CA CA - Westlake Village, HispFem 18-30, UP11249, pregnant, in parking lot, Jul'80

[Susikatze]

I have a feeling that Lyra was a sex worker, that's how she got pregnant, and that's why the baby's father didn't know her. He likely wasn't her boyfriend, they just had a brief encounter. JMO IMO

I have this feeling as well - not only because of the red high heels (those were in fashion then among young women of various subcultures). Just because nobody seems to know this young woman. She may have emigrated from Mexico to find work - many young, good looking women were lured into sexwork that way. She may not even have been legally in the US and the people she associated with did not step forward because she was not legally in the country. If that is the case, her poor family in Zacatecas has always wondered what became of her but nobody could step forward, either, because nobody knew her whereabouts.
Social media is another big chance here, it now bridges countries and language barriers. But her parents may not be alive anymore, no surviving or knowing siblings. And the ones who remember her may not be internet savy or check genealogy or UID pages on social media.
I hope eventually it will be solved like the Patra Patmios case. She was adopted out and emigrated as a child to the US, which made the things complicated. A Greek half brother knew he had an older half sister that lived in the USA. He was looking far and wide for a woman in her 70s over a decade. Until someone got him a DNA test kit and he was a DNA match to an UID case from the 1960s... who turned out to be Patra.
The case is here in the identified forum and fascinating to read.

I hope our Lyra will eventually find her way back home into the arms of her family. She apparently had a first child, who may or may not have stayed with her, is hopefully alive and looking for his or her mom.

All jmoo

 

[Springrain]

I have a feeling that Lyra was a sex worker, that's how she got pregnant, and that's why the baby's father didn't know her. He likely wasn't her boyfriend, they just had a brief encounter. JMO IMO

I think that was very likely the case. I don't think he's lying, I don't think they had any sort of romantic involvement, and I think he really doesn't remember or know her.

I have no resentment towards her baby's father or anything like that, I just find it immensely sad and honestly frustrating that she has been irrevocably linked in death to two men - one of whom impregnated her, the other who raped her, strangled her and stabbed her almost 30 times - and neither man has anything to say about her or who she was. In, like, 99% of these Doe cases, we don't have any information about people they have been linked to or leads on who may have known them. In Lyra's case we know her killer and her baby's dad, and this has not gotten us any closer to knowing who she was. It makes me really, really sad for her that strong detective and genetic genealogy work has gotten us to a point where these men have been identified but had nothing to say about her. This is NOT a case of poor work or corruption or laziness or under-funding or any of those circumstances that sometimes affect Doe cases. Lyra Jade has a team of incredible, smart and dedicated people working on her case both through the LE side and the genetic genealogy side. It's not for lack of trying! I know that her teams have put countless hours of work and advocacy into her case and have for a long time now. I truly think it's a mix of really difficult genealogy and just plain bad luck. It just really hurts my heart that we know so much, yet so little.

Answers will come. I know they will. She has wonderful people behind her. She will go home. Her family, whether they're in LA or Zacatecas or wherever else, will find out what happened to her and get the answers they've waited for for over 40 yrs now. I just wish we had answers from two men who we know ultimately played large roles in her life and death. But neither of them have anything to say about the young dead woman. It is so sad.

 

[djanga]

Ventura Jane Doe has a new highest match on the DDP’s spreadsheet, it is a small increase, but I hope it is valuable and makes her identification closer. Her new highest match is cM 133 (previous were cM 120 and cM 114). So, I am sure that there are actually people who are related to her and more of them submit their DNA to gedmatch. And I know her case is in good hands. I am sure Carl Koppelman and the team will identify her sooner or later

 

[Springrain]

Ventura Jane Doe has a new highest match on the DDP’s spreadsheet, it is a small increase, but I hope it is valuable and makes her identification closer. Her new highest match is cM 133 (previous were cM 120 and cM 114). So, I am sure that there are actually people who are related to her and more of them submit their DNA to gedmatch. And I know her case is in good hands. I am sure Carl Koppelman and the team will identify her sooner or later

Any progress is good news to me!

 

[Springrain]

Bumping...not sure what to say.

 

[Springrain]

A month since my last post, and unfortunately, there's not much more else to say. I have hope that she'll be identified this year, but all things take time.

There was an update shared in Nashville Sherry Doe's case where a woman came forward believing her biological mother was likely to be Sherry Doe. Unfortunately, due to a couple different circumstances, it hasn't been able to be confirmed whether this is the case or not. However, I bring this up because Lyra Jade's case doesn't have some of the same issues as Sherry's, and if she has an adult child come forward stating they have reason to believe that Lyra Jade could be their mother, it could be confirmed via DNA and genealogy. With wider distribution of Lyra Jade's story, especially in Zacatecas, it may just reach the right people, a biological child of hers in their 40s by now who thinks, "Wow, this woman looks a lot like my mother who disappeared in 1980..." It can happen.

 

[Bagpus]

A month since my last post, and unfortunately, there's not much more else to say. I have hope that she'll be identified this year, but all things take time.

There was an update shared in Nashville Sherry Doe's case where a woman came forward believing her biological mother was likely to be Sherry Doe. Unfortunately, due to a couple different circumstances, it hasn't been able to be confirmed whether this is the case or not. However, I bring this up because Lyra Jade's case doesn't have some of the same issues as Sherry's, and if she has an adult child come forward stating they have reason to believe that Lyra Jade could be their mother, it could be confirmed via DNA and genealogy. With wider distribution of Lyra Jade's story, especially in Zacatecas, it may just reach the right people, a biological child of hers in their 40s by now who thinks, "Wow, this woman looks a lot like my mother who disappeared in 1980..." It can happen.

All we can do is hope.

 

[hafom8840]

A month since my last post, and unfortunately, there's not much more else to say. I have hope that she'll be identified this year, but all things take time.

There was an update shared in Nashville Sherry Doe's case where a woman came forward believing her biological mother was likely to be Sherry Doe. Unfortunately, due to a couple different circumstances, it hasn't been able to be confirmed whether this is the case or not. However, I bring this up because Lyra Jade's case doesn't have some of the same issues as Sherry's, and if she has an adult child come forward stating they have reason to believe that Lyra Jade could be their mother, it could be confirmed via DNA and genealogy. With wider distribution of Lyra Jade's story, especially in Zacatecas, it may just reach the right people, a biological child of hers in their 40s by now who thinks, "Wow, this woman looks a lot like my mother who disappeared in 1980..." It can happen.

It seems a lot of relatives/friends of newly-identified decedents are largely unaware of the whole investigative and forensic processes surrounding unidentified decedents.

 

[Springrain]

It seems a lot of relatives/friends of newly-identified decedents are largely unaware of the whole investigative and forensic processes surrounding unidentified decedents.

I wish there was an easy way to more widely share information about these processes to get to the people who need to see them most to bring loved ones home. Obviously social media is our best tool for that, but the way it is, not everyone can see everything. News outlets doing reports can help but same issue there.

 

[ohbeeeans]

It seems a lot of relatives/friends of newly-identified decedents are largely unaware of the whole investigative and forensic processes surrounding unidentified decedents.

To add on, I feel like a lot of people (in general) are unaware of the processes.

 

[Springrain]

To add on, I feel like a lot of people (in general) are unaware of the processes.

I would love there to be more public education about these wonderful processes so families and others will know about them.

 

[Tired Professor]

I would love there to be more public education about these wonderful processes so families and others will know about them.

I agree! I think there are so many people afraid to test in general due to the fear of the unknown and then the added step carrying the results to GED Match, many people do not want to do due to the fear of opening Pandora’s Box. I would like to think that as more and more people test and results come out that this will become less of an issue, but who knows?

 

[Jayyh123]

I don't speak Spanish, when did it say she went missing? Also, how close is the state of Sonora to the areas of Mexico such as Zacatecas that were emphasized in DDP?

As someone born along right by the border whose father previously worked in US Customs for the America/Mexico border, UID cases involving likely undocumented immigrants from Mexico and central America are of very high interest to me, especially this Doe. I wish there was something I could do to help, but I don't speak Spanish and have connections in that area

Hello I’m glad to find this thread. Maria Leopolda Bernal Zavala is my aunt. My grandmother recently handed me her last letter and other information in hopes I can do something to locate our missing aunt. Anyone that can help I have no clue where to start I would gladly appreciate any support. Much love to you all communicating and working behind the scenes to gain closure. You’re all doing gods work. Much love to you all my contact email jayy_h123@yahoo.com My name is Jeanette Haro

 

[Jayyh123]

Hello I’m glad to find this thread. Maria Leopolda Bernal Zavala is my aunt. My grandmother recently handed me her last letter and other information in hopes I can do something to locate our missing aunt. Anyone that can help I have no clue where to start I would gladly appreciate any support. Much love to you all communicating and working behind the scenes to gain closure. You’re all doing gods work. Much love to you all my contact email jayy_h123@yahoo.com My name is Jeanette Haro

 

[HmmMysterious]

Hello I’m glad to find this thread. Maria Leopolda Bernal Zavala is my aunt. My grandmother recently handed me her last letter and other information in hopes I can do something to locate our missing aunt. Anyone that can help I have no clue where to start I would gladly appreciate any support. Much love to you all communicating and working behind the scenes to gain closure. You’re all doing gods work. Much love to you all my contact email jayy_h123@yahoo.com My name is Jeanette Haro

Does your aunt look like this Jane Doe?

 

[djanga]

Does your aunt look like this Jane Doe?

Maria Leopolda was ruled out already, her relatives submitted the DNA for comparison, she was discussed prior in this thread.

FYI:

Maria Leopolda Zavala Bernal was brought to our attention last year, along with another woman (Guadalupe Cortez, who was also missing in 1980 - last seen in Los Angeles, and known to be pregnant when last seen). The person who brought both missing women to our attention worked with the families to get their DNA into GEDMatch, and missing persons reports filed for them.

Both Maria Bernal and Guadalupe Cortez were ruled out against Ventura Jane Doe as a result of the GEDMatch kit comparisons coming back negative.

 

[djanga]

Does your aunt look like this Jane Doe?

The surname Zavala came up in the DNA Doe Project list of surnames of interest.
View attachment 299477

Her photo from the missing person poster, she looks like Ventura County Jane Doe, but she is not her, I hope Maria Leopolda is alive and well

 

[Jayyh123]

Her photo from the missing person poster, she looks like Ventura County Jane Doe, but she is not her, I hope Maria Leopolda is alive and well

She had a daughter she mentioned she had gave birth to already, Gloria, she let us know she would send a picture and we never received that. I have hopes that maybe if my aunt cannot be found I may have a cousin out here and I’m not sure her last name. As the man she had this child was named Carlos and worked in the farming/ agriculture sector and we didn’t know his last name. Not sure how to start this search or where to go next. I don’t have her daughter Gloria’s birthdate either

 

[djanga]

She had a daughter she mentioned she had gave birth to already, Gloria, she let us know she would send a picture and we never received that. I have hopes that maybe if my aunt cannot be found I may have a cousin out here and I’m not sure her last name. As the man she had this child was named Carlos and worked in the farming/ agriculture sector and we didn’t know his last name. Not sure how to start this search or where to go next. I don’t have her daughter Gloria’s birthdate either

I am so sorry, I hope Maria is alive! Here is the facebook post with the details you have mentioned

 

[summergirl1]

You should start a separate thread/topic for your aunt on here..