CA CA - Los Angeles, AsianFem UP3384, 18-30, burned in MVA, Nov'99

[Kymistry35]

The Doe Network:
972UFCA
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/972ufca.html

[FONT=HELVETICA,ARIAL]No Image Available [/FONT]
Unidentified Asian Female

• The victim was discovered on November 17, 1999 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
• Estimated Date of Death: November 17, 1999
• Cause of Death: Victim of an auto vs. auto collision.
• State of Remains: Charred

Vital Statistics

• Estimated age: 18+ years old
• Approximate Height and Weight: 5'3"; 146 lbs.
• Personal Effects : 1 yellow metal band, with a bridged setting of a heart shaped, clear stone, held at the sides by hands; and crowned with another small stone; 1 yellow metal, "twisted" chain necklace, with a clear pendant, shaped like a "Hersheys kiss" confection.

Case History
The victim was a victim of an auto vs. auto collision on 101 freeway at Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California on November 17, 1999. The car burst into flames and the victim was burned.
The vehicle was a 1985 Mitsubishi Galant, maroon color.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Los Angeles Coroner
Investigator Daniel Machian
323-343-0754
323-222-0343
Email
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.
Agency Case Number:
1999-07845
NCIC Number:
U-560002915
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case. Source Information:
Los Angeles Coroner

 

[Kymistry35]

I wonder if what she had on was similar to a Claddagh ring?

 

[youshouldveknown]

I wonder if what she had on was similar to a Claddagh ring?

That sounds exactly like the claddagh, actually

 

[Kymistry35]

Do they make cheap yellow metal versions? All the ones I have seen are silver or gold. I wonder if we could get pictures of the jewlry? Maybe a family member would recognize it?

ETA: I am looking at lots of different versions. I did find an Avon claddagh ring that is yellow metal, but it does not have a clear stone. It says that it was popular in the late 70's though.

 

[Vask]

With the stone in the ring being clear, it's a possibility she was born in April as April's birthstone is a diamond/crystal.

Just in case you're not sure of what 'bridged' means either when it comes to a ring setting, see this photo:

See how in the lower left photo the stone is raised away from the band itself? From what I can find, that's what a bridged setting is.

Also, with her wearing a traditional irish/celtic style ring, I'm wondering if that Hershey's Kiss shaped pendant might have been a Triquetra.

Or.. they actually do make Hershey's Kiss pendants:
http://images.google.com/images?q=h...US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[Kymistry35]

Thanks Vask. I didn't know what a bridged setting meant, I was just browsing through different rings. That may help in finding one that looked like hers. Good idea about the necklace. I wish they would show a picture. I wonder if the detective in charge would send us pictures of the jewelry if they are available.

 

[fmw63]

Haven't looked at any of the info on this yet, but If they know the year, model and color of the car, there should have been enough left to get the VIN number off of several parts throughout the car, and track down the registered owner.

 

[Vask]

Depends. What's the boiling point on most metals in a car?

Haven't looked at any of the info on this yet, but If they know the year, model and color of the car, there should have been enough left to get the VIN number off of several parts throughout the car, and track down the registered owner.

 

[fmw63]

Depends. What's the boiling point on most metals in a car?

Not sure, but the VIN is on several major pieces. Maybe they forgot to look? Or maybe all were destroyed? :waitasec: Seems like searching DMV records could have given clues.

 

[fmw63]

Depends. What's the boiling point on most metals in a car?

Not sure, but the VIN is on several major pieces. Maybe they forgot to look? Or maybe all were destroyed? :waitasec: Seems like searching DMV records could have given clues.

 

[fmw63]

Oops...:crazy:

 

[Donjeta]

If she wasn't in her own car that was properly registered to her name knowing the VIN might not help. It could have been a stolen vehicle or she could have hitched a ride from someone who also died in the crash and couldn't tell who she was
Her Namus page but there's not much new info.
https://identifyus.org/cases/3384

 

[CarlK90245]

I was just watching the local Los Angeles news station KCal 9, and they did a little story of a local woman who has taken an interest in trying to solve this case, after browsing through the LA County Coroner Website.

She has spent quite a bit of energy obtaining coroner reports, and even trying to track down the owner of the car that the Jane Doe was driving. The owner told authorities that he didn't know the woman. But it is strange that someone would be driving his vehicle and he didn't know who that person was. The woman, along with the KCal field reporter, traced his current address to a location in Chinatown, but they could only find the man's daughter. He was out of the country, and she doesn't know anything about the vehicle or the woman.

They must have filmed the segment a couple of years ago, because they ran a few very quick flashes of the site when they still had postmortem photos online. There are no PM photos of this Jane Doe, but they showed a few others that I hadn't seen in a while.

They also visited the potter's field in Los Angeles where all the unclaimed and UID's are buried in mass-graves, marked only by a stone engraved with the year.

I wonder what it was about this specific case above all others that piqued her interest.

 

[Redwood146]

Interesting that someone tracked down the owner of the car.... and they didnt know who was driving car at the time. So it makes me think the car was payment for a debt, or he does have some idea but in disclosing the information might mean disclosing benefit fraud, or a mistress. If the car had been stolen you would say so. I think there is something odd about this.

 

[CarlK90245]

Interesting that someone tracked down the owner of the car.... and they didnt know who was driving car at the time. So it makes me think the car was payment for a debt, or he does have some idea but in disclosing the information might mean disclosing benefit fraud, or a mistress. If the car had been stolen you would say so. I think there is something odd about this.

They said in the news segment that the car's registration had been expired a few months when the accident happened.

That was the first thing I thought of - that the man was having an affair with this woman, and didn't want his wife or family to know about her. Or he may have been involved in trafficking illegal immigrants from China (or some other illegal activity that he didn't care to discuss with LE).

 

[deca]

From what I have heard, there are a lot of underground business dealings that people want to keep hush hush. For example: I will give you this car and you can give it to your cousin's sister if you will forgive the money you lent me to open my donut store.
So much of it is under the table and many immigrants don't have family in the states. Perhaps someone told her family back home about it and no one told LE. The family might not have had money to bring her back home?

 

[CarlK90245]

I was just watching the local Los Angeles news station KCal 9, and they did a little story of a local woman who has taken an interest in trying to solve this case, after browsing through the LA County Coroner Website.

She has spent quite a bit of energy obtaining coroner reports, and even trying to track down the owner of the car that the Jane Doe was driving. The owner told authorities that he didn't know the woman. But it is strange that someone would be driving his vehicle and he didn't know who that person was. The woman, along with the KCal field reporter, traced his current address to a location in Chinatown, but they could only find the man's daughter. He was out of the country, and she doesn't know anything about the vehicle or the woman.

They must have filmed the segment a couple of years ago, because they ran a few very quick flashes of the site when they still had postmortem photos online. There are no PM photos of this Jane Doe, but they showed a few others that I hadn't seen in a while.

They also visited the potter's field in Los Angeles where all the unclaimed and UID's are buried in mass-graves, marked only by a stone engraved with the year.

I wonder what it was about this specific case above all others that piqued her interest.

I still had the news segment on my DVR, so I went ahead and filmed it and uploaded it to YouTube.

POSTMORTEM PHOTO WARNING: The clip flashes quickly on the postmortem photos of 5 other UID's.

I recognized all five of them: 443UFCA/UP3838, 484UFCA/UP3979, 807UMCA/(Not in NamUs), 669UMCA/(Not in NamUs), and 307UFCA/UP3390.


KCal 9 - Los Angeles Asian Jane Doe Sleuth Story

 

[Ambercat]

I wonder what it was about this specific case above all others that piqued her interest.

I think its something about having the car makes a case seem like it is so solvable if you just get the right piece of information [IMO].

Claddagh rings are something that I would associate with Irish people and not really Asian -- I wonder if they are 100% sure the decedent was Asian. Maybe she was half? Then again, she could have seen the ring and just liked the look of it, too.

Did Mr. Y have any other children other than the daughter who they talked to on the news report (if he had a son, is it possible she could be the son's girlfriend that he didn't know about or something of that nature)?

 

[Kymistry35]

Any updates? Maybe the lady searching for answers could join us here if we find her?

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

From my knowledge of some Asian cultures....my guess is this is a mistress of the registered owner of the vehicle. The car was probably a gift & the woman had not had a chance to get the title transferred, or did not wish to & was willing to risk the consequences. Also she might have been working off her immigration-related debt in some way that required her to use his vehicle & that's why there is silence about her. She might have been alone in the U.S. and obviously her associates won't talk.