DNA technology has provided inroads into a cold case out of Sonoma County stemming from the 1960s, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

The decomposed remains of a woman were found in February 1967 down a steep cliff off state Highway 1, just north of Jenner. Then known only as Jane Doe, the woman’s cause of death was listed as multiple fractures to her skull and ribs. After attempts to identify her led nowhere, Doe’s remains were laid to rest at the County of Sonoma Cemetery.  

Fast-forward to 2009, and Doe’s remains were exhumed and examined by San Francisco State University anthropology professor Mark Griffin. Griffin determined that she was a white woman, between 40 and 46 years old, and was the victim of a homicide.  

In early 2023, a lab examined Doe’s DNA and identified her as Lillian Marie Cardenas, who was born in 1928 and was last known to have lived in San Francisco.  

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cardenas’ surviving family had been estranged from her prior to her death.  

“The Sheriff’s Office is looking for any information the public may have about Lillian’s life, or death, to help piece together what happened to her,” said the department Wednesday on Facebook.  

Anyone who may have information helpful to this case is encouraged to contact the cold case unit at (707) 565-2727 or by email at sheriff-coldcase@sonoma-county.org.  

The Sheriff’s Office’s DNA cold case work is being undertaken with help from the California Department of Justice and Othram, Inc., which is a pilot program under the DOJ who has taken 10 cases from the Sheriff’s Office.  

“Lillian will hopefully be the first of many which we will be able to identify,” said the department.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.