Current:Home > ScamsIn 2011, a headless woman was found in a "posed" position in a California vineyard. She's finally been identified. -AssetLink
In 2011, a headless woman was found in a "posed" position in a California vineyard. She's finally been identified.
View
Date:2025-04-22 11:09:12
A woman found decapitated in a California vineyard in 2011 in a gruesome crime scene that "haunted investigators" for over a decade has finally been identified with DNA testing, authorities have confirmed.
Ada Beth Kaplan, 64, of Canyon Country, California, has been identified as the woman who was discovered at a grape vineyard in Arvin on March 29, 2011, the Kern County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday. Kaplan's head and thumbs had been removed and her body had been drained of blood when she was found, according to the DNA Doe Project, which helped make the identification.
Former sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt, who worked on the case in 2011, told KGET-TV that it was a "creepy" crime scene.
"Why did they take the time to drain the blood from the body? The crime scene itself was very clean," Pruitt told the station. "Honestly it looked like somebody had taken a mannequin, removed the head of the mannequin and posed it on the dirt road."
A postmortem examination was conducted and the manner of death was homicide, the sheriff's office said. The coroner's office said efforts to identify her from missing persons records and fingerprints were unsuccessful.
Two different out-of-county missing persons cases were investigated, but they were ruled out by DNA. The coroner submitted specimens to the Department of Justice and a DNA profile was created, but there were no hits from the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which operates databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence and missing persons.
The woman was buried in Union Cemetery in Bakersfield after every lead had been exhausted.
"The gruesome scene haunted investigators, who worked diligently to identify the remains but ran out of leads," the DNA Doe Project said in a statement.
Finally, in July 2020, the coroner's office partnered with the DNA Doe Project, which used genetic genealogy techniques to begin building a family tree for the victim.
In July 2023, the group identified two potential family members who lived on the East Coast. They agreed to provide a DNA specimen for comparison and "Jane Doe 2011" was finally identified as Kaplan.
DNA matches to Kaplan's genetic profile were distant cousins with common surnames, and three of her grandparents were immigrants, so researchers had to scour Eastern European records to finally make the connection, the DNA Doe Project said.
"Our team worked long and hard for this identification," DNA Doe Project team leader Missy Koski said in a statement. "Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry is often complicated to unravel. When we brought in an expert in Jewish records and genealogy, that made a huge difference."
Kern County Sheriff detectives interviewed family members and determined that a missing person report was never filed for Kaplan. The suspect involved in her death remains unknown.
- In:
- Homicide
- Cold Case
- DNA
- California
Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Accepting Responsibility for a Role in Climate Change
- Beginning of the End for Canada’s Tar Sands or Just a Blip?
- Ports Go Electric in Drive to Decarbonize and Cut Pollution
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
- International Day of Climate Action Spreads Across 179 Countries
- Big Oil Has Spent Millions of Dollars to Stop a Carbon Fee in Washington State
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Rent is falling across the U.S. for the first time since 2020
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Malaria cases in Florida and Texas are first locally acquired infections in U.S. in 20 years, CDC warns
- Top Chef Star Gail Simmons Shares a Go-to Dessert That Even the Pickiest Eaters Will Love
- New York, Massachusetts Move on Energy Storage Targets
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Convicted double murderer Joseph Zieler elbows his attorney in face — then is sentenced to death in Florida
- Ethan Peck Has an Adorable Message for His Passport to Paris-Era Self
- Global Warming Shortens Spring Feeding Season for Mule Deer in Wyoming
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Future on Spider-Man Revealed
SZA Details Decision to Get Brazilian Butt Lift After Plastic Surgery Speculation
Penelope Disick Recalls Cleaning Blood Off Dad Scott Disick’s Face After Scary Car Accident
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
Trump heard in audio clip describing highly confidential, secret documents
Lala Kent Slams Tom Sandoval Over That Vanderpump Rules Reunion Comment About Her Daughter
Kim Kardashian Teases Potential New Romance With Fred in Kardashians Teaser