The Orange County Sheriff's Department recently announced a breakthrough in a 41-year-old cold case involving a previously unidentified homicide victim known only as "Jane Doe." The woman's remains were first discovered in 1983 by children playing in what is now the city of Lake Forest, as detailed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Forensic examinations determined she was a black or mixed-race female, aged between 18-24, with a distinctive gold tooth.
Utilizing advanced DNA technology, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, in collaboration with Othram Laboratories and the FBI’s Regional Genealogy Team, endeavored to solve the mystery of Jane Doe's identity. While the initial genetic genealogy efforts struggled to unearth a direct family line, a distant relative reached out after seeing forensic renderings of Jane Doe shared on a Facebook group dedicated to missing women from the 70s and 80s, as per the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
This eventual twist in the narrative led to Maritza Glean Grimmett, a Panamanian native whose past unraveled posthumously. Before being matched to the remains found decades earlier, Grimmett had married a US Marine and moved to the United States. Her life took turbulent turns, including a move to California during divorce proceedings in 1979 that eventually led to her disappearance, and it seems, her untimely death.
In late 2023, a woman came forward after recognizing Maritza in an online post, claiming that Jane Doe might be her missing mother, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The family members provided DNA samples that conclusively identified Jane Doe as Maritza Glean Grimmett, as confirmed by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Discovered by investigators was that Grimmett was just 20 years old when she vanished.
The case, now reignited, poses new questions about Maritza's final days and the circumstances surrounding her death. The Orange County Sheriff's Department has urged the public to share any information that may assist in the investigation of Maritza Glean Grimmett's homicide by contacting Investigator Bob Taft. Anonymous tips are also encouraged and can be submitted through OC Crime Stoppers.
