Womans skeleton exposed by California drought is finally identified decades later

A woman’s remains found during California’s drought more than a decade ago have finally been identified, and investigators now believe she may have been the victim of a decades-old homicide.Anita Kathleen Ranker, who was born in Santa Clara County in 1969, was identified as the woman known for years only as “Parrotts Ferry Jane Doe,” the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.Her remains were found partially submerged beneath the Parrott’s Ferry Bridge on Oct.

9, 2015, after historically low drought-era water levels in the Stanislaus River exposed the grim discovery.Investigators determined the remains belonged to an unidentified woman who was likely the victim of homicide — but despite extensive efforts, her name remained a mystery and the case eventually went cold.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Ranker was never reported missing, authorities said.Investigators believe she disappeared before 2000 and was living in or around Murphys, Calif., at the time of her death.A person of interest has also been identified, though authorities did not release further details.The case was reopened after the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office formed its Cold Case Team in 2020, with investigators turning to increasingly sophisticated forensic technology in hopes of putting a name to the remains.But extracting DNA proved particularly difficult because the remains had deteriorated after spending years underwater, authorities said.Resolve Forensics in Utah spent more than three years making progress toward obtaining DNA suitable for forensic genetic genealogy before Astrea Forensics in California successfully extracted usable DNA in June 2026.Genetic genealogy work by Identifiers International then led investigators to Ranker’s relatives, who volun...