Orange County homicide victim identified after 31 years

The Orange County Sheriff's Department has identified a Jane Doe homicide victim whose remains were discovered more than 31 years ago.

Using forensic odontology, the Coroner Division confirmed on January 15, 2019, the victim to be 20-year-old Tracey Coreen Hobson, who was living in Anaheim at the time she disappeared.

Authorities say a passerby discovered the skeleton remains of a woman in a grassy area about 50 feet from Santa Ana Canyon Road, a half-mile west of Gypsum Canyon Road in unincorporated Anaheim. The only items recovered near the body were a red handkerchief and a length of cord.

An anthropological examination of the remains confirmed the woman had been stabbed in the torso and her hands had been cut off, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

The California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services was able to extract a DNA profile for the victim in May 2005 and uploaded to the California Missin Person's Database and the National Unidentified Person's DNA index. Authorities also released several likeness renderings of the victim.

It wasn't until 2018 that DNA believed to be from a family member was sent in to the California Department of Justice and matched to the victim.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or crimestoppers.org.