CA CA - Bernadine Lewis, 30, left bar with man, beaten, raped, murdered, Long Beach, 30 Jan 1975

[StarrChance]

Any updates on her case?

Bernardine Holley Lewis
BIRTH 13 Sep 1944
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
DEATH 2 Feb 1975 (aged 30)
Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA
BURIAL
Woodlawn Memorial Park
De Soto, Jefferson County, Missouri, USA
PLOT
MEMORIAL ID 18238389 · View Source

 

[Jamiegirl6]

I’m her daughter..Danie started this thread for me. How do I post news articles I have?

Was curious...who you were the daughter of who? Bernadine? I was her niece.

I’m her daughter..Danie started this thread for me. How do I post news articles I have?

 

[Jamiegirl6]

This was my Aunt Bernadine. I was very young when this happened. If anyone has any information on this please let me know.

 

[Jamiegirl6]

This was my Aunt Bernadine. I was very young when this happened. If anyone has any information on this please let me know.

That is heartbreaking. I am so sorry.

Did the police investigate the circumstances? I imagine they investigated your father at some point? Was he officially cleared?

My uncle was not ever a suspect.

 

[Jamiegirl6]

Heartbrokenforever is her daughter. She can give much info, thank you!

Bernadine was my aunt and my uncle had no involvement in her death.

 

[Jamiegirl6]

Good morning, Brokenheartedforever had help to locate her Moms headstone after many years. Yesterday she received a photo that we have to share. Reads her moms name, birth year-to year of death. At bottom says wife of her stepdads name! Not one thing that she was s mother. What are your thoughts?

That is how headstone are written out around here. I can tell you that my uncle had nothing to do with the death of my aunt. So quit throwing his name up as some kind of monster. He is the most kindest man you will ever meet. This was a random person that took her life.

 

[Fede]

One essential thing here is to know if Bernadine had swabs performed on her. If they did that and kept them with the case evidence, maybe a DNA analysis can be performed.
Also, she was nude when she was found. But did they find her clothes after that?

 

[MMSD25]

Yeah. I feel like if the case bothered this seasoned detective for so long, it will surely spark interest in someone working cold cases now.

It’s sparked interest in me, I’m a producer looking for a compelling story to tell and hopefully aid in solving the case by giving it mainstream exposure. Getting justice would be incredible. Seems like a lot of layers to peel away here. I’m in San Diego and can do some in person scouting/investigating.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

One essential thing here is to know if Bernadine had swabs performed on her. If they did that and kept them with the case evidence, maybe a DNA analysis can be performed.
Also, she was nude when she was found. But did they find her clothes after that?

Her clothes were never found. They did have a little DNA from under her fingernails but what was left when cold case was reopened a few years ago (before Covid) was so minimal or degraded it couldn’t be used to do genealogical DNA search

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

That is how headstone are written out around here. I can tell you that my uncle had nothing to do with the death of my aunt. So quit throwing his name up as some kind of monster. He is the most kindest man you will ever meet. This was a random person that took her life.

I am her daughter..I wasn’t very young..I was 13. I understand you wanting to defend him but I lived with him..from 12-20 yrs old. He had a Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde personality you know nothing about. He tied her to the bed the week before..he was very physically abusive. He had scratches on his arms and failed his first polygraph. He beat me weekly for 7 yrs after her murder. I was treated like Cinderella. He wasn’t the man you knew.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

Bernadine was my aunt and my uncle had no involvement in her death.

Jamiegirl16..you only know what he wanted to show you. He had a side you know nothing about.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

Jamiegirl16..you only know what he wanted to show you. He had a side you know nothing about.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

Was curious...who you were the daughter of who? Bernadine? I was her niece.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

Yes Jamie..I am her oldest daughter.

 

[Brokenheartedforever]

Wow. It sounds like that Detective Kallestead really did try to solve this heartbreaking case. I wonder what happened?

It is great though because there should be a lot of info and potential evidence in those files since he was known to be a detail oriented investigator.

This seems like a perfect case for a cold case detective to take on now.

I actually contacted Kallestad after seeing the article posted here. He was very helpful and very interested in information I gave him. He hooked me up with a cold case detective who was working on it until Covid when the cold case detectives got reassigned. As far as I know, case was dropped after he was reassigned. LA county is inundated yearly with new Homicides so cases this old get limited manpower unfortunately