Identified! CA - Los Angeles, WhtFem HC1367, 18-30, Dec'70 - Shannon Capriola

[capoly]

Information provided through the kindness of the Akron-Summit County Public Library Thank you!

Due to scans the article and photo are a mite hard to view. After viewing the photo of the UID, the feeling of 2 persons local to the story is that the UID photo is likely (ETA 'likely' as that was my initial intent and conveys their opinion correctly) of Shannon.

Will be forwarding this information onto Inv. Machian.

.......

Hi MadeaBecBec,

The pdf re Slain Woman in post #17 is from LA Times. That info was sent to Inv. Machain and it is what he is researching.

Shannon was actually murdered/found in a driveway a few blocks down from where she was staying with friends. So for a short period of time...about 24 hours+/-...she was 'unidentified'.

Hopefully, this issue will be resolved shortly and we will learn if there is a UID person to research!


ETA Sorry...cannot get the obituary readable size.

 

[MadeaBecBec]

Hi MadeaBecBec,

The pdf re Slain Woman in post #17 is from LA Times. That info was sent to Inv. Machain and it is what he is researching.

Shannon was actually murdered/found in a driveway a few blocks down from where she was staying with friends. So for a short period of time...about 24 hours+/-...she was 'unidentified'.

Hopefully, this issue will be resolved shortly and we will learn if there is a UID person to research![/quote]

How would UID's file still be open, when the info was entered on Website, some 25 years or more, later? Misfiled? I hope they answer these questions as well... Thanks for all the info, I can blow up the newspaper, just enough to read it! I copied it and sharpened it some, put on my reading glasses,too!
I'll just patiently wait on the answers!!!:waitasec:

 

[capoly]

See if this is better....it is sent as an image which is part of the sizing problem for me.

 

[MadeaBecBec]

Fairy1 said

I agree that logic says this would have been checked out, but you never know. If it has been, we should be able to get a pretty quick response. Go for it!

You know that Nikki Trollinger was found in the same state (CA) as she went missing, but wasn't ID'd until 24 years later, thread here:http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81874
I know the detectives (in each jurisdiction ) didn't have the communication tools that we do today and California has so many folks, it would be hard to put them together, even today!
Just putting my thoughts out there!

 

[Fairy1]

Fairy1 said

You know that Nikki Trollinger was found in the same state (CA) as she went missing, but wasn't ID'd until 24 years later, thread here:http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81874
I know the detectives (in each jurisdiction ) didn't have the communication tools that we do today and California has so many folks, it would be hard to put them together, even today!
Just putting my thoughts out there!

So very sad, but so very true. We should never overlook the obvious!

 

[capoly]

Received the following email from Inv. Machian.

To ..:

I have requested Shannon Capriola's file from our records/archives
section, and I have taken the facial photo for case 1970-13781 off of
our web site until I obtain her file and do some follow up
investigation.

I will keep you posted on the results of my follow up investigation.
If you have any other questions please let me know

Thank you
............

Taking all into consideration... imo ...do not feel we will see a re-post of this facial photo as a UID. Do believe a clerical error occurred and Shannon's photo/information was misfiled.

Out of compassion for Shannon Capriola's family, am going to ask a Mod if morgue photos can be removed until the final results of Inv Machian's investigation are known.

RIP Shannon....

 

[Bud]

The nose looks VERY similar to me.

Me too. Features all around are very similar.

 

[Hulagirl29]

Hello to everyone. I have been lurking for a few weeks, and this is my first post. First of all, I just wanted to say that I think it is excellent what you all are doing, trying to help mach up the uid with missing persons so that their families can have some peace and at least know what happened to their loved ones. This is a terrific site! I do think that the Jane Doe looks almost identical to Robin Grahm. The facila structure is very simular. Keep up all of the excellent work!

 

[capoly]

Hello to everyone. I have been lurking for a few weeks, and this is my first post. First of all, I just wanted to say that I think it is excellent what you all are doing, trying to help mach up the uid with missing persons so that their families can have some peace and at least know what happened to their loved ones. This is a terrific site! I do think that the Jane Doe looks almost identical to Robin Grahm. The facila structure is very simular. Keep up all of the excellent work!

Welcome to WS, Hulagirl29!

See you are from Ohio, are you near the Akron-Tallmadge area? The Akron-Summit County Library was an excellent source for information on this case. The Special Collections person was incredible!

This JD's case is now being investigated by the L.A Coroner's office in order to determine if indeed the woman in photo is unidentified. Until a determination is made her photo has been removed from the Coroners site by Inv. Machian.

As my first post indicates, did also feel there was a strong resemblance between UID & Robin Graham. And the initial email to Inv. Machian contained a question re clerical error/possibly Robin Graham. But now, after seeing Shannon Capriola's photo and reading the details of her murder etc, feel this Jane Doe is in all probability Shannon.

Plus...I don't believe for one second that Inv. Machian would remove the photo from a 39yo case based on my emails.lol So am inclined to think he received additional information which allowed for him to make the decision out of respect for Shannon's family.

According to past news/gov. reports, for decades the L.A. Coroners Office was mismanaged, under-funded/staffed/supplied, and located in facilities far too small to accommodate all bodies received(disturbingly so). As such, the present day personnel may well be finding, or presented with, mistakes not of their doing.

PDF attached is interesting read re 70-80's Coroner.

 

[Hulagirl29]

I live about 15 minutes from Akron in a city called North Canton. I will have to make a trip to this library.

 

[believe09]

The UID struck me as being spot on for a Ted Bundy victim-anyone know if he was in LA around that time?? Just curious....the long dark hair and build was what raised the possibility.

 

[manny33919]

I knew Shanon Capriola and her fiancee, a physician, who was a close personal friend.

She had gone to Los Angeles with my friend for his residency and they had by and large planned on staying there for a variety of reasons, none of which are germane to this issue.

There are some other aspects of this case that are very interesting.

Shannon had been wearing an extremely unusual piece of vintage jewelry the evening of her murder, and it was not found on her person when her body was discovered. The LAPD detectives that were working the case felt that the murderer had either stolen it or perhaps a passer-by had taken it from her body. Regardless, they ran a "lost and found" ad in the old Hollywood Citizen News, the Freep (Los Angeles Free Fress) and the LA Times, describing the piece and offering a $500 reward because it was of strong sentimental value as well as it's inherent jewelry value.

One person called (a lady) described the piece in precise and correct detail and asked how and when they could meet to collect the reward. The detective suggested that they meet immediately, but the caller indicated that she had seen it on top of her son's bureau, admired it, and he had explained to her that he'd found it on the sidewalk, so she had to clear it with him and that they couldn't get together until after he got home from work. The caller declined to leave her name or any additional information until she discussed it with her son, and she never called back again.

These were the pre-911 or caller ID times and the analog tracing methods being used then were much more time consuming than the resources we have now, so that's where the case pretty much hit a brick wall.

Shannon's family had extensive financial, networking and information gathering resources and they used all of them for the entire next year to try and re-establish a connection to the caller or determine if there had been any valid "buy-able" street level gossip about the murder, but never got anywhere either.

Her fiancee eventually moved to Ft. Lauderdale FL, and still practices there today. To have something so terrible happen to someone that was your friend (and downstairs neighbor in Kent Ohio) made an impact that I still think about today.

Shannon was bright, beautiful and had her whole life in front of her, it was just a terrible and haunting tragedy.

 

[capoly]

I knew Shanon Capriola and her fiancee, a physician, who was a close personal friend.

She had gone to Los Angeles with my friend for his residency and they had by and large planned on staying there for a variety of reasons, none of which are germane to this issue.

There are some other aspects of this case that are very interesting.

Shannon had been wearing an extremely unusual piece of vintage jewelry the evening of her murder, and it was not found on her person when her body was discovered. The LAPD detectives that were working the case felt that the murderer had either stolen it or perhaps a passer-by had taken it from her body. Regardless, they ran a "lost and found" ad in the old Hollywood Citizen News, the Freep (Los Angeles Free Fress) and the LA Times, describing the piece and offering a $500 reward because it was of strong sentimental value as well as it's inherent jewelry value.

One person called (a lady) described the piece in precise and correct detail and asked how and when they could meet to collect the reward. The detective suggested that they meet immediately, but the caller indicated that she had seen it on top of her son's bureau, admired it, and he had explained to her that he'd found it on the sidewalk, so she had to clear it with him and that they couldn't get together until after he got home from work. The caller declined to leave her name or any additional information until she discussed it with her son, and she never called back again.

These were the pre-911 or caller ID times and the analog tracing methods being used then were much more time consuming than the resources we have now, so that's where the case pretty much hit a brick wall.

Shannon's family had extensive financial, networking and information gathering resources and they used all of them for the entire next year to try and re-establish a connection to the caller or determine if there had been any valid "buy-able" street level gossip about the murder, but never got anywhere either.

Her fiancee eventually moved to Ft. Lauderdale FL, and still practices there today. To have something so terrible happen to someone that was your friend (and downstairs neighbor in Kent Ohio) made an impact that I still think about today.

Shannon was bright, beautiful and had her whole life in front of her, it was just a terrible and haunting tragedy.

Thank you so very much, manny33919, for sharing your friendship with Shannon with us. I had tried to find information on how police followed-up on Shannon's case but all that was found is in this thread.


Investigator Machian is still in the process of reviewing Shannon's file. He has removed her photo from LA's on-line site for UIDs but the information re date/location etc remains on line. It appears this was a clerical error so hopefully all information will be quietly removed in short order.

Again, thank you for sharing.

 

[webrocket]

was the UID ever determined to be Shannon Capriola? it appears to me that she was identified rather early on but that the UID file remained open for some reason.

 

[JillyNJ]

I am also wondering if she was identified. Could someone kindly confirm. As of today, JD is still listed with no photo.

 

[capoly]

I am also wondering if she was identified. Could someone kindly confirm. As of today, JD is still listed with no photo.

Hi JillyNJ, The last I heard from Inv. Machian was that they were still working on the file. That was some time ago. Shannon was definitely ID'd by family and brought home to Ohio within a day or so of death. Inv Machian did remove Shannon's UID photo immediately upon receiving verification of her burial in Ohio. Perhaps the written info has been forgotten? That office has so many UID cases. I am not up to pursuing this issue further so feel free to use the info from the email exchanges posted in this thread to remind/question him of situation. If you would like my full name (as was used in emails with Inv Machian)...just give a PM. Thanks, Susan

 

[CarlK90245]

The California Death Index lists Shannon F Capriola with the same death date as the date that this woman was found.

Name: Shannon F Capriola
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 17 Apr 1947
Birth Place: Ohio
Death Date: 31 Dec 1970
Death Place: Los Angeles

From all appearances, Shannon was officially identified, and it appears based on the date of death that she was identified as this Jane Doe. So I will go ahead and change the flag to "Identified".

 

[JillyNJ]

Hi JillyNJ, The last I heard from Inv. Machian was that they were still working on the file. That was some time ago. Shannon was definitely ID'd by family and brought home to Ohio within a day or so of death. Inv Machian did remove Shannon's UID photo immediately upon receiving verification of her burial in Ohio. Perhaps the written info has been forgotten? That office has so many UID cases. I am not up to pursuing this issue further so feel free to use the info from the email exchanges posted in this thread to remind/question him of situation. If you would like my full name (as was used in emails with Inv Machian)...just give a PM. Thanks, Susan

The California Death Index lists Shannon F Capriola with the same death date as the date that this woman was found.

Name: Shannon F Capriola
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 17 Apr 1947
Birth Place: Ohio
Death Date: 31 Dec 1970
Death Place: Los Angeles

From all appearances, Shannon was officially identified, and it appears based on the date of death that she was identified as this Jane Doe. So I will go ahead and change the flag to "Identified".

Very sad. RIP Shannon. This case goes to show that so many cases from the days before sophisticated computer programs are left blemished within the common databases we use today. Computers are only as accurate as the information humans input into the databases. In this day in age the case managers/lead detectives/anyone else responsible for a particular case really need to make it a priority to update the technological data regarding the case....I mean these are real people we are talking about WITH real loved ones. It takes minutes, if not seconds...

 

[marycarney]

This case might have been solved promptly if caller ID was available. Sad to think that it is likely that a major clue was lost for lack of a phone number...........

 

[wannabeasupersleuth]

I wonder what would happen if the family tried to locate the piece of vintage jewelry today?? Between high end collectors, demand for vintage jewels, and the Internet, it wouldn't surprise me if the piece is easily found. It's most likely no longer in the hands of the killer, but perhaps the family could find comfort in having it back.