CA CA - Nipton, WhtFem 18-25, 778UFCA, GSW, in mine shaft, May'76

[megs1477]

This prob doesn't help much, but in the 1950s/60s Carol Brent (not Brant) was the house brand for department store Montgomery Ward


There is a little more information about her discovery here:

 

[lightofmine99]

Bumping for Nipton Mineshaft Jane Doe.

 

[dotr]

Feb 20, 2025

California cold case murder may have a Wichita Falls area connection. Can you help?

Investigators in California hope someone in the Wichita Falls area might help them identify a young woman who was murdered in May 1976.

www.timesrecordnews.com

''The ancestral DNA link from the mystery woman is to the grandparents, Alfred Lee and Dollie Mae Roberts, who had 10 children, according to Van Norman. Census reports list the Roberts family as living in Henrietta in the 1940s and 1950s and buried in Hope Cemetery in Henrietta.''

''Lois Lorene Roberts was a daughter of the couple and at one time lived in Wichita Falls.
Roberts married Arthur Eugene Riddick Jr., and the couple had a son and a daughter, both of whom were placed for adoption prior to Robert’s death in 1967 at age 34. Van Norman thinks adoptions may have occurred as early as 1958.''

 

[kforbes862]

Does this mean that genealogical research is being done for this case?

 

[Tired Professor]

Does this mean that genealogical research is being done for this case?

Sure looks that way! Fingers crossed that this Doe gets her name back soon!

Edited to add: it sounds like they do possibly know her birth name, but not the name she was adopted under.

 

[Alleykins]

What an incredible update. The article states "if so, her long-lost name could be Dorothy Riddick Clark."
I wonder where the surname Clark came from. Would it be a married name or adopted name?

 

[dotr]

Very clear PM pic. at link.

https://wp.sbcounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2017/07/JaneDoe.pdf

''SYNOPSIS:On May 30, 1976, Jane Doe was found shot to death inside a mineshaft near Interstate 15 and Cima Road in the Mojave Desert. Jane Doe was approximately 18-30 years old, 5’4, 150-160 lbs., and had reddish brown hair. She was wearing a bathing suit when discovered. If anyone knows the identity of Jane Doe please contact the Homicide Cold Case Team at the telephone number below. (H# 1976-149)ANYONE WITH INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:Sheriff Homicide Detail (909) 387-3589orWE TIP 1-800-78-CRIME''

 

[kforbes862]

I had no idea that igg was even being done in this case, but it does seem like they are very close to getting her name back. It will be interesting to see the circumstances of how she ended up where she did.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I was just thinking about her a few days ago!! This is great news. Hopefully, she'll have her name back soon.

 

[Alleykins]

I was just thinking about her a few days ago!! This is great news. Hopefully, she'll have her name back soon.

I hope so, too.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

He said branches of the North Texas family moved to California, which will be his next line of research. He said most of those people are dead — but he’s not giving up.

“There’s got to be someone who can lead us somewhere,” he said. “There’s always someone who knows more about the families.”

Years ago a Jane Doe's remains were exhumed in California. A DNA trail leads here.

The search is on for the identity of a murder victim with North Texas ties. Note: This photo gallery includes images some may find disturbing.

www.timesrecordnews.com

The mystery woman died from a shotgun blast to the back and her body was dumped into a mineshaft in the Mojave Desert in the Barstow area in 1976, according to the San Bernadino sheriff’s office.

Through ancestral DNA research, Van Norman linked the victim to a family with connections to Wichita Falls and Henrietta.

Van Norman’s team narrowed the likely identity of the victim to a daughter of Arthur Eugene Riddick and Lois Roberts Riddick, both of whom had lived in Henrietta and Wichita Falls and are now deceased

The murder victim who wasn't and the search for Jane Doe's identity in Wichita Falls area

The search for the identity of a cold case murder victim with ties to the Wichita Falls area has produced a stunning surprise.

www.timesrecordnews.com

 

[LookingForClues]

Wow, that's a crazy twist!

 

[Alleykins]

If investigators believe that she's a daughter of Arthur and Lois, does Dorothy know who it could be, since she's alive and well? Could they have had another child they gave up for adoption, too?

 

[cvaldez1975]

Wow, that's a crazy twist!

THey had to have had another child

 

[Bit of hope]

Wow, great update! Thanks @dotr I hope this will come to a resolution and she can get her name back. It's been so long.

 

[dotr]

April 1 2025

San Bernardino County investigators seek help solving 1976 desert murder tied to Texas DNA

A young woman murdered in the Barstow area has been unidentified since the grim discovery in 1976. Investigators may be closer to solving the case.

www.vvdailypress.com

''She died from a shotgun blast to the back, and her body was dumped in a mineshaft in the Mojave Desert in the Barstow area, according to information from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.
Now, after nearly a half-century, ancestral DNA has traced her genealogy to a possible Wichita Falls-Clay County connection.''

''Van Norman said the woman's remains have been buried in an indigent cemetery, but if relatives are found it might be possible to rebury the woman with family.
He asked that anyone who knew the families or what became of Lois Riddick’s two children to contact him at [email protected].''

 

[multipleregression]

Lois appears to have passed away young, a few years before her ex-husband. I wonder what her story was, giving the children up for adoption before divorcing. Whatever happened in her life, it sounds sad.

Here's Lois's Findagrave Page, I'm sure it's her as it's the correct cemetery mentioned in the above article.

Photos of Lois Robertson Riddick - Find a Grave...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Lois Lorene Roberts was a daughter of the couple and at one time lived in Wichita Falls.

Roberts married Arthur Eugene Riddick Jr., and the couple had a son and a daughter, both of whom were placed for adoption prior to Robert’s death in 1967 at age 34. Van Norman thinks adoptions may have occurred as early as 1958.

Times Record News archives indicate the couple divorced in 1959. Arthur Riddick died in 1970, and he and his ex-wife are buried in Hope Cemetery.

Van Norman said his office has tracked down some relatives through DNA and believes Lois is the last best hope for confirming an identity.

Van Norman said the woman's remains have been buried in an indigent cemetery, but if relatives are found it might be possible to rebury the woman with family.

San Bernardino County investigators seek help solving 1976 desert murder tied to Texas DNA

A young woman murdered in the Barstow area has been unidentified since the grim discovery in 1976. Investigators may be closer to solving the case.

www.vvdailypress.com

 

[multipleregression]

Word of her murder surprised a woman living in Bowie

I just came across this article that I believe hasn't been shared here which has an interview with the daughter that was originally suspected to be this Jane Doe. The daughter Dorothy/Dorothea was given up at 7 months and is 76 as of March 2025. Working backwards assuming she was born in 1949, Dorothy would have been quite young then at about 17.

 

[Alleykins]

I wonder how genetically close the daughter is to the remains.