Los Angeles Jane Doe found dead in 1969 ID'd as Montreal woman
Initial reports pointed to a possible link between Reet Jurvetson and Manson Family
Los Angeles police have identified the body of a woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 as 19-year-old Reet Jurvetson from Montreal.
Initial reports pointed to a possible link to the Manson Family killings, but police have confirmed that is not the case.
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"There is no actual link other than back in 1969 they thought that maybe she might have been at [Manson Family compound] Spahn Ranch," LAPD Det. Luis Riviera, the lead investigator on the case, told CBC News.
"The victim [was thought to have] been at the Spahn Ranch because an identity was made by one of the workers at the Spahn Ranch. However, that was proven to be false."
A statement released by the LAPD on Wednesday indicated that investigators nevertheless interviewed Manson in the hopes he would have information about Jurvetson's death.
"Their encounter with Manson did not produce anything fruitful and the investigation remains open and ongoing," the statement said.
Jurvetson's body was discovered down an embankment on Mulholland Drive in November 1969, a short time after she arrived in Los Angeles.
Her homicide case went cold after police investigators failed to identify the body. She remained a Jane Doe for more than 40 years.
With Jurvetson now identified as the victim, police are focusing their investigation on identifying a person of interest named "John" or "Jean." They believe she met this person in Montreal in 1969, and that he may have lived in the U.S.
Born in Sweden, Jurvetson grew up in Montreal, according to a statement issued by her sister Anne. She moved to California in 1969 to start a new life.
"Reet was a lovely, free-spirited and happy girl. She was very artistic, drew well and liked to sew her own clothes," Anne wrote.
In the fall of 1969, Jurvetson had sent her parents a postcard that said she was happy in Los Angeles and told them not to worry. It was the last time they would ever hear from her.
"They thought that she was just living her life somewhere and that eventually news from her would turn up," wrote Anne, who added the family never contacted police to report Reet's disappearance.
She hopes witnesses will come forward and provide information to the LAPD about her sister's slaying.
"I am horrified to think of how terribly frightened and alone she must have felt as she died," Anne wrote.
With files from The Associated Press