Calaveras County Jane Doe identified more than a decade after remains found beneath bridge

A woman whose remains were discovered beneath a Calaveras County bridge more than a decade ago has finally been identified, sheriff's officials announced Monday.

Previously known as "Parrotts Ferry Jane Doe" for the bridge where her remains were found, the woman was identified by cold case detectives as Anita Kathleen Ranker, born in Santa Clara County in 1969.

Ranker's remains were discovered beneath the bridge back on Oct. 9, 2015 as drought conditions pushed the Stanislaus River to historically low levels.

Investigators determined at the time that the remains belonged to a woman who was likely the victim of a homicide, but efforts to identify her were unsuccessful and the case eventually went cold.

The case was reopened in 2021, with investigators turning to newer forensic technology to identify the remains.

After years of difficulty extracting usable DNA, a California lab succeeded in June. Genetic genealogy then led detectives to Ranker's relatives, whose DNA helped confirm her identity.

Investigators now believe Ranker disappeared sometime before 2000 and had been living in or around Murphys before her death. She was never reported missing.

The sheriff's office also said investigators have identified a person of interest, though no other details about that person or the circumstances surrounding Ranker's death were released.

Her death remains under investigation.