidentified. Chouest is currently serving two consecutive life sentences, Soosay said.''

 

[Friday Fan]

It's worth watching the Cold Case Files Episode on this.
It aired a few weeks ago.

I purchased the episode for $2 from Amazon.
It can also be purchased on YouTube.

Watch Cold Case Files Season 2 | Prime Video (It's episode 26 Missing and Murdered)

May 6, 2022 • In Cree culture, a promise is sacred. When Cree woman Shirley Soosay goes missing in 1980, her niece Violet promises her grandmother that she will bring Shirley home. But Violet never dreamed the search for Shirley--and justice--would take a lifetime.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

'Always hope': Remains of Cree woman sent home to Alberta decades after disappearance

Violet Soosay's search for her missing aunt began four decades ago. The pursuit took her to parts of Alberta and B.C. and down paths of uncertainty as weeks, months and years passed without word of Shirley Ann Soosay.

www.stalberttoday.ca

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Why Are Missing Women of Color So Often Overlooked?

Steve Rhods helped take down an infamous killer. But solving the identity of his first Jane Doe murder case has proved even more vexing, and reveals a larger problem.

www.altaonline.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

'Always hope': Remains of Cree woman sent home to Alberta decades after disappearance

Violet Soosay's search for her missing aunt began four decades ago. The pursuit took her to parts of Alberta and B.C. and down paths of uncertainty as weeks, months and years passed without word of Shirley Ann Soosay.

www.rmotoday.com

This Indigenous Murder Victim Went Unnamed for Decades

In 2020, Shirley Ann Soosay, a member of the Cree Nation, was one of the first Indigenous people to be identified using investigative genealogy. Prior to that, Soosay, who was murdered in Kern County, California in July 1980, was referred to as Jane Doe Kern County.

www.aetv.com

1980 cold case victim finally identified

On Friday, the Kern County Sheriff's Office announced that they had successfully identified the victim in a cold case dating back to 1980.

www.turnto23.com

How ‘Kern County Jane Doe’ was identified as Shirley Soosay

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 17 News special report ‘Murdered and Forgotten’ detailed the gruesome discovery of two women, found days and counties apart, but killed by the same man …

www.kget.com

Shirley Ann Soosay is One of First Indigenous Peoples Does to be ID'ed by Genetic Genealogy

Soosay was found in an almond orchard near Bakersfield, California in 1980. She was an unidentified victim of suspected serial killer Wilson Chouest.

www.forensicmag.com

Shirley Soosay’s remains home in Samson Cree Nation after decades of searching - Stettler Independent

Murder victim’s remains were discovered in 1980, buried as Jane Doe

www.stettlerindependent.com

 

[Springrain]

I'm working on a Wilson Chouest timeline and getting fired up. I cannot believe what he did to Shirley, amongst his many other victims. So so sick. Shirley did not deserve this. I wish she had never met this sick beast, that she had gotten home safely and uneventfully from the bar that night, and been able to reunite with her family and loved ones. I have tears in my eyes as I'm writing...this woman faced such hardships in life and died so brutally. It is not fair at all.

 

[Springrain]

As I become more and more invested in Ventura County Jane Doe's case I keep thinking about Shirley. I'm so glad Violet has answers now, even if they are sad, tragic ones. I'm glad Shirley and VCJD are getting some sort of justice with Chouest being locked up and never getting out. I'm glad he's been locked up since a few months past their murders. However, it's infuriating, pure and simple, to realize that, if he had gotten appropriate sentences for previous abductions, rapes, and robberies, rather than just a slap on the wrist, the fact is, Shirley and VCJD would be alive now. I am so glad he hasn't been able to hurt anyone (at least on the outside) in 42 years. But these senseless murders should have never been allowed to happen. (I know that's not the right verbiage to use, really, but I hope you understand my sentiment).

How unfair and cruel that someone trying to make a fresh start in life in California after going through rough times and trying to pick herself back up and make a life for herself faced these horrors. She had no way of knowing what lay ahead for her. I wish she had never met him, that she'd gotten back home safely that night and kept on living.

I'm glad we got to see those pics of her alive. I feel like we can tell a little bit about her personality from them. She seemed like a nice lady, with fun taste in eyeglasses! Her life had value, she had value, and she was beloved and missed by her family. She meant something.

Rest in peace, Shirley.

 

[Springrain]

BTW, I personally do feel that the lead of "Becky Ochoa" was accurate. I know some disagree, but I think she was trying to have a fresh start and was using a more Hispanic-sounding name than her own. It makes a lot of sense to me that she would try to pass herself off as a Latina since it is a lot more common in that area, and in that type of employment, rather than being Cree. I wouldn't be surprised if it was true, as indicated, that she may have lived in housing for migrant workers.

On Seattle: I wonder if she had ever lived in the Skagit Valley before moving to California. The Skagit Valley is in the Seattle area, although not Seattle itself. It's about an hour from Seattle proper. It's mostly rural, a big farming area, lots of migrant workers.

 

[MadMcGoo]

https://www.hulu.com/series/web-of-death-96a9d042-6f80-4309-a87f-4a436117eece

Following the investigations of online sleuths as they use digital footprints, DNA databases and the power of social media to solve gruesome, mysterious and bizarre murder cases.

www.hulu.com

Hulu’s new series “Web of Death” did an episode on Shirley and Ventura County Jane Doe. It was a good episode: #4 California Dreaming.

It contains the very touching story of Shirley’s family’s (particularly her niece’s) journey to find her.

 

[Springrain]

Checking back here for a debriefing after finally being able to sit down and catch the wonderful Web of Death episode about Shirley and Lyra Jade.

A lot of the episode focused on Violet Soosay (Shirley's niece), her relationship with her beloved aunt Shirley, and her journey to find her. Violet is a truly lovely and well-spoken person who has done a fantastic job of being an advocate for Shirley and brought on her own daughter Justice to feature in the episode as well. Violet is involved in the MMIW movement and is shown participating in MMIW events and explaining the story of her aunt Shirley. It was tragic, but incredibly moving. Shirley was so loved and she was looked after and cared about. And I am glad she has her niece to advocate for her even 4 decades after she was taken from the world.

I'm very glad that Violet and the rest of her family who are living have been able to bring her home and bury her, and I am glad that Shirley has gotten her justice in the courts. But I wish none of it had ever happened. Shirley was someone special and I wish she had the chance right now to be a happy, loving grandmother enjoying retirement instead of having been stabbed to death 40+ years ago. Rest in peace, Shirley.

 

[dotr]

Murder of Shirley Soosay - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

''This page was last edited on 4 June 2023''

''Impact of the case[edit]​

In 2022, Soosay and Ventura County Jane Doe's case was aired in an episode of Cold Case Files.[24] Following the broadcast, Soosay-Wolf received correspondences from Indigenous families from Canada and the United States, who also had missing relatives they hoped to find.[11] Soosay's case is also to be included in a documentary which was still in the process of being filmed as of May 2022.[13] In 2023, Soosay's case was featured in the Hulu webseries Web of Death.[31] Trish Hurturbise, a distant match who was inspired by the case to become a volunteer for the DNA Doe Project, had worked on 150 cases as of 2021.[30] The notoriety surrounding Soosay's case has been used to call attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, especially in Canada.[13][12]''

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigation Discovery will include Soosay's story at 7 p.m. Wednesday in an episode called "Voice of the Nameless" on the show "On the Case with Paula Zahn" featuring interviews with current and former KCSO employees. The episode will also be available for streaming on discovery+.

But KCSO discussed Soosay's case in a video uploaded online and detailed the Sheriff's Office efforts, stretching back decades, to identify Soosay and who killed her.

Ratliff mentioned coroner staff took fingerprints from Soosay — who was unidentified at this point — but no one claimed her body and sheriff's deputies couldn't find her family.

Investigation Discovery to mention local efforts to identify a Jane Doe, who was stabbed by serial killer

Jun. 6—It started with a drop of what looked like pure water in the bottom of a centrifugal clear tube with blue ink written on it. That scant liquid contained precious DNA retrieved from a pink blouse worn by a woman who was stabbed to death, her body found in an almond orchard near Delano on...

news.yahoo.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

When Cree woman Shirley Soosay goes missing in 1980, her niece Violet promises that she will bring Shirley home. But Violet never dreamed the search for Shirley--and justice--would take a lifetime, in Season 2, Episode 26, "Missing and Murdered."