CA CA - Elizabeth 'Beth' Funchess, 6 mos, San Jose, 9 Sept 1977

[SophieRose]

This is the general area that I recall her being found. However, it's been forty years, so my recollection could be incorrect. But this is what I recall from the news reports.

View attachment 100318

This is from a 1981 Santa Cruz Sentinel article. This should put to rest that her remains were not found at the Locatelli Ranch.
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/62663721/

Detectives today said they are still sifting through clues in the murder of Diane Crooke Funchess. whose remains were found in a garbage-strewn ravine off Skyline Boulevard.

 

[SophieRose]

Hi,

I lived in San Jose for many years and just wanted to point out a couple things because I think there may be some confusion.

I have seen several references to The Summit and also to Highway 9. For those not familiar with the area, those are two completely different areas. Both Highway 9 and highway 17 go through the mountains, the summit is on highway 17. Highway 9 goes from Saratoga (upscale suburb of San Jose) through several towns - Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Boulder Creek, Felton, and maybe another that would be considered in the mountains. But from what I can recall, those areas were commonly referred to by their names, I don't recall it being called the Santa Cruz Mountains, even though it technically was.

When someone said Santa Cruz Mountains, they usually meant the Highway 17 side, where the summit is. I can't say how it was in 1977 because I wasn't there yet, but the San Jose area at that time was just another place, it wasn't Silicon Valley yet. When I was there in the late 1980s I can remember highway 17 being a huge traffic jam with Santa Cruz people commuting to San Jose for work and San Jose people going to the beaches in Santa Cruz. It doesn't strike me as a place one could stop to dump a body unless it was really late night/early morning. Highway 17 was also a dangerous highway, lots of twists and turns that sneak up on you and no divider separating oncoming traffic. Lots of accidents on that road. So even late at night I wouldn't dare stop on that highway.

I would think highway 9 would be a more preferable place to do something like that as it does go through several towns and there are lots of places to stop. But I think if it had been highway 9, they would have said she was found in Felton, or whichever town, not the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I know this doesn't answer any questions but I mainly wanted to point out that the summit and highway 9 can't both be right.

I did not mean The Summit area, I meant summit as in top of the mountain or hill. I should have said ridge as Skyline Blvd more correctly follows the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I have a book called the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Book, in fact I've had to replace it more than once since I've loaned it or lost it several times. The Santa Cruz Mountains start in San Mateo County and extend to Santa Cruz County. My goal was to hike every park and open space (many off of Skyline Blvd) in that book, and then after hiking at least one trail from every place go back and hike every trail in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I probably got through at least 2/3 of the parks and open spaces, but then I found a perfect trail and couldn't resist and kept going back to the same one. A bf and I even hiked them at night and many a time I took off time from work and hiked them alone, always lucky to have teenage mountain bicyclists as company.

====
But I digress since her remains were found on Skyline Blvd (Highway 35) not on the Highway 9 Santa Cruz Mountain towns you mentioned. Like I said one would go straight up Highway 9 from Saratoga (Santa Clara County) to the top of Skyline, and not down the other side of Highway 9 to Santa Cruz.

Side note: A body was actually dumped from Highway 17 in the 1990s. A man killed his wife with a baseball bat and then took her body and dumped it somewhere off 17. A cop stopped him and noticed blood on his truck. The man immediately confessed. Traffic was backed up for hours while the man led them to body and then the road was closed for forensics.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fremont-Man-Found-Guilty-in-Death-of-Wife-2765340.php

 

[Meryl12]

One day a woman aged about 40 may have her DNA profile done and realise everything she was told about herself is not correct, she probably already had suspicions that everything was not quite right. Not having her correct date of birth or knowing her birthplace would be complicated enough but not knowing where to go to establish her true identity would be the biggest problem.
Lets all hope she decides to join Websleuths.

 

[shadowdancer]

In some countries it is possible to register a birth up until the baby is a year old or even older in some cases.

Is there anywhere in the US where this would have been possible back in 1977?

 

[rosesfromangels]

Perhaps she has registered on sites for "adopted" children looking for their birth parents. She probably instinctively knows something doesnt add up

 

[shadowdancer]

I worry that if they were able to register her birth 'late' somewhere as a 'home birth', whoever had Elizabeth could have obtained a proper birth certificate for her.

Alternatively they could have got her the identity of a dead child like FLEK did.

Therefore, I worry that Elizabeth might be living out there somewhere without any concerns at all about her identity. I doubt she could have reached her forties without needing to obtain documents such as driving licence, passport etc, so she probably had no problem obtaining them.

If she thought she was adopted, that still wouldn't have explained her not being able to obtain her documents, as legitimately adopted people have no problem doing this.

As if that isn't all pessimistic enough (sorry guys), there is another subset of people out there who would want a baby, aside from those who want a baby to raise as their own, but I won't go into detail as I'm sure you can imagine the sort of people I mean and its really too awful for words to think of this sweet baby ending up with someone like that.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yes, there are all sorts of nefarious options when it comes to a missing child. It's really hard to guess where she could have ended up. I can only hope that despite the many years that the Perp(s)? have a very heavy load weighing on their conscience and some tip might come in. Estimating they would be well in their 70's now, and maybe afraid of facing their maker at some point.

As with all these crimes, *someone knows*. And I never give up hope that that *someone* will call in an anonymous tip.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Unless I have the wrong Funchess, it appears the husband passed away in 2015. He had been remarried for approx. 30 years it seems.
If this is the right Ken Funchess (and because of the mention of California and Elk hunting I believe it is), I am surprised to see no mention of Diane or of his missing daughter Beth.

http://www.crawfordray.com/obituaries/kenneth-kim-mccants-funchess

 

[puzzleme]

Maybe his "New" wife didn't Know about the old one?

Sent from my SM-S120VL using Tapatalk

 

[rosesfromangels]

Maybe his "New" wife didn't Know about the old one?

Sent from my SM-S120VL using Tapatalk

Well that would be an odd detail to leave out when getting to know one another..? As I posted up thread quite some time ago, I always found it strange that he posted on POMC.org which is for "parents of *murdered* children". Beth has never been found. Found that odd.

 

[Laughing]

Ooooohhh, could the lady of the "Jennifer Klein" thread be Beth???

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?46423-UT-Jennifer-Klein-3-Moab-25-May-1974

 

[rosesfromangels]

Ooooohhh, could the lady of the "Jennifer Klein" thread be Beth???

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?46423-UT-Jennifer-Klein-3-Moab-25-May-1974

That certainly is an interesting video. The vast majority of these type of proclamations turn out to be the product of fanciful minds, or hucksters. Families of missing and murdered are targets for all sorts of crackpots. HOWEVER, it would be easy enough to prove or disprove her expansive claims. She has offered to pay for her own DNA test, and she wants this done in a controlled setting to eliminate the risk of contamination.

If I were this woman, I would have that DNA test done by a highly reputable firm, and then, through an attorneys office offer the results to the missing persons family. The subject in question should work through an attorney to avoid appearing as a fortune hunter, etc.

I found her story to be compelling and genuine until she started talking about sacrificial ceremonies, candles blowing out, and so forth. However, who knows. This could be validated or dismissed quickly by providing her DNA results to the family. What they would chose to do with them at that point would be up to them.

The comparison of a young Etan Patz and the picture the woman submitted for comparison does not look close to me at all. However, that is not my skill. I always look at the ears, which weren't visible for comparison.

As to whether this woman is Beth....highly, highly unlikely. However, as we know, stranger things have happened. Jaycee Dugard is a good example of that.

 

[The Hands Team]

Just a quick theory from a WebSleuth newbie after my recent reading of this entire thread.

There is some confusion as to where the remains of Diane were found, but it
strongly suggests in this thread that is was either A: Near Locatelli Ranch, or B: Off Highway 9 in the mountains. Death record shows it was Santa Cruz County, which suggests near Locatelli. Both places have ties to this family, as husband worked at Locatelli and the family (according to 2random4chance on page #2 of this thread) lived off Highway 9 in the early 70s.

I think LE dismissed the husband a little too quickly. Lets think about a few things here: (and no offense to the people who know him personally, I really dont care when I am deep thinking about a case and suspects)

1. Husband used to work at Locatelli Ranch.
(A remote ranch in the mountains)

2. Diane's remains were found near Locatelli Ranch.
(A place where her Husband used to work, and probably has vast knowledge of the lay of the land)

3. Locatelli Ranch is over 30 minutes, in a remote area, from where the Funchess' resided at that time.

4. Someone who killed Diane, wanted to hide her in a remote area, but it had to have been a remote area that killer had a decent idea about.

5. Husband was just hunting the day before? And happened to kill something (hence the blood on hunting gear) (and also, where was he hunting? Was it in any shape or form, close to that ranch, by chance?)

So, LE gives him a polygraph, which is inadmissable either way its graded,
in a court of law. And just drops him from the POI list? Now getting to the unknown, so to speak...

1. The baby.
(Did the husband really want kids? How close to the death of Diane was husband seeing/talking to new wife? While she was still... "missing"?)

2. The baby.
(When was the last time anyone saw the baby? Had folks seen Diane last or the
baby last with the husband? Or did they really just disappear at the same
time?)

I just feel that if the TV cord was cut,and all of Diane's stuff was left behind...car, glasses, purse, etc, and the baby diaper bag. It seemed there was no struggle in the house, according to the charley project link. It must have been someone Diane knew. If someone was coming to abduct the baby, wouldnt they have taken items associated with taking care of the baby? Diapers? Clothes? Food?

Finishing up the thread, as I have been typing this as I read, I now see that husband has passed away. And his obit does not mention Diane or Beth. Hmm..
JMO

 

[rosesfromangels]

Thank you for joining the thread Hands!
I was a teenager when Diane and Beth went missing, and have never forgotten them.
My then boyfriend's dad was Diane's boss at the time. My boyfriend and I were recruited to help hang posters and so forth, and I was an observer to the comings and goings of the case.

It's been a long long time, but everything remains vivid in my mind. I remember that the husband was poly'ed and passed, and the blood from the hunting bag (where the deer/elk was), was verified to be animal blood.
My boyfriend and I rode around with the husband hanging posters and he was very chatty.

Somewhere, Beth is out there and might have a niggling feeling that something just doesn't add up. I think the best approach is to find sites where people are searching for their birth parents and go from there. Whatever the husband might have known (if he did know anything), went to the grave with him, unless he shared anything with the second wife. Considering Diane or Beth were not mentioned in his obit, I'll assume it was not a topic of discussion.

I will never forget Diane or Beth, and will continue to research. I believe that eventually someone will talk. I really do.

 

[The Hands Team]

I am at work about 95% of the time I read these threads, and I have to read them through a proxy server that doesnt let me log in or post, because of the secure nature of my employer. At any rate, I usually open up a notebook application and type out a post or formulate some responses on that, then email them to myself to post on here when I get home. i will keep my thoughts up, and am also trying to figure out the Bill Comeans case in Columbus, Ohio (Lincoln Village-Galloway-West Side area)

 

[rosesfromangels]

I am at work about 95% of the time I read these threads, and I have to read them through a proxy server that doesnt let me log in or post, because of the secure nature of my employer. At any rate, I usually open up a notebook application and type out a post or formulate some responses on that, then email them to myself to post on here when I get home. i will keep my thoughts up, and am also trying to figure out the Bill Comeans case in Columbus, Ohio (Lincoln Village-Galloway-West Side area)

I really appreciate your thoughts and contributions to the thread. It has been a long held prayer that some day we will find Beth. Everything my boyfriend's dad (her boss) said about her spoke to a sweet exceptional woman who dearly loved her family. Never forgotten Diane.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Diane, my post #5000 is for you. Very soon I will have joined this forum *8* years ago in the hopes of helping find your murderer, bring you justice, and to help find your baby Beth. It's been over 40 years since this horrible crime happened, and I have never forgotten you. So this is for you Diane - #5000. May the angels guide us to answers. Peace, love, and justice for Diane!

 

[diane funchess]

To all of you on this chain, I am Beth's cousin and I am taking on the mission of finding her.
Beth and Diane were taken 4 days before I was born and Beth and I are just 6 months apart. I am looking for any leads to find her.
We hope she is looking for us too! I started a Facebook page that has everything I have found so far. It is public and can be found under the name Elizabeth Dorothy Funchess. I've posted a baby picture of Beth, the last known family photo, Missing posters from the time of disappearance and links to records about the case.
As many of you know, Diane's body was found in September 1981. We hope Beth is still out there.
Beth likely has light brown hair and blue-gray eyes if she is alive today. She is 36 years old but there is good chance her real birthdate was changed which would have her thinking she is a bit younger or a bit older. There is a good chance she needs glasses or contacts to see, as Diane did.

There is mention of a Susan Funchess in the above chain. She is my Uncle Ken's 2nd wife, they married sometime after the disappearance, and is no relation to Diane or Elizabeth.
There are very few details available about the case but I am working on the information I have so far.
I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see this dialogue about my aunty and cousin. The neighbor and Ken's friend and the woman who worked with Deedee at the bank... And those I've failed to mention, thank you so very much for your input.
Now... let's find Beth!

 

[diane funchess]

To all of you on this chain, I am Beth's cousin and I am taking on the mission of finding her.
Beth and Diane were taken 4 days before I was born and Beth and I are just 6 months apart. I am looking for any leads to find her.
We hope she is looking for us too! I started a Facebook page that has everything I have found so far. It is public and can be found under the name Elizabeth Dorothy Funchess. I've posted a baby picture of Beth, the last known family photo, Missing posters from the time of disappearance and links to records about the case.
As many of you know, Diane's body was found in September 1981. We hope Beth is still out there.
Beth likely has light brown hair and blue-gray eyes if she is alive today. She is 36 years old but there is good chance her real birthdate was changed which would have her thinking she is a bit younger or a bit older. There is a good chance she needs glasses or contacts to see, as Diane did.

There is mention of a Susan Funchess in the above chain. She is my Uncle Ken's 2nd wife, they married sometime after the disappearance, and is no relation to Diane or Elizabeth.
There are very few details available about the case but I am working on the information I have so far.
I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see this dialogue about my aunty and cousin. The neighbor and Ken's friend and the woman who worked with Deedee at the bank... And those I've failed to mention, thank you so very much for your input.
Now... let's find Beth!

Hi lets find beth. My name is bill o'gorman . I am diane funchess cousin. Have you read about how the golden state rapist in california was caught. By chance he entered his dna to one of these ancestory dna sites and it came back as a match. As you probaly know these dna sites have millions of samples in their data banks but these sites are private and the police can not access them with out search warrants which they won't do unless they have specific information. I do not know if they have dna samples from diane. I talked to cousin sally dianes sister last night. The police took a dna sample from her about six years ago. I know that your uncle ken passed away a couple of years ago but do you know if he ever gave a dna sample to someone. He might have gave it to the police or if he has any children. Now this could be a long shot providing beth dna is in the data base like millions of people are and every year millions are added. I know because my family is in one of these data base's.If we submit kens and sally's dna to these dna web sites and wait to see if there is a hit. Keep in mind that ken and sally are not blood related so if we get both lists of possible relations of the dna tests and we have the same name on both lists as possible relatives then i would presume this would be beth and we can take it from there. <modsnip>

 

[diane funchess]

Hi lets find beth. My name is bill o'gorman . I am diane funchess cousin. Have you read about how the golden state rapist in california was caught. By chance he entered his dna to one of these ancestory dna sites and it came back as a match. As you probaly know these dna sites have millions of samples in their data banks but these sites are private and the police can not access them with out search warrants which they won't do unless they have specific information. I do not know if they have dna samples from diane. I talked to cousin sally dianes sister last night. The police took a dna sample from her about six years ago. I know that your uncle ken passed away a couple of years ago but do you know if he ever gave a dna sample to someone. He might have gave it to the police or if he has any children. Now this could be a long shot providing beth dna is in the data base like millions of people are and every year millions are added. I know because my family is in one of these data base's.If we submit kens and sally's dna to these dna web sites and wait to see if there is a hit. Keep in mind that ken and sally are not blood related so if we get both lists of possible relations of the dna tests and we have the same name on both lists as possible relatives then i would presume this would be beth and we can take it from there.