Investigators in Riverside County, California, are working to close a decades-old case regarding the last known victim of the notorious “Happy Face” serial killer. The victim, only known as “Claudia,” was murdered in 1992 by Keith Hunter Jesperson, who later admitted to killing at least eight women in various states.
Jesperson picked up “Claudia” as a hitchhiker in Victorville, California, and drove her toward Southern California. A heated argument at a rest stop escalated into murder, and “Claudia’s” body was found in Blythe in eastern Riverside County.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s office has had difficulties identifying “Claudia,” but recently tracked down her living relatives through DNA. However, no one has been a biological match to her mother, and her father has already passed away.
In a video posted on YouTube, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin stated, “This woman is the last of all his victims to remain unidentified. Our goal is to identify this victim and provide closure to her family, wherever they may be.”
The victim, described as a frequent hitchhiker, was likely between 20 and 30 years old, about 5-feet, 6-inches to 5-feet, 7-inches tall, and with a medium build. She had shaggy blonde hair that she may have dyed brown and often hitchhiked and smoked cigarettes.
Jesperson, now in his late 60s, has been serving four life sentences without the possibility of parole in an Oregon prison after confessing to killing eight women across several states. Anyone with information is asked to call the Cold Case Hotline at (951) 955-5567 or email coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org.