CA CA - Lakeside, UncFemale, 25-40, UP53746, shot in chest, wrapped in pink blanket and quilt, red bikini, blue shift dress, 3 rings, Aug '86

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NamUs #UP53746

Demographics
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Uncertain
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 40
Estimated Age Range (Years): 25-40
Estimated Year of Death: 1986
Estimated PMI: N/A (News reports say "days")
Height: 5'0"-5'10" (60-70 inches), Estimated
Weight: 95-105 lbs, Estimated
Cause of Death: Homicide by gunshot to the chest

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: August 3, 1986
NamUs Case Created: November 29, 2018
ME/C QA Reviewed: N/A
Location Found: Lakeside, California
County: San Diego County
Circumstances of Recovery: At about 2:45 p.m., a family out rock hunting discovered the badly decomposed body of a fully-clothed woman near an embankment off Highway 67, 3.5 miles south of Poway Road in Lakeside, CA. After finding the body, the family drove home and called the police.

When deputies responded, they saw the woman was wrapped in a pink blanket and a quilt. She was wearing a blue shift-type dress and a red bikini. Signs of trauma were evident to detectives at the scene, but the nature of the wounds could not be determined until an autopsy was conducted. The autopsy revealed that the woman had been shot in the chest.
Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Head Hair Description: Measured up to 8 inches long, but was removed in a matted mass.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features: Small amount of red nail polish on fingernails of both hands.

Clothing and Accessories
- Wrapped in a pink blanket and quilt (On the Body)
- Red bikini, bra (size 36B), half slip, and a blue shift-type dress with a cord-like belt around the waist (On the Body)
- Sandals with white strap (On the Body)
- White metal ring worn on ring finger, two yellow metal rings worn on the right hand, and two black plastic bracelets consisting of cord-like plastic structures (On the Body)

News Coverage
"Rock hunters find body," Times-Advocate [Escondido, CA], 4 August 1986, B1.
Rock hunters find body_.jpg
The badly decomposed body of a woman was discovered Sunday afternoon off Highway 67, 3 1/2 miles south of Poway Road, a Sheriff's Department official said today.

According to Lt. William Baxter, a Lakeside family that was rock hunting in the area found the body of a fully-clothed woman near an embankment.


Los Angeles Times, 5 August 1986, II, 2.
clip_116613813.jpg
The Lakeside family found the unidentified female about 2:45 p.m., at the bottom of a California 67 embankment about 3 1/2 miles south of the Poway junction, said Lt. William Baxter, a Sheriff's Department homicide investigator. The family drove to their home and reported their discovery to authorities.

Deputies found the fully clothed body, and detectives determined that it had been in the area for days, officials said. There were signs of trauma but the nature of it could not be determined due to the body's decomposed state, authorities said.


"Woman had been shot," Times-Advocate [Escondido, CA], 8 August 1986, B2.
Woman had been shot_.jpg
An autopsy revealed that the unidentified woman had been shot in the chest, said Deputy Coroner Gerald Hillbrand.
 
Wished her NamUs page indicated her location a bit more accurately. Location seems to have been much closer to Poway than Lakeside - the latter is about ten miles further away.

...and what is a shift-type dress? Could that yield any clues to her identity?
Shift-type dresses were pretty popular form the late 1950's to the 1980's - they usually are mid length with a boat neck, semi form fitting at the top with an open waist. Around the 1980's you saw more shift dresses with a v-neck or a cowl neckline, along with shoulder pads and usually a waist belt.

Here's a good example of a 1960's one
1674169503222.png

An example of a 1980's one
1674170331167.png

Considering she was found with a bikini under it it was probably a less formal shift dress, she probably used it as a beach cover up.

Either way, it was fairly fashionable for younger woman to wear them, so maybe she was on the younger side of the age range?
 
Speaking of the bikini she was wearing - I'm not super familiar with Poway, is there any major places to swim? I see Lake Miramar and Lake Poway are nearby but they seem pretty small.

San Diego/La Jolla is pretty closely by, maybe she could have been from there?
There's the San Vicente Reservoir, though I have no idea if it was operational in 1986
 
Shift-type dresses were pretty popular form the late 1950's to the 1980's - they usually are mid length with a boat neck, semi form fitting at the top with an open waist. Around the 1980's you saw more shift dresses with a v-neck or a cowl neckline, along with shoulder pads and usually a waist belt.

Here's a good example of a 1960's one
View attachment 396394

An example of a 1980's one
View attachment 396396

Considering she was found with a bikini under it it was probably a less formal shift dress, she probably used it as a beach cover up.

Either way, it was fairly fashionable for younger woman to wear them, so maybe she was on the younger side of the age range?
Thank you for the information about shift-type dresses!
 
Speaking of the bikini she was wearing - I'm not super familiar with Poway, is there any major places to swim? I see Lake Miramar and Lake Poway are nearby but they seem pretty small.

San Diego/La Jolla is pretty closely by, maybe she could have been from there?
Both Lake Miramar and Lake Poway are more like reservoirs than lakes. I don't think either has ever allowed swimming. You can rent small boats and pedal boats at Lake Poway. Neither is really suited to sunbathing or anything. Lake Poway does have some recreation areas, but I'm not sure what they may have had in 1986.

The beach is relatively far from Poway - I'd say probably around 20-30 minutes perhaps? ...and that's today. There are a few roads now that didn't exist in 1986. Poway has also developed quite a bit in those years. I've noticed it even in the almost 20 years I've lived in the area.

I'm wondering if she was at the beach or maybe even at a swimming pool somewhere.
 
"Nearly 40 years ago, an unidentified young woman was found murdered just steps off an East County highway and today, homicide investigators are working with the biggest break in the case yet.

A DNA connection, found through the use of the DNA ancestry tracker, 23andMe, has led homicide investigators to the victim’s close match."
 
"Nearly 40 years ago, an unidentified young woman was found murdered just steps off an East County highway and today, homicide investigators are working with the biggest break in the case yet.

A DNA connection, found through the use of the DNA ancestry tracker, 23andMe, has led homicide investigators to the victim’s close match."
Oh wonderful! I had no idea she was getting DNA tested, I'm happy to see they were able to find close matches. Hopefully she will have her name back soon.

This doe's has ancestry from Italy and Mexico if anyone is looking for more possible matches, but looks like LE is confident they are close to solving this one.
 
Both Lake Miramar and Lake Poway are more like reservoirs than lakes. I don't think either has ever allowed swimming. You can rent small boats and pedal boats at Lake Poway. Neither is really suited to sunbathing or anything. Lake Poway does have some recreation areas, but I'm not sure what they may have had in 1986.

The beach is relatively far from Poway - I'd say probably around 20-30 minutes perhaps? ...and that's today. There are a few roads now that didn't exist in 1986. Poway has also developed quite a bit in those years. I've noticed it even in the almost 20 years I've lived in the area.

I'm wondering if she was at the beach or maybe even at a swimming pool somewhere.
Do you remember any major swimming pools from 1986 ish for Poway? I'm trying to find some road maps to post here too from the 1980's. Thanks so much for the local perspective though.
 
Do you remember any major swimming pools from 1986 ish for Poway? I'm trying to find some road maps to post here too from the 1980's. Thanks so much for the local perspective though.
Hi, unfortunately I wasn't yet in the area back then, was still living in NW Indiana.
 
Do you remember any major swimming pools from 1986 ish for Poway? I'm trying to find some road maps to post here too from the 1980's. Thanks so much for the local perspective though.
Hi, unfortunately I wasn't yet in the area back then, was still living in NW Indiana.
 
Wished her NamUs page indicated her location a bit more accurately. Location seems to have been much closer to Poway than Lakeside - the latter is about ten miles further away.

...and what is a shift-type dress? Could that yield any clues to her identity?


A drawing by David Ring illustrating a shift dress. A shift dress typically falls from the shoulders, and features darts around the bust.
 

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