San Francisco Police Identify Victim in 1976 Cold Case Homicide 19-145

In early 2019 the San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Cold Case Unit and the SFPD Missing Persons Unit conducted a joint investigation into the death of Jane Doe #40, whose body was found in San Francisco in 1976 and was determined to be the victim of a homicide.

 After combing through missing persons’ cases, investigators located a missing person report made in 2017 regarding the disappearance of Judy Gifford, who was believed to have disappeared from San Francisco in the time frame of the 1976 homicide.  In June 2019, an investigator with the SFPD Missing Persons Unit contacted the New Jersey State Police and the Anne Arundel County Police Department Missing Persons Units to request assistance in obtaining a DNA sample from Judy Gifford's family members for comparison to Jane Doe #40.

The California Department of Justice Missing Persons Laboratory compared familial DNA obtained from Judy Gifford's relatives with the remains of Jane Doe #40 and confirmed the familial relationship.  Although the missing person case is closed, the homicide case remains open.

The San Francisco Police Department would like to thank the New Jersey State Police Department and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their assistance. 

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance or death of Judy Gifford is asked to call the SFPD 24 Hour Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.