Ada Beth Kaplan: Woman found decapitated with missing thumbs and blood drained in California vineyard identified after 11 years

CANYON COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: In a chilling crime that has haunted detectives for over a decade, the headless and thumbless body of a woman found in a California vineyard has finally been identified as 64-year-old, Ada Beth Kaplan.

The horrifying crime scene, unearthed on March 29, 2011, revealed the victim in a sexually degrading pose, her lifeless body devoid of blood and carefully concealed by the perpetrator.

What happened to Ada Beth Kaplan?

Initially, the case bewildered investigators as the assailant not only decapitated the victim but also took both of her thumbs, providing no immediate clues for identification.

With no leads, the case swiftly went dormant, and for years, the files accumulated dust in storage.

In a recent breakthrough, the Kern County Medical Examiner's Office sought assistance from the DNA Doe Project to reexamine the case. After two and a half years of thorough investigation, the victim was successfully identified as Kaplan.

Who was Ada Beth Kaplan?

The identification process was further complicated by Kaplan's Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

"Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry is often complicated to unravel. When we brought in an expert in Jewish records and genealogy, that made a huge difference," team leader Missy Koski said.

The DNA Doe Project's team faced challenges in finding potential relatives, working through a complex web of ancestors spanning eight generations.

"Three of her four grandparents were immigrants, so the researchers had to search Eastern European records to connect her matches to each other," DNA Doe Project reported.

In July of last year, two potential relatives residing on the East Coast, including Forest Hills in Queens, New York, were identified, and they provided crucial DNA samples for confirmation.

The absence of a missing person report for Kaplan was one of the factors contributing to the prolonged mystery.

Decade-long missing Ada Beth Kaplan was never reported missing!

Interviews with her family disclosed that no one had ever reported her missing. Kaplan was laid to rest at Union Cemetery in Bakersfield initially, as her identity could not be established at the time.

It remains uncertain whether her remains will be relocated following the recent breakthrough in the case.

Retired detective Ray Pruitt, who was involved in the case, conveyed the enduring impact of the horrifying crime scene, saying, "I've never seen anything like that in my life. I've seen some pretty gruesome crime scenes, and this was just… it was creepy."

The hope is that this breakthrough will lead to justice for Kaplan and bring closure to her grieving family.

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.