PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A Jane Doe discovered in Placer County in 1985 has recently been identified.
Patricia Ann Rose was 20-years-old when she was reported missing from Sacramento around 1980, according to Sgt. David Smith, a Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
Her remains were found Jan. 6, 1985. They weren't identified until January 2024, Smith said.
In 1985, two hunters discovered skeletal remains while chasing one of their dogs who ran into dense shrubbery near Boole Road in Placer County, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The hunters reported the discovery to the sheriff’s office, and deputies collected Rose’s remains, the post said. Due to the remains’ condition, neither the cause of death nor her identity could be determined, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We suspect foul play, but outside of that we don’t know,” Smith said.
The circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death are suspicious, and detectives are seeking the public’s help for any possible information regarding Rose’s death or disappearance. Anyone with information can email PCSOTipLine@placer.ca.gov.
Here’s how Rose was identified
The remains were first sent to a Chico State anthropology lab to assist with determining the identity of the person, law enforcement said.
Deputies said Chico State discovered the remains were female, and a facial reconstruction was conducted and released to the public. The case was compared to statewide missing persons cases, and Rose’s remains were analyzed in 2005 at a California Department of Justice lab in Richmond but no matches were found.
Project Justice, a nonprofit funding labs looking into DNA samples in cold cases, helped fund the search to identify Rose.
They helped fund Othram Inc., a lab specializing in genetic genealogy, who did further lab work on Rose’s remains to develop her profile, the sheriff’s office said.
"They use their methods to solve cases that we never able to be solved before. When we heard of the success and how great they were doing we want to reach out and see how we could help fund cases as well," said Lydia Ansel, cofounder of Project Justice.
A potential family tree was provided to Placer County detectives, which indicated she might have a living sibling.
Investigators worked with the Woodburn Police Department in Oregon to obtain a reference sample from the potential sibling. The reference sample was sent to the Richmond lab and compared to the DNA extracted from Rose’s remains.
“The sibling had a sister who went missing from Sacramento and was last seen approximately in 1980,” the sheriff’s office said. “The remains were identified as Patricia Ann Rose.”
"We can never really say that we're happy when one of these cases is solved cause it's always involved around some pain for the families," said Justin Woo, cofounder of Project Justice. "We're just glad to be able to bring whatever answers that we can to them and to help law enforcement and the communities around the U.S."
Detectives interviewed Rose’s sibling and child after her identity was confirmed, deputies said.
Relatives told detectives Rose also used the first names "Torrie" and "Patti” and last names "Bowden" and "Anderson."
At the time of her disappearance, Rose was estranged from her husband, and her 18-month-old son was found alone in a Sacramento hotel room where she was staying.
