Fontana Jane Doe is the name given to an unidentified homicide victim that was found in Fontana, California in August 1988. Despite being found only hours after her death, the young woman’s identity has remained a mystery for over 36 years.
Shortly after 7 AM on August 15, 1988, a motorist passing a field in Fontana, California spotted a body wrapped in bedding. Upon further investigation, authorities determined that the victim was likely killed elsewhere and then the body was dumped in the clearing about 50 yards west Sierra Avenue and 400 yards south of Interstate 15. The victim’s cause of death was determined to be stabbing.
The victim was determined to be a Black female between the ages of 18 and 30, with brown eyes and short black hair. She weighed about 135 pounds and was somewhere between 5 feet 5 inches and 6 feet 7 inches tall. The victim also had several scars covering her body, including a healed C-shaped scar above the left eye, a linear scar above the right eye, a scar over the right hip, and several scars on the right arm.
Graphic ⚠️ Postmortem Photograph linked below
https://www.namus.gov/api/CaseSets/NamUs/UnidentifiedPersons/Cases/6429/Images/5564/Original
The victim’s toe nails as well as prosthetic, or acrylic, fingernails, were painted red (magenta) or hot pink with dots. She also had 3 piercings on each ear, but was not wearing earrings at the time of her discovery.
The victim was found to be wearing more fashionable or “dressy” attire; she was found wearing a white tutu/ballet-style evening dress that was designed with a white satin undershirt attached to it, as well as a white petticoat.
Although it has been decades since the victims initial discovery, authorities and the community are still searching for answers as to who this woman was. The victim has several identifying factors, includes her dentals, fingerprints, and DNA, so I believe it is only a matter of time before this Jane Doe gets her name back with the help of new genealogy technology.
If you have any information on this case, please leave a tip to one of the links listed below.
Resources-
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Fontana_Jane_Doe_(1988)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/65875207/
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/6429
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/735ufca.html
