A 16-year-old girl whose strangled body was discovered in a California hotel nearly six decades ago has finally been identified.
The victim, long known only as “Jane Doe,” has been identified as Joanne Yvonne Burdick, whom her family called “Joanie,” Oakland Police Chief James Beere announced in an Oct. 1 press release. “Joanne was only 16 years old when she was killed,” Beere said.
Police said Burdick was born on Feb. 3, 1953. Investigators also released photographs of her as a child, including images taken when she was 11 and 13.
Burdick’s remains were found on Oct. 2, 1969, inside the former Hotel St. Louis in downtown Oakland, Beere said during a press conference. According to the chief, she had been “lured” to the room “during broad daylight.”
The official cause of death was strangulation, while toxicology testing found no drugs or alcohol in her system.
At the time, investigators had few leads. Burdick carried no identification, and the case never resulted in an arrest.
Hotel employees and witnesses told police that Burdick entered the room with a man shortly after 2:45 p.m., according to the department’s release. Within half an hour, workers heard a scream. When officers arrived, the man had disappeared.
Investigators eventually named Taylor Morris Teaford as a person of interest. During the press conference, Beere said the nickname associated with Teaford came from people outside the police department.
Teaford had previously appeared on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. Beere also said Teaford was considered a suspect in the 1967 killing of his grandmother. However, he was never arrested or charged in connection with Burdick’s death.
“He has a significant criminal history,” Beere said, citing allegations that Teaford shot his sister and served time for rape.
The mystery remained unresolved for decades, until advances in forensic science and a voluntary DNA sample provided by Burdick’s brother helped investigators confirm her identity.
With Burdick’s name restored, Oakland police are now working to locate Teaford.
“We don’t have an actual answer as to where he’s at right now or if he’s even still alive,” Beere said. He added that investigators plan to conduct additional searches and use newer technology in an effort to determine his whereabouts.
In a statement released by police, Burdick’s family thanked everyone who worked to solve the case and “for caring enough to give Joanne her name.”
Beere also offered encouragement to families still waiting for answers in other long-unsolved missing-person and homicide cases.
“Regardless if this happened 57 years ago or it happened two months ago, we’re still keeping hope alive,” he said. “We’re going to continue to search for your loved ones and our investigations won’t stop.”
An Oakland Police Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to Oxygen’s request for comment.