Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

17 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

18 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

21 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

22 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

22 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

22 hours ago
Gilroy Victim of Notorious 'Happy Face Killer' ID'd After 29 Years
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
April 19, 2022

Share

 

A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a Central California highway, authorities said Monday.

Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been known only as “Blue Pacheco” for the color of her clothing until genetic genealogy was used to identify her last week, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said.

Skiple, a mother known to friends and family as “Patsy,” would have been about 45 years old when she was killed, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities identified her with help from the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit group that uses volunteers to help identify people listed as “Jane Does” or “John Does” through DNA profiles of possible relatives.

Skiple’s body was found on June 3, 1993, on the side of Route 152 near Gilroy.

The cause of her death was listed as undetermined at the time.

In 2006, Keith Hunter Jesperson wrote to the county district attorney’s office and said he had sexually assaulted and killed a woman near the highway.

Jesperson, who was arrested in 1995 on suspicion of killing a woman in Washington state, was dubbed the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces on letters he sent to the media and police, prosecutors said.

Jesperson eventually confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming. He currently is serving four life sentences without possibility of parole in Oregon.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

UP NEXT

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

UP NEXT

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

UP NEXT

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

UP NEXT

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

UP NEXT

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

14 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

15 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

16 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

16 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

17 hours ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

In the muggy summer of 1776, 56 men met in Philadelphia and pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to America’s future with the D...

54 minutes ago

54 minutes ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
13 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
14 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

14 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

15 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend