Needles Jane Doe

  by Jessica

Researching murder cases means reading stacks of newspapers throughout California. One of the things that far too many cases we've covered, read about or heard about, have in common are victims left on the sides of roads. In article after article the term "dumped" is often used to describe the state of the victim and the place where they were found. It's a term I hate.

Using the word "dumped" feels dehumanizing and I've tried many times to find an alternative way of discussing these cases. The problem: the term is accurate and this is why it's gross. Whoever made the decision to take a life, whether it be stranger or loved one, chose to leave that human being on the side of the road, like trash. 

It's a term that should bother me because it sums up the crime in question perfectly. The humanity of these victims was never a first priority to their murderers. That's the case whether we're talking victims like Idema Cerney, Marcy Conrad, Gwen Araujo or in our recently covered cold case: The Needles Jane Doe. 

Sketch of Needles Jane Doe via The Doe Network

On May 14, 1991, an unidentified person was found deceased in the Mojave Desert alongside Interstate 40 about 30 miles west of Needles, CA.

Location of Needles, CA via Google Maps

Needles, CA is a small city in San Bernardino County in the southern part of California. According to the United States Census Bureau it had approximately 4,959 people living there in 2020. This small town also sits very close to the Arizona border and on both Route 66 and Interstate 40.

Interstate 40 where the victim was found is a major interstate highway that runs through the southern portion of the United States connecting the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Interstate-40 is a very busy road and according to the Truck Driver Academy it's one of the busiest interstates in the US for commercial truck traffic. 

All of this means that the Needles Jane Doe could be from anywhere in the United States. 

Map of Interstate-40 via Google Maps

In 1991, when the victim was found it was determined that she had been deceased for several days and her body was described as "decomposed" by the Doe Network. According to the Weather Underground, the average temperature in May of 1991 was 87 degrees Fahrenheit/30 degrees Celsius. This would've contributed to decomposition making narrowing down her exact date of murder difficult. While there isn't an official cause of death investigators believe she died from a homicide. 

The victim's identity is still unknown but according to the Doe Network they were biologically female, between the ages of 24-45 years old, white, five feet four inches tall, approximately 148 pounds with brown hair. Their eye color was unknown.  

There wasn't any identification found with the victim but they were wearing a pink tank top with a picture of a cactus and sunflower on the front, pink knee length leggings with lace fringe and white socks. She was also wearing a yellow metal gold chain. 

Clothes found with Needles Jane Doe via The Doe Network

While there is little known about this victim including who murdered them and callously "dumped" their body on the side of the road, I'm hopeful the details shared by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office and the Doe Network can finally give this victim back their name. Adding to that hope is that there are DNA, fingerprints and dental records available in this case. 

If you have any information about the Needles Jane Doe please contact the San Bernardino Sheriffs at 909-387-3589. You can also make an anonymous tip at 1-800-78-CRIME.

For more information: 

San Bernardino Sheriff's County: https://wp.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2017/07/Doe-Jane.pdf

The Doe Network: https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/101ufca.html

NamUS: https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/UP2554

Truck Driving Academy: https://www.truckdriveracademy.com/busiest-interstates-for-trucks/

Weather Underground: https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/UP2554

The Murder of Cara Knott

by Sean

This case was very interesting to research from start to finish.  Out of the cases I have researched, it is interesting how much I learned from it.  Whenever we do the research for these cases, I always find out something new.  It could be related to the case, related to the area, or just something random that I am glad I found.  This case, I feel, was a treasure trove of new knowledge. 

Another thing about this case was how shocking everything was each day almost.  There was so many things to make you question if this case was actually in the 1980's and not the 1880's.  I think I had so many wow moments throughout the research just being baffled that this was how it was.  Then Jessica found even more stuff that shocked me even more.  So many things were changed as we know it now in California because of this case and because of Cara's father, Sam Knott.  

It is hard to say that I am glad that I researched this case, because I wish this case did not exist in the first place.  I wish none of these cases we have covered ever happened in the first place.  But when I do look over these terrible events in our past, I learn so much from the people that share this land with me.  I learn about people like Joyce and San Knott who fought for justice for their daughter, but also future daughters for everyone.  These are the people that get overlooked a lot of the times, but their actions made the importances of these cases still be heard. 

More on the murder of Cara Knott: https://www.spreaker.com/user/11851014/the-murder-of-cara-knott

The Puente Hills Mall Murders, Part 1

by Sean

So, while I was looking for a case to cover for the new season, I went through a giant list that I found a "most famous" cases out there. I don't really know how this list was made because there were some odd ones at the top when notorious cases were down on the list. Being the podcast that we were, I just had to scroll until I found something that said California. Once I finally found this case, the name alone of "The Puente Hills Mall Murders" intrigued with my infatuation with malls and mall culture. I had to look further into this one. Also being the year of 1991 in Southern California is always interesting to me. This is the buildup time to the time of unrest of '92, As I have researched through the years about the unrest, I know that it wasn't just because of Rodney King and the build of years between the Los Angeles Police Department and the communities that have been targeted.

Once I started digging deeper into this case, it floored me that I had not one scrap of memory of it. Five murders in a short amount of time and two of them so brazen with kidnappings, in broad daylight, in the middle of a bustling mall parking lot. It is very interesting how sometimes, by whatever reason, cases become so popular with the media, people watching, even internationally. This case might have been very intense and well known in the area, or maybe even out of the area during the time, but it seems to slip through the cracks with future coverage. As we go through this episode, we learn about the victims that are different in age, race and gender. The people the suspects picked didn't care seem to have a style, an area, but more of an opportunity which might have been why it was hard to link the murders and catch them after the first couple.

For more information on these kidnapping and murders listen to Part 1: The Puente Hills Mall Murders.