Fontana Jane Doe: Body Discovered In Open Field In 1988
A woman has gone unidentified since the 1980s, and there doesn’t seem to be much movement on her cold case. On August 15, 1988, the remains of a Black woman were located in Riverside, California, in an open field west of Sierra Avenue just north of the city. According to one database, the woman, named Fontana Jane Doe, had been dead only a few hours.
Investigators hoped that something on her person or the way she was dressed would aid in finding out her identification, but they weren’t able to assess who Fontana Jane Doe was. She was said to be anywhere between 20 and 30 years old, and she was found wearing an evening dress, a white satin undershirt, and a white ballet tutu. It was determined that she had been murdered, but it was unclear by what method.
At the time of her disappearance, Fontana Jane Doe stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 142 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair (styled in a short afro) and brown eyes. The unidentified woman had several distinguishing marks: a semicircular inverted C-shaped healed scar above her left eye, an irregular linear scar above her right eye, a scar over her right hip, several irregular scars on her right arm, three piercings to each ear, toenail painting in red (magenta) or hot pink with dots (pictured), and prosthetic (artificial) fingernails. All 32 of her permanent teeth were present. Her dental records, fingerprints, and DNA records are on file. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department – Coroner Division at 909-387-2978 or their local authorities. Her agency case number is 88-3637; Jane Doe #14-88.
Please share this story about Fontana Jane Doe to help reignite the investigation into her case. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Follow Our Black Girls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay updated on the latest cases as soon as they’re posted here on the website.
Sources:
The Doe Network
Wikipedia
NamUs
