New forensic image released of woman whose remains were found in present-day Lake Forest in 1983

Authorities are making another attempt to identify a woman whose body was found in an area that is now Lake Forest in the early 80s and may be the victim of a homicide.

The woman's skull was found in April of 1983 by children playing in a culvert in the area of Canada and Old Trabuco roads, prompting officials to excavate the area, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Approximately 70% of the woman's remains were found.

A preliminary anthropological analysis determined Jane Doe was a Black or possibly mixed-race 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-6 woman with a slight build between 18 and 24 years old. She had a distinctive front tooth with a gold crown on her left lateral incisor.

The official cause of her death is undetermined, but authorities say they suspect her death was a homicide.

When the remains were found in 1983, authorities compared them to several reported missing persons without success, but the case eventually ran cold, sheriff's officials said. After convicted serial killer Samuel Little confessed to targeting Black women between 1970 and 2005 in multiple states, investigators revisited the case in 2018 but found no link between Jane Doe and the confessed killer. The following year, sheriff's investigators worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to construct a forensic rendering of Jane Doe using a computed tomography scan of her remains. No new information was developed despite wide circulation of the image.

A new image developed by forensic artist Carl Koppelman was released Thursday. The updated image shows Jane Doe with longer hair, the top she was believed to be wearing at the time of her death, and a detailed sketch of her distinctive tooth.

Anyone who recognizes Jane Doe or may have information about her can contact Investigator Bob Taft at (714) 647-7045 or email coldcase@ocsheriff.gov.