Orange County 'Jane Doe' Murder Victim Identified After 41 Years

SANTA ANA, California. – The Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) has identified a Jane Doe murder victim whose remains were discovered more than 41 years ago.

In April 1983, children playing near Canada and Old Trabuco roads in what is now Lake Forest found a human skull in a culvert. Excavations followed, recovering approximately 70 percent of one woman's human remains. An anthropological examination revealed that the victim was a black or mixed race female, aged 18 to 24, between 5'3″ and 5'6″, with a slight build and a distinctive gold tooth. Despite many efforts, his identity remained unknown for decades.

In 2022, OCSD submitted a DNA sample from Jane Doe to Othram Laboratories, with funding provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). DNA extraction and testing yielded a genetic profile, allowing OCSD investigators to launch a genetic genealogy investigation in conjunction with the FBI Regional Genealogy Team. Despite exhaustive efforts, a direct family line could not be identified and several forensic renderings of Jane Doe have been published over the years.

In late 2023, investigators contacted a distant genetic relative of the victim, who suggested sharing forensic renderings of Jane Doe on a Facebook group dedicated to Jane Does and missing women of the 1970s and 1980s. About a month later publication, a woman contacted investigators, believing Lake Forest Jane Doe could be her missing mother.

Maritza Glean Grimmett, a native of Panama, married a U.S. Marine in the summer of 1978 and gave birth to a daughter. The family moved to the United States later that year, residing in Columbus, Ohio, and Millington, Tennessee, from late 1978 to mid-1979. In July 1979, the couple hired a divorce procedures. Maritza informed her sister of her plans to move to California, after which her family never heard from her again.

Maritza's relatives submitted DNA samples and Jane Doe was positively identified as Maritza Glean Grimmett, who was 20 years old at the time of her disappearance.

Investigators are actively pursuing the Maritza homicide case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Bob Taft at 714-647-7045 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or occrimestoppers.org.