On February 18, 1980, motorists discovered the body of an unidentified female in a ravine off Highway 74, south of Cahuilla, in an unincorporated area near Palm Desert. Despite extensive efforts, including fingerprint and dental record comparisons, investigators were unable to identify the victim. A photograph taken during the autopsy was released to the public in hopes of generating leads, but no viable information was received, and the case eventually went cold. The case was reviewed again in 2008 and 2009, but no new leads were developed.
In 2024, leveraging funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program, the Riverside County Coroner’s Office, in conjunction with Regional Cold Case Homicide Team (RCCHT), re-examined the case using advances in forensic science, including Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG). On December 4, 2024, the victim’s remains were exhumed. Bone and tissue samples were collected and sent to a private forensic laboratory for FGG analysis. In January 2026, a profile was developed. A genealogist assigned to RCCHT identified a potential match to a close relative in Alabama. Investigators contacted family members, who voluntarily provided DNA samples for comparison. The family reported that their relative, Victoria Jean Hargrove, had gone missing on January 28, 1980, from her home in Opelika, Alabama, and had been reported missing to local law enforcement at that time.
On March 20, 2026, the California Department of Justice Crime Laboratory officially confirmed the identity of the victim as Victoria Jean Hargrove. Investigators are now seeking additional information regarding Victoria Jean Hargrove’s disappearance in 1980, the circumstances surrounding her death, and what may have brought her to California.
