The Girl Next Door

An Obsessed Cop And Amazing Forensics Help Solve A Haunting Mystery

(CBS)  This story was last broadcast on June 14, 2008.

Like any good homicide detective, Sgt. Scott Dudek can sometimes get a little obsessed with his cases. But as correspondent Harold Dow reports, the 2003 murder of an unidentified young girl troubled him more than any other.

A 22-year veteran of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office in northern California, Dudek has solved his share of gruesome crimes. But murders are rare in the suburban community of Castro Valley.

So what he saw the night of May 1, 2003 was especially shocking, even to a seasoned detective: the body of a young girl, murdered, stuffed into a trash bag, and discarded behind a restaurant.

Dudek says the girl had been dead for about ten days. And the way she died - with a rag in her throat - suggests someone may have wanted to silence her.

Usually, Dudek says, investigators know within the first 24 to 48 hours the identity of an unidentified murder victim, as missing persons' reports are reviewed or parents contact the authorities.

But sadly, no one seemed to be looking for this victim. Because her body was so badly decomposed, a local artist did the best she could to give her a face. They also gave her a name: "Jane Doe." Police had to rely on her autopsy for other clues.

"We had ten perfect prints that we got off of both her hands, which is a rarity," Dudek explains.

Investigators guessed she was in her early teens. She was in good health, with perfect teeth. This Jane had all the appearances of a typical teenage girl-next-door, from her painted nails to her choice of clothing.

Dudek released a sketch, hopeful it was good enough for someone to recognize this girl once it was splashed all over the local media and posted on Web sites dedicated to finding missing children. "With this sketch being released we probably had 150 possible clues or sightings of people that thought they knew who our Castro Valley Jane Doe was," he says.

One clue seemed so promising, that Dudek and his partner, Ed Chicoine, followed it all the way down to the Texas-Mexican border, where they collected DNA samples from several mothers of missing teenage girls, including a girl whose picture bore a remarkable resemblance to Jane.

But none of those leads panned out. There would be many more dead ends, but Dudek remained determined, even though his frustration was mounting.

Then, investigators got another clue that seemed almost too good to be true from a possible witness: "We thought it was a huge break. We got an anonymous letter in the mail," Dudek says.

The writer claimed to have seen someone get "something from the trunk" of a car and dump it into the very same bushes where the body was found.

Dudek says police asked the person to come forward, offering to keep him anonymous. This potential witness admitted in the letter that he was reluctant to come forward because he himself had been in that parking lot "waiting for a married girlfriend."

As weeks turned to months, the letter writer never came forward and no one claimed this young girl.

But her case touched the people of Castro Valley, and an unlikely hero emerged: Dave Woolworth, a landscaper. He had no way of knowing that what he was about to do would one day help solve this mystery.

"From day one she touched me, and to this day she still does," says Woolworth, who was best known around town for his signature tie-dyed T-shirts. "When I read the story, I started crying. And I looked at my wife and I told her, 'No one will come and claim her. It was eating at me.'"

Once the forensic investigation was completed, Jane was destined for cremation. But that was unacceptable to Woolworth, himself a father who had once been estranged from his own daughter.

Woolworth decided to take the lead in raising donations from the community, and so four months after her body was abandoned in a parking lot, Castro Valley's adopted daughter was given a funeral befitting a dignitary.

As several more months went by, this child was still nameless, and her killer faceless. The leads had slowed to a trickle.

So Sgt. Dudek made the agonizing decision to exhume the young girl's body and search again for the clues that could close this case.

[ewkendricks]

I cried as I thought about that lovely, sweet, girl whose American Dream came to an end so sadly. And, I cried because I have a daughter around that age. Stop being heartless! The U.S. should have extradition treaties with Mexico so they can bring back the likes of this human refuse who killed that poor, helpless child. How can anyone look beyond that precious human life to rationalize and politicize their agendas? Remember, the bast*** who did this is running free because he is in Mexico. Would you stand for this if it was your precious little girl he killed?

[ewkendricks]

well

[tiredofbs]

I am furious. Why are U.S. police obsessed with any case to begin with let alone yet all this coverage for yet another illegal???
She was not "the girl next door"! She put herself in this situation because she was yet one more smart Mexican thumbing their nose at the US government and tax-paying citizens. I hope the family is charged for all the hours logged for this case and the burial fees!

[noirviolette]

I'm curious about the note left on her grave,they didn't say much about it,would like to know if that was checked out.Seems worth it since it said someone named Jim was paying for what he did to her.

[monroeanoka]

THANKS TO THE POLICE, FORENSICS,THE WOMAN WHO SEARCHES LOST CHILD DATABASES TO FIND JANE DOES FAMILIES AND MOST ASSUREDLY THE GARDENER WHO CARED ENOUGH ABOUT A PERSON TO MAKE SURE THE FAMILY OF YASINIA WAS FOUND IN MEXICO. MAY GOD BLESS YOUR LIVES AND CONTINUE TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD THROUGH YOU. YOU ARE ALL HEROS IN MY EYES.

[greedrwc]

This story made me sick to my stomach. Beside the fact an innocent young girl was killed. The question i had was is who paid for all this? Seeing how california is in finacial crisis, it was comforting to know that we spent 6 years of police resources to solve a crime of someone who isnt even a US citizen. Does anyone think that this girl or her family paid any taxes? And what about the mother sending her girl to the US at 14 years? Did she even try and contact the police in her country? Heres the real crime, we spend all this money and dont even catch the killer, mean while funding from education is pulled and taxes are raised cause the state is going broke.....geee i wonder why.

[shawn255]

y are u so worried about who paid for all of this.that should be the least of your worries. the fact that a young girl came to america to further her career but instead she ended up dead. if u would think about things before u say them then u would know that most mexicans let their kids go to the united states to get a better life for themselves. and if you knew someone that was a friend of the family u wouldnt have to think twice.. this little girl is dead and all u care about is where and who paid for the funeral. u should really be ashamed of yourself to have all that hate in your heart. if this was your little girl you would of wanted the same no matter where u are from......

[wyo-kid]

I hope they catch the scumbag that killed her.

[vivme]

People face the facts we are all so ignorant. We are all imigrants.
I pay taxes too and I don''t get to food stamps or help from the goverment.
This is a story about a girl who imigrated to USA to have a better life is to bad that stupid baster took advantage of her. I''m proud to day that I''m Mexican and I love my country even though I was not born in Mexico. You all are just full of hate.

[tiredofbs]

Do you mean immigrate--and immigrants? Well, she wasn't one of them--she did NOT immigrate--she sneaked into the U.S. (just like millions other clever Mexicans) and was here illegally, with the aid of her mother.
You are just full of ignorance.
By the way, all us other immigrants did it LEGALLY and have proper ID, can be located and identified, and are required to pay taxes.

I'm wondering: If so many Mexicans are so proud of their country then WHY are they all trying to get here?

[pallasa]

I am a regular watcher and I think we are lucky that the various committed people came together in a way that this case was solved.

I do not think this story is by any means an immigration issue, BUT I think that 48 hours missed an important and integral element within this case by not having the guts to mention it. When people (citizen or not) are engaged in illegal activity, it has an impact on their reluctance to come forward, and it has ripples throughout every aspect of the society - and it had a signigicant part in this mystery.

It was a serious lapse of journalistic integrity to NOT address the immigration issue as part of this story both here and abroad. Mothers need to be aware that this is NOT the land of opportunity for teenage girls without their parents. In this day, unprotected teens are not safe. These are major elements of this story that were not addressed because of the reluctance to honestly adress the elements introduced by the immigration issue.

(FYI - I am pro legal immigration. I am pro law inforcement for people born here, or people born elsewhere. The enforcement of laws and public standards is important. Everyone - rich, poor, black, white or green - should be held to the same standard of responsibility to uphold the law.)

[tiredofbs]

You hit it right on the nail about the lapse of integrity of journalist and the ripple effect. This crime would have likely been solved in days IF the mother was not hiding the fact that she was actually part of an illegal activity herself: these people send over their very own children to face who knows what. Oh well, win some, lose some I guess--isn't that the thinking? I just do not feel sorry for any member of the family. The mother and daughter willingly and knowingly engaged in a federal crime. The daughter lost, but oh so did the US tax-paying citizens (big time). Six years instead of days because this mother had the nerve to not report her activity to the police. She allow for her daughter to lay in a garbage bag with a rag stuffed in her mouth in a parking lot to rot and did nothing while other good people went to extraordinary lengths to id her and bury her. Charge the family: resource fees, burial, and a Fine.

[roscoezzz]

This story made me proud to be a human being. I am so glad this male stranger fought for "Jane Doe" to NOT BE CREMATED. He wanted this young girl''s Bones to be her truth, after her tragic death.
I am grateful that today''s technology can really help identify the MISSING. Plus, the fact that men who have daughters of their own, really have great compassion for all daughters.
I almost cried when the mother stood up during her daughter''s funeral and asked everyone to applaud the American authorities.
I don''t think Immigration Policies would''ve helped this girl or not. WHO KNOWS WHAT BRINGS A MAN TO MURDER? Remember, this guy who the girl lived with was a family friend. They trusted him.
I''m proud of this girl. She wanted a better life and was willing to work hard to have it where she could be free. It was a dream that many never seek in their impoverished countries. Go Bless that man who fought to save her Bones.