Who Is Sonoma County (Santa Rosa) Jane Doe (1979), the only unidentified victim of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Killer?
Discovered: July 2, 1979 in Santa Rosa. Sonoma County, CA
Estimated Date of Death: 3-7 years prior (earliest 1972)
State of Remains: Near complete or complete skeleton
Cause of Death: Homicide
Estimated Age: 16-21 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'3", estimated
Weight: Unknown; medium build
Hair: Brown or auburn
Distinguishing Marks/Features: had broken a rib at some point in life (healed), had a broken arm which was broken at the time of death.
Personal Items: Hard contact lens inside a metal candy tin decorated with cherries found near the remains.
Circumstances of Discovery: Hikers found skeletal remains, nude and hog-tied, in a steep ravine along a creek west of Calistoga Road near Santa Rosa. The decedent had been stuffed in a duffle or laundry-type bag before she was dumped approximately one hundred yards from where the body of Lori Lee Kursa was recovered seven years earlier. She is a victim of the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murder, who was responsible for the deaths of least seven female hitchhikers between 1972 to 1974. Several suspects, including the Zodiac Killer, Arthur Leigh Allen, and Ted Bundy have been considered, but no one has yet to be convicted. This woman is the only unidentified victim attributed to this serial killer. She was previously speculated to be Jeannette Kamahele, but dental comparison and DNA ruled her out.
Comparisons: despite Jeannette Kamahele being ruled out as being our Doe via dentals and DNA (according to Doe Network), the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has yet to provide any official rule-outs to NAMus.
Popular Theories:
Paula Ann Pope, who was last seen on September 3, 1972, in Fresh Pond, CA, is thought to be a likely match. She was last seen leaving her campsite after getting into a fight with her husband because she wanted to go to a concert in Carson City, Nevada, and he didn't. She hitchhiked to the concert, then hitchhiked back with two people from Sacramento (where she lived at the time). She allegedly planned to return to the campsite, and was last seen by her travel companions with "motorcycle types". She was 18, had light brown hair which matched the auburn-like color of the Doe's, and wore hard contact lenses. The one trait that doesn't match is her height - 4'10" - however, I feel it's very important for the unacquainted with unidentified persons cases to know that with skeletal remains (and remains in most states of decomposition, to be frank) are very difficult to assign an accurate height to. Typically, there is a height range which can vary widely, but in some cases, such as Sonoma County Doe's, the ME doesn't list a range but just a single estimated number. So, it's a good idea to always take height with a grain of salt when sleuthing. This same rule should be applied to age range as well, which is typically far more accurate, but can definitely be off sometimes depending on the range (e.g., a Doe estimated to be 16-24 could also likely be 15 years old, because y'know, puberty hits people at different ages and all that).
Peggy Ann Reed, who was last seen in Santa Rosa, CA, on March 28, 1974, in the area of Guerneville Road and Coddling Town Mall; she was possibly hitchhiking. She was 15 at the time with light brown, shoulder-length hair, and apparently wore glasses occasionally, which makes it possible that she also wore contacts. She was 5'2".
Personal Theories:
Corinne June Groenenberg, who was last seen on November 1, 1973, in Modesto County. A family friend saw Groenenberg leave her home and followed her until she reached the highway and started to hitchhike. She was last seen getting into a green or blue truck. The driver was male. Corinne was 16 years old, with the same brownish-auburn hair color, and she stood at 5'6". Modesto is just under 3 hours away from Santa Rosa; I feel this is an unlikely match but not impossible as, depending on her intended destination, it's entirely possible she could have made it a decent way hitchhiking until she got to the Santa Rosa area and got into the wrong vehicle.
Sherry Jean Pickle, who was last seen on May 14, 1972, in Long Beach, CA. She is thought to have either hitchhiked to the Los Angeles area or traveled to meet a male companion. I think Sherry is less likely, considering Long Beach to LA is about a 40 min drive, but Long Beach to Santa Rosa is over seven hours, and the Santa Rosa hitchhiker killer wasn't known to operate outside of Sonoma County. It would fit better if Santa Rosa much closer and/or was on the way to LA.
It is important to note that it is unknown if either of these girls wore glasses or contacts.
Both Peggy Ann Reed and Paula Ann Pope have been submitted as potential matches to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, but the office has yet to confirm or deny that they are even in the process of testing for these tips.
