Investigators are seeking information after uncovering new leads in the homicide of Maritza Glean Grimmett, according to the Orange County Sheriff.
Maritza, long-referred to as Jane Doe, was positively identified in March 2024, reinvigorating investigative efforts to solve her decades-old homicide.
Maritza’s remains were discovered in April 1983 in a culvert in the area of Canada and Old Trabuco roads in what is now the city of Lake Forest.
In 1978, 20-year-old Grimmett married a United States Marine and started their life together.
The couple had a daughter and moved around the US, settling for a short time in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Millington, Tennessee.
In July 1979, Maritza and her husband began divorce proceedings and Maritza told her sister she was heading to California.
Maritza’s family never heard from her again.
In April 1983, children discovered a human skull in a culvert while playing in the area of Canada and Old Trabuco roads in what is now the city of Lake Forest. The site was excavated and female remains were recovered.
At that time, an anthropology examination showed the victim was a black or mixed-race female, estimated to be 18-24 years old, 5’3 to 5’6 with a slight build, and a distinctive gold tooth. Efforts to identify the victim over the years were unsuccessful.
In 2022, a DNA sample from Jane Doe was submitted to Othram Laboratories in cooperation with the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NamUs), which provided funding for the DNA extraction and testing, and a genetic profile was successfully obtained.
OC Sheriff cold case investigators conducted investigative genetic genealogy in partnership with the FBI’s Regional Genealogy Team. After years of work, a direct family line for Jane Doe still could not be established.
In late 2023, investigators contacted a distant genetic relative of the victim, who suggested Jane Doe’s forensic renderings be posted to a Facebook group for Jane Does and missing women from the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately one month after the posting, a woman contacted investigators and said she believed the Lake Forest Jane Doe could be her missing mother.
In June 2024, Jane Doe was positively identified as Maritza Glean Grimmett.
Investigators have identified two persons of interest in the case: Maritza’s ex-husband, Howard Grimmett, and his current wife, Isabel “Terry” Cruz-Grimmett. They are also seeking additional information from the public that may help solve Maritza’s murder.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to email the cold case homicide team at 714-647-7055 or coldcase@ocsheriff.gov. Anonymous tips may be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.
To read more about Maritza’s story visit the OC Sheriff’s Cold Case Website at ochseriff.gov/coldcases.
