A San Francisco murder victim known for 43 years as Jane Doe #40 has been identified as a 14-year-old girl from New Jersey named Judy Gifford.
The San Francisco Police Department says Judy’s aunt kept the same phone number for decades in case her niece tried to call.
The girl’s body was discovered partially buried near San Francisco’s Lake Merced in 1976. A gold chain with an owl pendant was in her pocket.
Detectives reopened the case earlier this year. She was finally identified thanks to DNA that matched her aunt’s.
Detectives also found family photos that showed Judy wearing an owl pendant necklace.
The homicide investigation remains open.
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