Long Beach Jane Doe
At 7:30 a.m. on May 28, 1974 the body of a young woman was found face down on the jetty at the foot of Linden Avenue and Shoreline Drive, near Alamitos Beach in Long Beach, California. She is estimated to be between the ages of 18–28, around 5'5" in height, and between 117–118 pounds (though initial estimates placed her in the 130–135 pound range). She is suspected to be white and/or Hispanic with long black hair and brown eyes. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide and her cause of death was determined to be strangulation. There was also evidence that she had been raped before she was killed. She had only been dead for a few hours when she was found and still had a recognizable face.
She had 2 scars: 1 T-shaped scar on the top of her left hand and a 1 inch scar on the back of her left thigh. Some sources state that the T -shaped scar was a burn scar and was “smaller than a dime”
She also had moles and freckles; 1 on the left side of her upper lip and 2 on the left side of her nose.
Clothing:
Jane Doe was found wearing a pink or peach Capri jumpsuit with white trim around the neck and white tie strings in the front (some sources state that the outfit could also be orange scrubs). She was also wearing a black faux fur coat, it was 3/4 length with bronze buttons, and calf-high suede black boots. She had on black bikini panties with strawberry print.
Jewelry and Accessories:
She had a 14K white gold solitaire ring with one small diamond.
She also had 2 keys in the pocket of her coat: 1 house key and one padlock key. They were both on a key ring with a broken chain and what these keys unlock has never been determined.
Though her identity remains a mystery, her killer was found.
Jane Doe was a candidate for the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) “Solving Cold Cases with DNA grant”, but it was ruled ineligible because no viable DNA had been collected.
However, a man from Texas came forward in 2013 and said that he had helped another man dispose of Jane Doe’s body in 1974 and knew who her killer was. Some sources say that he was also there when Jane Doe met her killer, but it is unclear if this is accurate. He has never been named and no charges for aiding in the disposal of Jane Doe’s body have ever been pressed.
Her killer was identified as Gary Stamp who still lived in California in 2013. Stamp was arrested on May 20, 2013 at the age of 61 (making him 22 at the time of the murder). His arrest date was almost 39 years to the day that Jane Doe was found. Stamp initially denied these allegations, but eventually confessed to Jane Doe’s murder. Stamp told police that he had met Jane Doe at a bar and didn’t remember her full name but stated that her first name was “Anna” or “Ana”. This led to some people referring to Jane Doe as Anna/Ana.
No motive or reason was given as to why Stamp murdered Jane Doe has ever been given or deduced. This makes the murder of an innocent woman even more tragic as it feels like a brutal crime committed for little to no reason. However, I believe that the crime was most likely sexually motivated due to the evidence of rape found during her autopsy.
Gary Stamp was arraigned at the L.A. County Superior Court on June 13, 2013 and his trial date was not determined. Sadly, Stamp passed away in police custody in January of 2014, from cancer and would never face justice for Jane Doe’s murder.
That is where the information about Jane Doe ends and no rule-outs have been listed.
Leads as to her identity and the circumstances of her death aren’t readily available. However, we can learn about the area where she was found.
The intersection of Linden Avenue and Shoreline Drive is marked and is right next to a huge marina, Shoreline Marina. However, most of the marina and the surrounding buildings and businesses sprung up during the 1984 Olympic Games that were hosted in Los Angeles. The sailing events were held at Shoreline Harbor while the Fencing and Volleyball events were held in the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center (also featured in the capture). It is unclear when the construction began but it finished in early 1983, but at least one jetty was there in 1974.
I’m not sure exactly which jetty she was found on, but I’m assuming that it was the one directly across from the intersection.
It was a fairly up-and-coming area at the time. It had an amusement park “The Pike” that closed in 1979, a high-end apartment complex Villa Riviera, and the R.M.S. Queen Mary (a former passenger and troop ship that was converted to a museum and hotel). It was an area with many locals and tourists, so Jane Doe could have visited the area to visit these attractions.
There aren’t many theories as to her identity. However, since there have been no rule-outs, so anything is possible.
Two reconstructions have been created to show Jane Doe while she was still alive to aid in her identification. The first was created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the other was created by well-known forensic artist Carl Koppelman in 2019.
One generalization as to her identity can be drawn, based on her estimated age Jane Doe was likely born between 1946–1956. Additionally, some people whole-heartedly believe that Jane Doe is a Native American or of Native American descent. However, I would most likely side with the initial determination that Jane Doe was of Hispanic or Caucasian descent.
Since Stamp’s confession one theory has emerged as to a possible identity for Jane Doe because Stamp believed that her name was “Ana” or “Anna”. Ana Daisy Guevara Valdez who went missing in early 1974. She had moved to Los Angeles and would regularly contact her family. However, this communication stopped in 1974. Not much else is known about her. The connection has been given to the Long Beach Police Department and no updates have been given.
The only hinderance to her identification is the fact that there are no DNA samples or dental records available. The only way to identify her now is through fingerprints. The police have stated that they can’t get enough DNA to test it. However, a few sources state that they did gather DNA from Jane Doe but it is unclear where this information came from.
No matter the conclusion, a young woman died way before she should have by someone who didn’t even know her for reasons that we may never know.
If you recognize Long Beach Jane Doe or have any information that could lead to her identity please contact: the Long Beach Police Department at (562)-570–7260 in reference to case number CR7418704, the Los Angles County Coroner Betty Magdaleno at (323)-343–0512 in reference to case number 1974–07197 (you can also email her at idunit@coroner.lacounty.gov), or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-(800)-222–8477.
Remember that no piece of evidence is too small to make a difference.
As of January 7, 2021 Long Beach Jane Doe has been unidentified for 46 years, 7 months, and 10 days.
