California

Mendocino County Sheriff Identifies Bodies Found in California Woods in 1978

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Nearly 37 years after a Sacramento-area man found their bodies in the woods, California officials have identified the two teenagers they believe were victims of foul play.

The Press Democrat reports that Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman announced Tuesday that the bodies found west of Willits belonged to two Forestville girls who went missing in mid-December 1978: 15-year-old Kerry Ann Graham and 14-year-old Francine Trimble. The sheriff posted his news conference on the department's Facebook page.

Allman says he hopes their identities could help investigators figure out how the girls died and who dumped their bodies there.

Their identities were confirmed through DNA tests in November.

Little is publicly known about the case.

The girls' death certificates say they were murdered, but Allman says the examination of the bones didn't determine a cause of death.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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