NEVADA CITY, Calif. — It's been nearly 40 years since a Nevada County hiker discovered a woman's body down an embankment on Independence Trail. Now, detectives are asking the public for help in identifying the cold case victim.
The hiker found the body near Highway 49 and the South Yuba Bridge on July 8, 1984.
Law enforcement officials estimate the woman's body had been left near the trail for up to 35 days before the hiker's discovery.
"Back then, the victim would have been found probably about 50 yards down this hill, wedged up underneath a manzanita brush," said Detective Rory Sonnier standing near the scene of the discovery in a video published by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office on Facebook Friday. "Based on autopsy reports, she was killed by ligature strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head."
The victim was described as a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair between the ages of 18 to 30 and between 5' to 5'8" tall.
"It's hard to get an exact height on someone when they're either complete skeletal or near-skeletal remains, based on the lack of the soft tissue," said Sonnier. "We still think it's important to recognize the clothing she was wearing didn't necessarily match the climate and so we are not certain as to whether or not she was from this area."
Sonnier says the woman's body was found with size 8 pants, size 5 shoes and a large men's button-up shirt. She was also reportedly wearing a gold, floral-designed ring with an oval-shaped opal stone.
"One of the more distinctive pieces of clothing she was wearing was a long sleeve, red cotton shirt with an embroidered tiger face on the front of it," said Sonnier. "We believe that's very identifiable and we're hoping that someone out there will recognize that image."
The woman's DNA has been entered into a national database, but detectives say there have been no matches. Federal law enforcement officials are also working to identify the woman.
"One of the most difficult aspects of this case, in particular, is that the scene consisted of basically the side of a hill on the shoulder of a roadway," said Sonnier. "So there wasn't a whole lot of physical evidence recovered from the scene."
Officials are hoping someone will recognize the woman and come forward to police to help close the case.
"Personally I find it heartbreaking that we don't even know who she is for this long," said Sonnier. "I want to bring some closure to her."
People who recognize the woman or have tips related to the case can call Detective Sonnier at 530-265-1471 or submit information anonymously on the Sheriff's Office's website.
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