Riverside, California – The Riverside County District Attorney’s office is asking the public for help in identifying a woman who was murdered by the “Happy Face” serial killer 31 years ago. District Attorney Mike Hestrin expressed the goal of providing closure to the victim’s family, wherever they may be, and urged anyone with information to come forward.
The killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, confessed to the murder of the woman, whom he referred to as “Claudia,” in a statement from Riverside County District Attorney’s office spokesperson Brooke Beare. Jesperson, also known as the “Happy Face Killer,” was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder in 2010.
According to Beare, Jesperson confessed to the murder following his arrest in a separate case in Portland, Oregon. He later admitted to killing the woman and seven other women to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies. Jesperson revealed that he met the victim while working as a long-haul truck driver in August 1992.
As per Beare’s statement, Jesperson said that the woman asked to be taken to the Los Angeles area, but he refused, and due to his planned truck route to Arizona, he took her to Cabazon, California instead. After a stop at the Indio/Coachella Burns Brothers rest stop, they argued about money, and Jesperson claimed to have killed her in his truck before later dumping her body in Blythe.
The victim, described as about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, 20- to 30-years old, and with a distinct tattoo of two small dots on the left side of her right thumb, remains unidentified. Investigators have urged anyone with information about the victim, including her identity and potential family ties, to come forward.
Following advancements in forensic science, investigators and genealogists have been able to determine some relatives, including her biological but now deceased father. Additionally, several of the victim’s half-siblings were identified, although they were not biological matches to her mother.
Those with any leads regarding the identity or potential family ties of the victim are encouraged to contact the Cold Case Hotline at 951-955-5567 or email coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org. The Riverside County District Attorney’s office is committed to continuing their efforts to bring closure to this decades-old case.