AZ AZ - Tempe, HispFem 501UFAZ, 15-19, hitchhiking, overdose, Apr'02

[cvaldez1975]

Could she be Gabriela Leticia Gonzalez from San Diego? Gabriela is/was 14 years old, Hispanic, 5'1", and 125lbs. Disappeared April 5th, 2002. She's listed as endangered missing and may have been with an adult male:

Gabriela Leticia Gonzalez – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

I think she looks quite similar too.

they think her remains are in the otay basin but havent found them.

 

[coldcaser]

they think her remains are in the otay basin but havent found them.

They haven't found her though, so it's entirely possible she isn't there but somewhere else. I'm going to submit her. I'll update when/if I hear back!

 

[coldcaser]

Hi @coldcaser Gabriela has the names "Gaby" and "Juan" tattooed on her back. I never read anywhere that this Jane Doe had tattoos. That's why I don't think it's her.

Good point, I didn't catch that!

 

[Bit of hope]

Good point, I didn't catch that!

It's totally ok....so wonderful you are looking out...X

 

[Elana619]

I've looked for this girl before without any luck. I feel if she was kicked out, her mother would not have filed a missing persons report. Maybe a sibling or other relative???

Let me just get this straight....the dude that picked her up took her to purchase drugs then got high with her. She OD'd and winds up laying in the street behind a business. Hmmmmm, did he put her there? And if he spent that much time with her, did she never mention her name? I'm not up on druggie etiquette, but I just cannot believe someone would get into a car with a stranger, tell him you've been kicked out of your home, go buy drugs, get high and never once offer - at least - her first name!

I think it would be helpful to know if she had mentioned WHEN she was kicked out. If it was just that day or within the past few days, I would bet she was from the area. JMO

I’m sober now but was a drug user at one time. I can attest to using drugs with people I never met or knew their names enough to remember. Names are moot. I have also overdosed and been left in a bathroom on two occasions and been lucky enough to have been found in time. It’s a harsh life.

 

[Grungster]

I'm not up on druggie etiquette, but I just cannot believe someone would get into a car with a stranger, tell him you've been kicked out of your home, go buy drugs, get high and never once offer - at least - her first name!

Not to mention, she allegedly asked the guy if she could live with him. I certainly would want to know her name if they were going to be my roommate. The guy's story is crap. He knows more than he's saying. Also, wasn't he like 50 when this all happened?

 

[Bit of hope]

Not to mention, she allegedly asked the guy if she could live with him. I certainly would want to know her name if they were going to be my roommate. The guy's story is crap. He knows more than he's saying. Also, wasn't he like 50 when this all happened?

I'm not sure you care for age if you need somebody providing your drug addiction, giving you a safe house....no questions asked.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Has anyone considered Yasmen Perez? She is almost an exact match in height, weight, age, hair, and their facial features look almost exactly alike.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

It says she was leaving to Mexico with her boyfriend. It's not completely out of the realm of possibilities for her to have ended up in Arizona.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Also how are people seeing a connection between Tempe Girl and Gabriela? They look literally nothing alike.

 

[Grungster]

Sometimes, its best to discuss unlikely matches so we can have them ruled out as the deceased in case so when law enforcement/medical examiners/coroners tries to make a connection, they can quickly rule possibilities out since it has already been done.

Also how are people seeing a connection between Tempe Girl and Gabriela? They look literally nothing alike.

 

[djanga]

The DNA Doe Project will be working on her case, according to the DDP facebook pin post, she is already in active genealogical research.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

I submitted Yasmen Perez as a match to the Doe Network!! I'll keep you all posted.
I am super passionate about this case. It has always caught my eye for a number of reasons and I really hope this poor young lady gets her name back soon!

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The DNA Doe Project will be working on her case, according to the DDP facebook pin post, she is already in active genealogical research.

Great news!

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Can someone give us an up-to-date ruleout list?

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Bumping for up-to-date ruleout list please.

 

[Grungster]

Bumping for up-to-date ruleout list please.

Missing Person / NamUs #MP1333Alissa Turney
Date of Last ContactMay 17, 2001
StateAZ
CountyMaricopa

Missing Person / NamUs #MP6354Veronica Martinez
Date of Last ContactMarch 29, 2001
StateCA
CountySan Joaquin

Missing Person / NamUs #MP1066Maria Mauricio
Date of Last ContactJanuary 20, 1997
StateAZ
CountyMaricopa

Missing Person / NamUs #Florinda Lopez
Date of Last Contact--
StateFL
County--

Missing Person / NamUs #Yuliana Escudero
Date of Last Contact--
StateOR
County--

Missing Person / NamUs #Leanne Hausberg
Date of Last Contact--
StateNY
County--

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Missing Person / NamUs #MP1333Alissa Turney
Date of Last ContactMay 17, 2001
StateAZ
CountyMaricopa

Missing Person / NamUs #MP6354Veronica Martinez
Date of Last ContactMarch 29, 2001
StateCA
CountySan Joaquin

Missing Person / NamUs #MP1066Maria Mauricio
Date of Last ContactJanuary 20, 1997
StateAZ
CountyMaricopa

Missing Person / NamUs #Florinda Lopez
Date of Last Contact--
StateFL
County--

Missing Person / NamUs #Yuliana Escudero
Date of Last Contact--
StateOR
County--

Missing Person / NamUs #Leanne Hausberg
Date of Last Contact--
StateNY
County--

Awesome! Thank you.

Just updating everyone on the Doe Network potential match for Yasmen Perez -- Doe Network got back to me and said they'd update me before the end of June. I will continue to keep you guys updated.

 

[carbuff]

Also how are people seeing a connection between Tempe Girl and Gabriela? They look literally nothing alike.

In my years on Websleuths, I've seen a lot of cases where what seemed to be an exact appearance match turned out to be not a match, and a lot where the reconstruction and PM were soooo wrong. So I go more by stats and circumstances, especially the timeline. And I keep in mind that in most case files, there's at least one thing wrong. So I, personally, would rule Gabriela out on the tattoo discrepancy, but not appearance.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

In my years on Websleuths, I've seen a lot of cases where what seemed to be an exact appearance match turned out to be not a match, and a lot where the reconstruction and PM were soooo wrong. So I go more by stats and circumstances, especially the timeline. And I keep in mind that in most case files, there's at least one thing wrong. So I, personally, would rule Gabriela out on the tattoo discrepancy, but not appearance.

Thanks for explaining this. I'm somewhat new to the true crime world, and Tempe Jane Doe is my pet case. This one has always tugged at my heart strings and also just been intriguing to me considering the backstory. This definitely changes how I view things!

 

[agreen36]

Reading through this...the driver is extremely sketchy. The idea that he "unbuttoned her pants to help her breathe" is just ridiculous. And it doesn't sound like they were just unbuttoned but pulled down. Who on earth would unbutton someone's pants while they were having a seizure? Not to mention the semen-like stains on her pants. I didn't see in the transcribed police files earlier in the thread that they were tested or confirmed to be semen but coupled with the undone pants and exposed breast, I think we can surmise.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, maybe they were having sex when she overdosed and he didn't want his baby mama back home to find out so he dumped her. Maybe she was selling sex to him in exchange for drugs (or maybe that's the reason he picked her up in the first place) and then overdosed so he dumped her to avoid prostitution charges and so his baby mama wouldn't find out. Obviously in both of these cases he is still scum for not taking her to a hospital or properly rendering care. It sounds like he did call 911 but didn't actually communicate what was going on. Maybe he was using a payphone behind the strip mall and saw someone coming so he hung up?

Worst case scenario is he was sexually assaulting her before, during or after she overdosed. Maybe he laced her drugs with something. Do we even know for sure there was a third party drug dealer involved? The driver claims the dealer was there while she overdosed but even if he exists, he may have just sold them the drugs and then left. I suppose if the cocaine was laced, it would have shown up in the toxicology. Plus the ME confirmed there was enough cocaine to be fatal. But regardless there seems to be plenty of circumstantial evidence the driver was engaging is some sort of sexual activity with her. Then he fled to Mexico once the police tracked him down. All sketchy.

I also agree with the conjecture she was an undocumented immigrant. Or at least her family was. That would discourage them from identifying her to the police even if they saw that she was a jane doe. Terribly sad but that's reality for undocumented immigrants here.

Hopefully she can be tracked down through DNA evidence. And if she is and her family is still here, undocumented, I hope they don't face any deportations or harassment. And hopefully the police can get back in contact with the driver and try to push him for more information about what really happened.