Jul 2, 2009 11:49 am US/Pacific
Murder Probe Begins Following Berryessa Body ID
NAPA (BCN) ―
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The sculpted face of the murder victim and a photo of the victim, identified as Johnethel McGehee.
Napa Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Now that the Napa County Sheriff's Department has identified a woman whose remains were found at Lake Berryessa in May, the search has begun for her killer, detective Chris Carlisle said Thursday morning.
"The investigation is still in the infancy stage," Carlisle said.
Investigators will interview anyone who knew or had contact with 47-year-old Johnethel McGehee, who resided mostly in the Oakland area, Carlisle said.
There are no suspects in the case yet, Carlisle said.
McGehee had no known ties to Napa County or Lake Berryessa, where
her skeletal remains were found after a sheriff's patrol officer spotted a leg bone off state Highway 128 near Monticello Dam on May 10, Carlisle said.
Bay Area facial reconstruction artist Gloria Nusse created a sculpture of the woman's head and shoulders, and an image of the rendering was distributed to local media on June 23.
McGehee's daughter called the sheriff's department at 8 p.m. that day to identify the mystery woman as her mother. The sheriff's department confirmed the identity the next day using dental records.
McGehee's family had not seen her since late spring or early summer 2007, but she had not been reported missing, Carlisle said.
Sheriff's investigators believe McGehee was killed sometime between then and about six months ago.
McGehee had ties to San Francisco, San Leandro and other Bay Area cities, the sheriff's department said. She is known by other names, including Jasmine McGehee and Jasmine Williams, sheriff's investigators said.
Authorities are not saying how she was killed and are asking anyone with information about her disappearance or death to contact Carlisle at (707) 253-6030 or the sheriff's department tip line at (877) 426-4847.
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