Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Body Of Woman Stabbed 150 Times Near Site Of Manson Killings in 1969 Finally Identified
The body of a woman who was found in 1969 near the site of the Manson killings with 150 stab wounds has been identified by the LAPD as that of a 19-year-old woman from Montreal. Reet Jurvetson moved to Los Angeles during the summer of 1969, according to the Los Angeles Times. Her body was first discovered on November 16, 1969, by a birdwatcher poking around a ravine off Mulholland Drive, according to People Magazine. LAPD Detective Luis Rivera explained to the magazine how investigators cannot rule out the possibility that Jurvetson's death is connected to the Manson family killings.
"It was personal," Rivera told People. "It was a maniac ... or love gone wrong."
Police used a DNA test to identify Jurvetson's body after her sister, Anne, recognized a composite image online.
Before being identified, Jurvetson's body was known simply as Jane Doe No. 59. Her body was discovered just a few miles away from the location of other Manson killings. This fact, paired with her death's timing and Jurvetson's youth, make her a candidate for someone who became affiliated with, and was eventually murdered by, Charles Manson and his followers.
According to her sister, Jurvetson moved to Los Angeles in the pursuit of a man named "John." Jurvetson mailed her Montreal family a single postcard telling them she had safely arrived, and had found an apartment. Her family never heard from her again.
"As incredible as it seems, my parents never thought to report Reet missing to the police," Anne said in a statement to People Magazine. "They thought that she was just living her life somewhere and that eventually news from her would turn up."
Reet never turned up.
Sponsored message
"Although our family continuously hoped that one day Reet would return home, I eventually came to the conclusion that she had probably passed away," Anne said.
Incidentally, in mid-April, the California state parole board voted in favor of granting Manson family member Leslie Van Houten parole after 20 unsuccessful appeals.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
