Identified! CA - Humboldt Co., WhtFem UP55390, 25-30, body in wooded area near Old Stagecoach road, Feb'80 - Denise Gail Cruz

[Romulus]

NAMUS

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP55390
Female, White / Caucasian
Date Found: February 11, 1980
Location Found: Trinidad, California
Estimated Age Range: 25-30 Years

Case Numbers
Demographics
Circumstances
Physical Description
Clothing and Accessories
Case Information
Case Numbers
NCMEC Number
--
ME/C Case Number
C-043-80 & 80-000995
Demographics
Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Possible First Name
--
Possible Middle Name
--
Possible Last Name
--
Possible Nickname
--
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Estimated Age Range (Years): 25-30
Estimated Year of Death: 1980
Estimated PMI: 3 Weeks
Height: 5' 9"(69 inches) , Measured
Weight: 145-175 lbs, Estimated
Circumstances
Type
Unidentified Deceased
Date Found: February 11, 1980
NamUs Case Created: February 13, 2019
ME/C QA Reviewed
--
Location Found Map
General Location
Old Stagecoach rd. 5.5 Mile North of Trinidad, Trinidad, California 95570
County: Humboldt County
GPS Coordinates
41.098077,-124,157327
Circumstances of Recovery: Body was found in wooded area of Old Stagecoach road in resting position.

Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains
All parts recovered
Condition of Remains
Recognizable face
Physical Description
Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Head Hair Description: Long reddish brown hair.
Body Hair Description
NONE
Facial Hair Description
NONE
Left Eye Color
Unknown or Missing
Right Eye Color
Unknown or Missing
Eye Description
--
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Scar/mark: Over the right lateral thigh was a large triangular skin defect which appears
to be a skin graft adjoining an 18cm surgical J-shaped scar.
Right shoulder has 12cm scar.
Individual possibly walked with a limp.
Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Accessories: Blue day pack with the name DIANNE MILL, San Francisco found inside along
with 3 unmarked bottles with Doxepin (SINEQUAN), 50mg and Flurazepam (DALMANE) 30mg/15mg..Near the Body
Clothing: Men/s corduroy western style tan colored pants. Size 34"wide x 30" length.
Man's gray turtle neck ski sweater, "V" insert, multi-color design with the name of
"Arnold L. Petersen The 2nd" on a name tag attached inside the sweater.
Underneath sweater was a homemade multi-color smock w/yellow, blue and green flowers w/2 red patch pockets.
Bikini underpants.On the Body
Clothing: Wet look Royal Blue mid length double breasted rain jacket w/large White Buttons ,size 12.
Brand name Sears, "Pilgrim sportswear Jacket".Near the Body
FootwearNIKE Swoosh Blue suede/white trim jogging shoes size 9 1/2 w/men's socks.On the Body

 

[azure]

JD has secondhand, mismatched clothing with various names on it, plus the psych meds. I wonder if she could have been coming from a group home, mental hospital or residential treatment center of some sort?

 

[Otterly]

JD has secondhand, mismatched clothing with various names on it, plus the psych meds. I wonder if she could have been coming from a group home, mental hospital or residential treatment center of some sort?

Exactly, or maybe simply she was living on the street. The unmarked bottles makes me feel the medication may not have been prescribed to her.

 

[Alleykins]

I submitted Lana Coronado to NamUs, missing approx. 03/1980 (exact date unknown) from San Francisco, as a potential match to this set of remains
CA - CA - Lana Coronado, 31, San Francisco, 1 Apr 1980

 

[digitective]

I wonder what kind of injuries / surgeries cause the scars on her thigh and shoulder. The fact that she had surgery / a skin graft and Nike sneakers makes me think she may have had money at some point...although I guess she could have stolen the sneakers or gotten them at a thrift store.
I bet @CarlK90245 could make a great reconstruction for this one.

 

[Romulus]

Namus add photos postmortem, warning to open the link!

 

[PatLaurel]

Was Linda H. Peterson ruled out? Linda H Peterson AKA Linda Sue Hanoian AKA Linda Gustke. Linda was born in California (mother's surname Burkhart?).
In 1967 Linda married Carl W.Gustke, in Los Angeles.
In 1978 she's living in Utah and is married to Peterson(?). She's 5 months pregnant and leaves her husband stating she's going to Kentucky... What if she went to California instead? What if Kentucky was just an excuse? Maybe things didn't go well in Kentucky and she went back to her mother?
Too many ifs and whats but, I do see some strong resemblances between the UP and Linda.

The Doe Network: Case File 2290DFUT

 

[Romulus]

Bump!

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I wonder who Dianne Mill is and how this woman came to have her pills. Odd case.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The only Arnold L. Petersen II I can find is a gynecologist in Portland, Oregon. I'm sure they tracked that lead but still, so odd.

 

[SleuthingInTN]

Donella Jean Coultas looks similar to the postmortem photos IMO

White Female 29 y/o
DLC 12/18/79
South Pasadena County CA
Ht/Wt 5’7 157 lbs
-PIGEON TOED
-Contact Lenses
-CESAREAN SCAR ON ABDOMEN
-MOLE ABOVE NAVEL
-Buck Teeth

Clothing and Accessories

Clothing
GREEN TOP UNDER LIGHT BLUE SWEATER, DARK BLUE PANTS

Eyewear
CONTACT LENSES

Footwear
WHITE TENNIS SHOES

 

[Coffee56]

I noticed the both have a cleft in the chin. UID has attached earlobes but I can’t tell if Mary’s are. Mary also appears to be wearing some sort of smock in her photo. Though there is a lot of time between missing and UID. I can’t imagine where she would have been with her kids.




Missing Person / NamUs #MP10151Mary Elizabeth Stuart, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last ContactDecember 10, 1977
Missing FromHoneydew, California
Case Information

Demographics
Missing Age32 Years
Current Age75 Years
First Name Mary
Middle NameElizabeth
Last NameStuart
Nickname/AliasDanckert

SexFemale
Height5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight135 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactDecember 10, 1977
NamUs Case CreatedApril 8, 2011
Last Known Location Map
LocationHoneydew, California
CountyHumboldt County
Missing From Tribal Land--
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of DisappearanceFannie and Jessie were last seen with their mother, Mary Stuart, on December 10, 1977, when they left their residence to run errands. Approximately one month after they were last seen, their family station wagon was found abandoned a few miles from their home but their whereabouts remain unknown.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair Descriptionshoulder length, light brown
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBlue
Right Eye ColorBlue

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[MadMcGoo]

I noticed the both have a cleft in the chin. UID has attached earlobes but I can’t tell if Mary’s are. Mary also appears to be wearing some sort of smock in her photo. Though there is a lot of time between missing and UID. I can’t imagine where she would have been with her kids.

View attachment 246895


Missing Person / NamUs #MP10151Mary Elizabeth Stuart, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last ContactDecember 10, 1977
Missing FromHoneydew, California
Case Information

Demographics
Missing Age32 Years
Current Age75 Years
First Name Mary
Middle NameElizabeth
Last NameStuart
Nickname/AliasDanckert

SexFemale
Height5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight135 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactDecember 10, 1977
NamUs Case CreatedApril 8, 2011
Last Known Location Map
LocationHoneydew, California
CountyHumboldt County
Missing From Tribal Land--
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of DisappearanceFannie and Jessie were last seen with their mother, Mary Stuart, on December 10, 1977, when they left their residence to run errands. Approximately one month after they were last seen, their family station wagon was found abandoned a few miles from their home but their whereabouts remain unknown.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair Descriptionshoulder length, light brown
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBlue
Right Eye ColorBlue

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Also her teeth and hairline stand out to me. Both very unique on both women. And appear to be quite similar!

 

[MadMcGoo]

http://charleyproject.org/case/kelle-renee-ferstrom

Reminds me a little of Kelle.

 

[ntt1]

This one was added to NAMUS earlier this year and I couldn't find an existing thread. There is a post-mortem photo, but no reconstruction.

From Doe Network:
1587UFCA
NAMUS page (warning: post mortem photo): The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Date of Discovery: February 11, 1980
Location of Discovery: Trinidad, Humboldt County, California
Estimated Date of Death: 3 weeks prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 25-30 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'9", measured
Weight: 145 to 175 lbs., estimated
Hair Color: Reddish brown; long
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: On the right outer thigh was a large triangular skin defect which appears to be a skin graft adjoining an 18 cm surgical J-shaped scar; right shoulder has 12 cm scar; decedent possibly walked with a limp.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Man's corduroy, western style, tan pants, size 34" wide 30" length; man's gray turtleneck ski sweater, "V" insert, multi-color design with "Arnold L. Petersen II" on a name tag attached inside the sweater; underneath the sweater was a homemade multi-color smock with yellow, blue, and green flowers and 2 red patch pockets; bikini underpants; Nike Swoosh Blue suede with white trim jogging shoes, size 9 1/2; men's socks.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Wet-look, royal blue, mid-length, double-breasted rain jacket with large white buttons, size 12, Sears "Pilgrim Sportswear Jacket"; blue day pack with "DIANNE MILL, San Francisco" found inside along with 3 unmarked bottles with Doxepin (Sinequan), 50 mg, and Flurazepam (Dalmane) 30 mg and 15 mg.

Circumstances of Discovery
The decedent was found in a wooded area off Old Stagecoach Road in a resting position.

 

[Dylansmom08]

The Doxepin is an antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication and the Flurazepam is a prescription sleep aid. I cannot find any missing person case attached to either name that was found in the clothing the clothing may have been given to her by someone else or picked up at a second hand store. It does lead me to believe that she may be from the San Fransisco area though I will start digging into those missing persons and see what I can find.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

Looks like Arnold Petersen II is an OB/Gyn doctor practicing out of Portland, OR. The prescriptions are anti-depressants.

 

[ntt1]

Looks like Arnold Petersen II is an OB/Gyn doctor practicing out of Portland, OR. The prescriptions are anti-depressants.

Good catch! According to public records he is in his late 70s now, so definitely could have been practicing back when this Jane Doe was found.

According to a 1982 newspaper article he involved in a lawsuit; it states he practiced in Portland, Oregon at the time. So could potentially be an Oregon connection with this case?

 

[Dylansmom08]

I checked California and Oregon in NamUs and no one even comes close to being a match for this UID. I think the next step is to just go full range and check every state one by one. Especially, since in the late 70's to early 80's it was quite popular for people to hitch hike from all over to California. Not really sure that I understand why everyone wanted to be in California during that time but is seems a lot of people thought nothing of hitch hiking across country.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I checked California and Oregon in NamUs and no one even comes close to being a match for this UID. I think the next step is to just go full range and check every state one by one. Especially, since in the late 70's to early 80's it was quite popular for people to hitch hike from all over to California. Not really sure that I understand why everyone wanted to be in California during that time but is seems a lot of people thought nothing of hitch hiking across country.

I imagine the answer boils down to the supposed glitz and glamor of Los Angeles/Hollywood.