1983 Orange County murder victim identified as Panamanian

Maritza Glean Grimmett as seen in an undated photo released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

A woman found dead in Orange County more than 41 years ago has finally been identified.

Children playing in a storm drain near Canada and Old Trabuco roads in what is now Lake Forest found a human skull in April 1983, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

A search was conducted and approximately 70 percent of a woman's human remains were recovered, OCSD said.

“An anthropological examination showed that the victim was a black or mixed-race female (who was) between the ages of 18 and 24 (with) a slight build and a distinctive gold tooth,” the sheriff’s department said.

In 2022, investigators submitted a DNA sample from the as-yet-unidentified murder victim to a laboratory in cooperation with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and a genetic profile was successfully obtained.

After obtaining the genetic profile, OCSD investigators began conducting a genetic genealogy in partnership with the FBI, but a direct family lineage still could not be established, even with multiple forensic renderings released to the over the years.

In late 2023, investigators contacted a distant relative of the victim, who suggested that the renderings be posted to a Facebook group for unidentified murder victims and missing women from the 1970s and 1980s.

About a month after the post was made, a woman came forward and told authorities that Lake Forest Jane Doe could be her missing mother; she and her relatives submitted DNA samples that tested positive for Maritza Glean Grimmett, a native of Panama.

Grimmett married a U.S. Marine in the summer of 1978 and gave birth to a daughter shortly afterward, OCSD said. By the end of 1978, the family had moved to the United States, settling in Columbus, Ohio and Millington, Tennessee until mid-1979.

In July 1979, Grimmett, then 20, and her husband began divorce proceedings; she then told her sister she was going to California.

Her family never heard from her again.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department is actively investigating Maritza's murder, as the killer has not been identified. Anyone with information regarding his death is asked to contact Investigator Bob Taft by calling 714-647-7045. Information can also be submitted to [email protected]

To submit an anonymous tip, call OC Crime Stoppers (1-855-847-6227) or visit www.occrimestoppers.org