The story of Jacqueline Danette Ebel, a woman whose identity was shrouded in mystery for over three decades after her body was discovered in Perris, California, is now coming into focus thanks to advances in forensic technology and the persistent efforts of Riverside County investigators. Reported missing just scant days before Christmas in 1988, and her body was found shortly thereafter, it was not until recently, in 2022, that the application of Forensic Genetic Genealogy provided her name and gave new momentum to a stagnant investigation.
Known to her friends as Jackie, Ebel was identified posthumously, with the Riverside County DA's Bureau of Investigation releasing her pictures in hopes that this old case, cold for so many years, might finally produce some long-awaited answers. As first reported by CBS News Los Angeles, the woman previously known only as a John Doe revealed a life once lived with tattoos of a horse and flower, as well as the names John and a Harley Davidson eagle on her shoulder blades—indicators of a personal story cut tragically short.
Forensic genetic genealogy, which has been instrumental in solving some of the most elusive cases, such as the infamous Golden State Killer, is a beacon of hope for the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team in their quest to bring closure to Ebel's family. Senior DA Investigator Ebony Caviness, expressing the sentiment that grips all those entangled in such labors, was quoted on the DA's official website as saying, "It is our greatest desire to grant dignity and justice to this victim and her family."
Community involvement is now deemed crucial, with the Riverside County DA encouraging anyone with knowledge, no matter how seemingly trivial, of Ebel's last days or her associations to come forward. The Cold Case Hotline and email channel through which this potentially pivotal information can flow, giving the investigators the breaks they desperately need to piece together the circumstances surrounding her death, much as they pieced together the fragments of her identity from the strands of DNA left behind.
