Photo: New Jersey State Police
Police in California have identified the remains of a murdered 14-year-old girl who vanished 43 years ago.
Judy Gifford’s decomposed body was discovered in a shallow grave behind a pumping station near the Lake Merced neighborhood of San Francisco on Oct. 1, 1976.
At the time, police dubbed her Jane Doe No. 40. The only clue to her identity was that she was found with a gold chain and owl pendant necklace in her pocket.
TheSan Francisco Chroniclereportedthat she had been strangled.
The case went cold until 2017, when Gifford’s half-brother William Shin reached out to police in San Francisco to report his sister’s disappearance.
“[Shin] remembered having a sister when he was a child,” according to a news release from the New Jersey State Police, who assisted San Francisco Police department in the cold case investigation. “He told investigators that his sister went missing when she was 14 years old, and his family had not seen or heard from her since 1976.”
During the investigation, the San Francisco Police Department obtained a DNA sample from Gifford’s paternal aunt, Ogee Gifford, who lives in Southampton, N.J., and obtained photographs, which showed Judy wearing a gold chain with an owl pendant necklace.
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Last month, the California Department of Justice said the DNA from Gifford’s aunt positively matched the remains found near the pumping station. They also concluded that the photograph showing Judy wearing the owl pendant matched the jewelry discovered on the murder victim.
Police said they notified Gifford’s aunt of the match in late November.
The San Francisco Police Department declined to comment to PEOPLE about the murder investigation.
“There is an open homicide investigation regarding this matter and we are not releasing any further details,” according to the department’s media relations division.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance or death of Judy Gifford is asked to call the SFPD 24 Hour Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
source: people.com
