Keith Jesperson: Investigators seek public help to find kin of 'Happy Face' serial killer's last victim
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
VICTORVILLIE, CALIFORNIA: Investigators are making progress in identifying the last unknown victim of the "Happy Face" serial killer who killed 8 women in multiple states, reaching out to relatives as they approach uncovering the identity of a woman referred to as "Claudia."
Keith Hunter Jesperson encountered a hitchhiker he named "Claudia" who sought a ride to Los Angeles.
He transported her toward Southern California and a heated argument at a rest stop took a deadly turn, leading to murder.
Subsequently, Jesperson disposed of her body on the roadside in the city of Blythe in eastern Riverside County, where it was discovered in August 1992, as per Foxnews.
Prosecutors released updated sketch picture of ‘Claudia’
In the effort to locate the relatives of Jesperson's last victim, the prosecutor's office has released an updated sketch and description of Claudia, aiming for new tips to assist in her identification.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a video posted on YouTube, "This woman is the last of all his victims to remain unidentified. Our goal is to identify this victim and provide closure to her family, wherever they may be."
He added, "We are hopeful someone hearing any of these details may remember anything that could help us reunite this woman with the family who may have been looking for her for over three decades."
Hestrin further expanded the description of Claudia, indicating that she was likely 20-30 years old, approximately 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, and likely weighed around 140-150 pounds.
She was described as having a medium build, shaggy blonde hair that she may have been dyed brown, and she was known to hitchhike and smoke cigarettes.
Claudia was found wearing a shirt with a picture of a motorcycle, and she had a tattoo of two small dots on the left side of her right thumb.
Described as a "frequent hitchhiker" by prosecutors, Claudia most likely resided in Southern California, possibly in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, areas in Riverside County, and might have had connections to Las Vegas and the southern Nevada area, according to the DA's office.
Who is Keith Jesperson?
Keith Jesperson was initially arrested in 1995 in connection with a woman's murder in Washington state.
His case gained infamy after he confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Notably, he is serving four life sentences without the possibility of parole in an Oregon prison.
About two years ago, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office identified one of his victims – nicknamed "Blue Pacheco" after the color of her clothes – as Oregon mother Patricia Skiple.
Jesperson earned the moniker "Happy Face" killer for sending letters to the media detailing his crimes, which he committed across state lines as a long-haul trucker, with a smiley-face signature at the bottom of each note.
In one recorded confession, he casually told investigators, "After murdering too many people, it was just an easy thing to do.
