Lake Forest Jane Doe identified as missing mother; death investigation begins

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

A woman whose remains were found 41 years ago in Southern California has finally been identified, authorities announced Friday.

The woman was identified as Maritza Glean Grimmett, a woman from Panama who married a U.S. Marine in the summer of 1978 and moved to the United States. She was last heard from in July 1979 after telling her sister she was getting a divorce and moving to California. .

Orange County children were playing in a culvert in April 1983 when they found the remains, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

Investigators searched and found 70% of the woman's remains.

After an anthropological examination was conducted, investigators learned that the woman was black or mixed race, between 18 and 24 years old, of small build and between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. She also had a gold tooth.

The remains were found in what is now known as the town of Lake Forest, which is why investigators called her Lake Forest Jane Doe.

The quest to identify Lake Forest Jane Doe

Investigators tried to identify the woman over the years, but to no avail. In 2011, they sent a DNA sample to Othram Laboratories and created a genetic profile.

Cold case investigators eventually began working with the FBI's regional genealogy team to conduct a genetic genealogy investigation and found a direct family lineage for the woman.

Several forensic renderings of the woman have also been released, authorities said. In late 2023, investigators contacted a distant genetic relative of the victim, who suggested they post the woman's renderings on a Facebook group for Jane Does and missing women found between the 1970s and 1980s.

A month after posting about the victim, a woman contacted investigators and said she could be her missing mother, Grimmett.

Grimmett had previously married a U.S. Marine and had a daughter. The family lived in Columbus, Ohio and Millington, Tennessee from 1978 until mid-1979.

The woman told her family she was divorcing and moving to California. At only 20 years old, she was never heard from again.

Her relatives submitted DNA samples and the victim was positively identified as Maritza Glean Grimmett.

Authorities said the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System funded the DNA extraction and testing that allowed them to identify him.

Detectives are still investigating his murder. They are asking anyone with information to contact Investigator Bob Taft at (714) 647-7045 or [email protected].

Anonymous tips can be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at (855) 847-6227 or www.occrimestoppers.org.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She's from Norfolk, Virginia – 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or send him an email at [email protected].

The quest to identify Lake Forest Jane Doe

Lina Portman

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