Reet Jurvetson: Police Search For Two Men In ‘Jane Doe #59’ 1969 Disappearance, No Charles Manson Connection

In the summer of 1969, 19-year-old Reet Jurvetson flew to Los Angeles to see a man she’d recently met in a Canada coffee shop. Aside from a postcard, her family never heard from her again. Earlier this year, they were devastated to learn that she had become Jane Doe #59 after police couldn’t identify her murdered body. L.A. police are now looking for two people that may possibly hold clues in her death.

People reports that after Jurvetson, of Montreal, met a man named “Jean” (or John) while he bought a coffee in a Toronto cafe, she flew to L.A. shortly after to visit him. Police feel he’s the strongest link in solving her murder. He’s described as around 5-foot-9, with a thin build, brown eyes, and brown feathered hair. LAPD cold case detective Cliff Shepard stated that Jurvetson was “enamored” with Jean because “she thought he looked like Jim Morrison of the Doors.”

Can secrets ever truly stay hidden? The mystery of Jane Doe #59 https://t.co/NHdpsnuJb6 This fall on #cbcfifth pic.twitter.com/Hdw7O0Uq2n

— The Fifth Estate (@cbcfifth) August 2, 2016

Jurvetson’s friend, Gilda Green, ran into a friend of Jean’s in 1970, while in Montreal. The friend, also named Jean (Jean #2), indicated that the last time he saw Jurvetson was out in California in 1969, and after staying with them a few weeks, she went her own way. He apparently said he had no clue she was missing. According to Green,

“I went right up to him and started talking to him, and I was asking him about Reet. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, she was with us for a couple of weeks and then she left on her own and everything’s fine, she was happy.'”

Jean #2 didn’t keep in contact with Green, and he’s now wanted for questioning as well. He’s described as 5-foot-6 with blue eyes and black hair. He talks with a French accent.

Shortly after Jurvetson arrived in L.A., she sent her parents a postcard, informing them she was happy in California and planned to stay. Yet, there was no indication that she wanted to cut off contact with her family. She asked them to write her back.

“Dear Mother and Father, the weather is nice and the people are kind. I have a nice little apartment. I go frequently to the beach. Please write to me, Hugs, Reet”

Sixteen days after the postmark on the card, Jurvetson’s body was found entangled in branches off of Mulholland Drive. She was beaten severely and stabbed 150 times in the neck. With no identification on her, police labeled her as Jane Doe #59. Her identity remained unsolved for 46 years, until DNA was matched with her sister in April. Her identity sparked a new investigation into the case, and detectives have been working tirelessly to solve it.

Despite previous speculation, it doesn’t appear that Jurvetson was a victim of Charles Manson or anyone from his “family.” Jurvetson was murdered just three months after several members of Manson’s clique killed actress Sharon Tate in her home off of Cielo Drive.

thanks to @molls I'm up reading about Jane Doe 59 and the Manson fam https://t.co/CH9ebJrGE7

— Molly Lambert ? (@mollylambert) May 23, 2016

A caretaker at Spahn Ranch, the area where Manson and gang were known to live, told detectives that Jurvetson looked like a hippie girl that used to hang around the ranch. Ruby Pearl, the caretaker, told authorities that she only knew the girl by the name Sherry. LAPD, however, stated that there’s no evidence to support that Jurvetson was ever at the ranch or ever came into contact with Manson or his family.

According to LAPD’s lead detective, Lou Rivera, Jean may hold the clue that solves Jurvetson’s murder. Right now he is a person of interest, but it’s possible that he may not be connected to the killing at all. According to Rivera,

“We call him a person of interest until we find out who he is. He’s definitely someone who’s at the heart of the investigation because she came to visit him. So our question is who is he? Where did he live? Why didn’t he report her missing?”

Anyone with any information on Jean, his friend Jean, or Reet Jurvetson should contact the LAPD’s cold case unit at 213-486-6810. Keep in mind that the two men’s names may not actually be “Jean.”

[Photo by the Los Angeles Police Department]