After over thirty years of mystery, the last unknown victim of serial murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, infamously dubbed the “Happy Face Killer,” has finally been identified. On Thursday, officials revealed the breakthrough discovery concerning the remains found beside a California highway.
Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter from Texas was the name unveiled by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. She was previously only referred to as “Claudia” by investigators. The identification was made possible through DNA analysis linking her to a maternal relative.
The body of McWhorter was discovered on August 30, 1992, off Highway 95, roughly seven miles north of Blythe, California.
Jesperson, a truck driver who crisscrossed states committing his heinous acts, confessed to the brutal murder of eight women, McWhorter being among them.
While Jesperson had mentioned knowing her as “Claudia,” authorities were unsuccessful in verifying if that name was authentic until now.
Keith Hunter Jesperson, center, listens as Don Findlay, far right, son of murder victim Julie Ann Winningham, addresses the court during sentencing on Dec. 19, 1995, at the Clark County Courthouse, in Vancouver, Wash. (Jeremiah Coughlan/AP Photo/The Columbian, File)
The identification comes after Riverside County investigators publicly renewed their effort to identify McWhorter in 2024, when genetic genealogy had connected the unknown victim to relatives on her father’s side but had not produced the maternal connection needed to confirm her identity.
News Media reported at the time that DNA testing had identified Summer Gonzales as the victim’s paternal half-sister. Gonzales said she wanted to learn her sister’s real name and eventually lay her to rest with family.
An investigative lead ultimately brought the cold case team to one of McWhorter’s direct maternal relatives, according to the district attorney’s office. Investigators then identified a possible genetic connection to another member of the maternal family.
A DNA sample confirmed that connection earlier this week, allowing investigators to positively identify McWhorter nearly 34 years after her body was found, authorities said.
Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter, whose body was found near Blythe, Calif., in 1992, was identified nearly 34 years later through DNA testing. (Riverside County District Attorney’s Office)
McWhorter’s sisters, who grew up with her, had spent decades without knowing what happened to her after she disappeared from Texas in the 1990s, according to prosecutors.
“I want to thank the public for the role you play in our investigations,” Billy Hester, supervising investigator of the Cold Case Unit, said in a news release. “When people take the time to share information, submit a tip or simply pay attention to what is happening in their community, it can make a real difference. You may not know where a piece of information will lead, but our investigators will follow it. Most importantly, I hope this will finally bring closure to Lydia’s family.”
The district attorney’s Division of Victim Services is working with McWhorter’s family as they decide how to honor her and lay her to rest.
Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter disappeared from Texas in the 1990s before her body was found along Highway 95 near Blythe, Calif., in August 1992. (Riverside County District Attorney’s Office)
Jesperson was arrested in 1995, and eventually confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington state, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming.
He became known as the “Happy Face Killer” after sending letters about his crimes to the media that he signed with a smiley face.
He pleaded guilty to McWhorter’s murder in Riverside County on Jan. 8, 2010, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
He is serving multiple life sentences in Oregon.
With McWhorter’s identification, Riverside County’s cold case team has now closed the final unidentified-victim case tied to the murders for which Jesperson was convicted.