For more than three decades, the woman found dead off Interstate 5 in rural Fresno County was known only as a mystery along the highway. On Wednesday, investigators announced that the remains discovered near the Kamm Avenue offramp outside Cantua Creek on July 12, 1993, have been identified as 40‑year‑old Janet Fay Moore, a former Sacramento‑area resident. The cause and manner of her death are still listed as undetermined, and detectives say they are hoping the name will jog memories for anyone who knew Moore or recognizes details from the case.
Identification came after a cold‑case review
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit confirmed Moore’s identity in December 2025, according to CBS Sacramento. Investigators told the outlet that Moore was born in Nevada and had been living in the Sacramento area from 1971 until 1993. They say the breakthrough came as part of routine cold‑case work, when detectives went back through old files and records tied to long‑unresolved cases.
What investigators say was found with her
When Moore’s body was first recovered in 1993, authorities logged a small collection of personal items with the case file. Among them was a ring mounted with a tiny photograph of a young boy believed to be about 3 to 4 years old, along with a California "Hollywood Rat Race" T‑shirt, jean shorts and a white cross necklace. Those details appear in the federal NamUs unidentified‑persons record connected to the incident. Investigators say distinctive items like the ring and its photo could be the key for relatives, friends or former neighbors from the Sacramento area who remember Moore.
How to pass tips to investigators
Anyone with information about Janet Moore or how she might have ended up in Fresno County is urged to contact the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office or Valley Crime Stoppers. The sheriff’s non‑emergency dispatch line and tip resources are listed on the agency’s website, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Valley Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips at 498‑STOP (559‑498‑7867) or through its online portal, per Valley Crime Stoppers. Authorities emphasize that even a small detail or long‑ago memory could help fill in gaps left by the original 1993 investigation.
Cold‑case work in the Central Valley
Moore’s identification comes amid a broader push by local investigators to breathe new life into old case files. Officials say the sheriff’s office has been revisiting stalled investigations, applying modern forensic and investigative tools to decades‑old evidence, and recontacting potential witnesses. Local reporting on the agency’s cold‑case efforts has highlighted multiple cases resolved after this kind of renewed scrutiny. Investigators say the same approach is guiding their work in Moore’s case as they try not only to put a name to the woman found along I‑5, but also to determine what happened to her.
