Warning: there are two graphic images below!
UPDATE July 2020: IDENTIFIED
The Orange County Jane Doe is identified as Anita Louise Piteau. On Wednesday, July 22, the authorities announced that they believe Anita was killed by Johnny Chrisco. Unfortunately, Chrisco passed away in 2015. He was 71 years old. Little is known about him, said Huntington Beach Police Department public information officer Angela Bennett. More information here.
General information
This woman was found on March 14, 1968. She was beaten and sexually assaulted. Her killer slashed her throat with a sharp cutting instrument that caused her death. Details from the Orange County Homicide Task Force website:
- found near the crossing of Yorktown and Newland Ave in the city of Huntington Beach
- sexually assaulted
- clothes: a multi-colored flower print blouse, bluish purple capri type pants, imitation leather three-quarter length coat and flat loafer shoes
- jewelry: a light blue squared stone ring on her hand.
Her clothes and jewelry are pictures above on the right. Her picture is here on the left and below. The sketch they made is a very good likeness. All images are from the task force website.
Investigation
In 1968, authorities believed that she was not a local woman and may have been picked up elsewhere. Police thought that the suspect left the crime scene in a car of unknown make/model/year. However, several tire tracks were near the victim’s body. I will try to find in the papers whether anyone has been able to trace those tracks down to a manufacturer. If you have a link there about tire tracks, please let me know.
The Orange County Cold Case Homicide Task Force (OCHTF) working on this case is a collaborative effort from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) and various law enforcement agencies throughout Orange County. Their mission is to reduce the number of unsolved homicides in Orange County.
I looked up the case in NamUs and I also found her on the Doe Network. If you click here you can find the story from the Huntington Police about this case.
UPDATE Dec 9, 2016
Thanks to my readers on Facebook I have plenty of information now to update this post. For clarity, I updated this post instead of writing a new one.
Crucial details:
Estimated age: 20-30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5’2-5’3″; 130-140 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: dark brown, shoulder-length hair; brown eyes. Medium build, well nourished, well-developed. Pierced ears. Blood type “O-Negative”.
Teeth: in poor condition (caries, no restorations). She was missing several back upper and lower teeth. Her front teeth were slightly crooked.
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Databases
In 2001, the Orange County crime lab created a DNA profile of the killer. They used evidence from the crime scene. However, they found no matches. CODIS search based on DNA found on the cigarette butt that was near her body did not give up a match. I wonder if her clothes have been search with the M-Vac for touch DNA.
Unrelated items
A white purse was found close to where the victim was found. Inside were a matching white wallet without no identification cards or money, six black and white wallet sized photographs inside the coin purse, and one color photo was found on the ground near the purse. Authorities later determined these items did not belong to the victim. You can read that part of her story here.
Contact
If you have any information about this case please call the OCHTF at 1-866.673.2574. Tips can be anonymous. The victim’s case file number with the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) is 68-06079.
Rest in peace, Orange County Jane Doe.