LYCOMING COUNTY, Pa. — A homicide victim found in California in 1979 has now been identified as that of a teenager from Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.
According to the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department, a body was discovered back in June of 1979 in a vineyard near 8th Street and Rochester Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The victim suffered traumatic injuries, and the manner of death was determined to be a homicide.
After attempts to identify the victim were exhausted, the case went cold.
Then, in 2023, in a renewed effort to identify the victim, investigators reopened the case, submitting DNA samples to a forensic genealogy team.
Officials say through leads provided by that genealogical testing, the victim was positively identified as Karen Marie Heverly.
Heverly was born in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, and left her parents' home in 1979 at 16 under unknown circumstances.
So far, no arrests have been made.
The investigation into Heverly's homicide remains active, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Specialized Investigations Division by calling (909) 890-4904 or submitting a tip online by clicking here.