After 41 long years, authorities have finally identified a victim whose skull was found by children in a Southern California city back in 1983.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department announced on Friday that the victim is Maritza Glean Grimmett.
She was originally from Panama and moved to the United States in the late 1970s.
At the time of her disappearance, Grimmett was just 20 years old.
The discovery of Grimmett's identity was possible due to a detailed DNA analysis.
It was her remains that provided the vital clues, allowing investigators to trace her relatives.
In the summer of 1978, Maritza Glean Grimmett married a U.S. Marine and soon after gave birth to a daughter, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD).
By the end of that year, the family had moved to the United States, living in Columbus, Ohio, and later in Millington, Tennessee, through mid-1979.
By July 1979, 20-year-old Grimmett and her husband had begun divorce proceedings, and Grimmett informed her sister that she planned to move to California.
Her family never heard from her again.
In 1983, children playing in an area now known as Lake Forest stumbled upon Grimmett's skull.
Following this grim discovery, about 70% of her remains were eventually excavated.
Despite the efforts over the years, authorities were unable to identify the victim.
In a breakthrough move in 2022, a DNA sample from Grimmett's remains was sent to Othram Laboratories, a forensic lab based in Texas.
The extraction and testing of the DNA were funded by a missing persons program within the U.S. Department of Justice.
This led to the discovery of a direct family line for Grimmett, and in 2023, authorities contacted one of her distant relatives.
This relative suggested that the findings be shared on a Facebook group dedicated to women who went missing in the 1970s and 1980s.
This recommendation proved to be very useful as it worked.
A month after the information was posted, a woman contacted investigators, believing she might be the missing victim's mother.
Subsequent DNA samples submitted by Grimmett’s relatives confirmed her identity.
The case is still under investigation as authorities continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department is still actively investigating Maritza's homicide, as her killer has not been identified, and the circumstances and motive behind her disappearance and death remain unknown.
Anyone with information about her death is encouraged to contact Investigator Bob Taft at 714-647-7045.
Tips can also be submitted via email to [email protected].
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