Identified! CA - Placer County, WhtFem 15/20-27, 1487UFCA, UP17570, Skull in drainage ditch, Aug'86 - Donna Lass

[heartanium]

Don't think she has a thread but please merge if she does. Unfortunately very little to go off of, she will probably have to to be identified by DNA. I can't find any articles on her either.

Unidentified Female
Namus UP17570
D.B.F: August 5, 1986
Estimated PMI: ~3 years
Estimated year of death: 1983
Location Found: Placer County, California

Vital Information:
Race: White/Caucasian
Age: 20-27
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Unknown
Eyes: Unknown
Circumstances:
Female skull found.

Case Information:

ME/C Case Number: SO-13226-86

Placer County Sheriff's Office- Coroner Division - (916) 409-8253​

Agency Number Case Number: SO-13226-86

California Department of Justice - (916) 210-3119
Megan Eschleman, Law Enforcement

Exclusions - None

 

[heartanium]

Northern California woman who disappeared around 1983:

March 21, 1984 - 24, Linda Borges #MP1411 Davenport, Santa Cruz County, CA ~213 miles
March 10, 1984 - Denise Rodriguez #MP4555 San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA ~148 miles
February 18, 1984 - 26, Sally Anne Schneider #MP33049 San Anselmo, Marin County, CA ~146 miles
January 19, 1984 - 21, Evelyn McDowell #MP23787 Woodland, Yolo County, CA ~77 miles
December 22, 1983 - 26, Barbara Rosemark #MP60854 Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA ~62 miles
October 31, 1983 - 29, Nancy Penner #MP14952 Paradise, Butte County, CA ~113 miles
September 9, 1982 - 21, Justine Flynn #38018 San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA ~148 miles

Bolded the ones I think may be the best match.

 

[iulia]

From her Doe Network page:

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Unknown

The decedent's skull was discovered in a drainage ditch near Interstate 80 and State Highway 20.

1487UFCA

 

[BrownBear]

1487UFCA - Unidentified Female​

Date of Discovery: August 5, 1986
Location of Discovery: Placer County, California
Estimated Date of Death: 2-3 years prior
State of Remains: Partial skeletal
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 15-27 years old (NamUs says 20-27)
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery​

The decedent's skull was discovered in a drainage ditch near Interstate 80 and State Highway 20.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Placer County Sheriff-Coroner
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 530-889-7800
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 13226-86

Agency Name: California Department of Justice
Agency Contact Person: Megan Eschleman
Agency Phone Number: 916-210-3119
Agency E-Mail: Megan.eschleman(at)doj.ca.gov
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 17570

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
Gold Country Media

 

[SimsGuy67]

So little info that it's hard to run a search without getting overwhelmed. I found a possibility though. Not enough info to make a table.
I wonder if she could be Sally Schneider, missing since 1984. Not much to say other than that she went missing 2 hours away and that everything we do know matches.

 

[BrownBear]

So little info that it's hard to run a search without getting overwhelmed. I found a possibility though. Not enough info to make a table.
I wonder if she could be Sally Schneider, missing since 1984. Not much to say other than that she went missing 2 hours away and that everything we do know matches.

I think she's a good possibility. The timeline and circumstances seem like they could work.

 

[theshadow45]

Following.

 

[Caring1]

Identified as Donna Lass.

Human Remains Identified After Being Found in Placer County Decades Ago

The case was connected to human remains found in 1986 in Placer County.

www.2news.com

Found Deceased - CA - Donna Lass, 25, South Lake Tahoe, 6 Sept 1970

Have to admit I got into Donna's case via the Zodiac crimes, but I think the problem with linking Donna's disappearance to the Zodiac Bay Area attacks is that we [That is, the public at large] are 50 years on and we're still doing a re-tread of the same information, because nothing else has...

www.websleuths.com

 

[iamshadow21]

Identified as Donna Lass.

Human Remains Identified After Being Found in Placer County Decades Ago

The case was connected to human remains found in 1986 in Placer County.

www.2news.com

Found Deceased - CA - Donna Lass, 25, South Lake Tahoe, 6 Sept 1970

Have to admit I got into Donna's case via the Zodiac crimes, but I think the problem with linking Donna's disappearance to the Zodiac Bay Area attacks is that we [That is, the public at large] are 50 years on and we're still doing a re-tread of the same information, because nothing else has...

www.websleuths.com

Sleep well, Donna.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Remains found in Placer County in 1986 identified as woman missing since 1971

Remains found in Placer County in 1986 have been identified, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office (PCSO).Donna Lass was reported as a missing person

foxreno.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

While the investigation went nowhere at the time, the Placer County Sheriff's Office did find a skull off Highway 20 near Interstate 80 more than a decade later. However, detectives at the time couldn't identify that person.

The skull was preserved and, in recent years, was re-examined by Placer County's new cold case team.

With advancements in DNA technology at their disposal, the skull found in 1986 had DNA that matched with a member of Lass' family. The remains were then positively identified as that of Donna Lass

Detectives identify remains of 1971 South Lake Tahoe missing person cold case

A breakthrough has been made in a South Lake Tahoe missing person cold case from the early 1970s.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[annemc2]

It's wild when you're so invested in all of these missing and UID persons that when you see a familiar name it's like whoa - and all of a sudden two mysteries are solved at once! I immediately remembered she was a nurse working in South Lake Tahoe, possible Zodiac victim when I saw her name. May you finally rest in eternal peace, Donna. What a wonderful late Christmas gift to bring her home!

 

[katydid23]

The estimated date of death was 3 years previously.

Yet the woman identified went missing 15 years earlier. Is the estimated date of death usually that difficult to pinpoint?

Or did the victim go off grid for a decade before she was killed?

I guess if all you have is a skull, in such extreme elements as Northern Cali Mountains, you'd have a hard time figuring it out.

 

[SimsGuy67]

Here to show my respects to Donna. It's hard to find UID cases matched to well-known MP cases decades later.

The PMI is the main culprit that hindered identification IMO.

Rest in peace Donna.

 

[heartanium]

Oh wow - I knew about Donna Lass but never expected this Doe to be her. Very happy to see her get her name back. May she rest in peace.

Also very happy to see Placer County (finally) has a cold case division.

 

[Markybug]

I presume the estimated death of 3 years prior is wrong ?

 

[HmmMysterious]

I presume the estimated death of 3 years prior is wrong ?

Yes way off. Donna probably died shortly after disappearing in 1970.

 

[theshadow45]

Donna was found 38 years ago today.

 

[theshadow45]

Donna vanished 54 years ago today.

 

[theshadow45]

Today is Donna’s birthday.