Antioch police hope jewelry helps ID Jane Doe found burned along trail

Police need help identifying badly burned Jane Doe found along Antioch trail

Antioch police released new information Tuesday about a Jane Doe whose burned body was found one day earlier along a trail. Police shared photos of jewelry the woman was wearing when she died, as well as other details about her description.

ANTIOCH, Calif. - Antioch police released new information Tuesday about a Jane Doe whose burned body was found one day earlier along a trail.

Police need help identifying the woman they say is African American and thought to be under 30 years old. They gave an estimated height of 5'6", but did not give an approximate weight.

The female victim's body was found along the Mokelumne Trail, a paved trail, between Gentrytown Drive and Contra Loma Boulevard at around 5:30 a.m.

Police have now released photos of jewelry the victim was wearing; including a ring on her ring finger, and a metal necklace with a pendant of the letter K attached. Only the letter K was observed, but it's possible there were other letters, police said.

Police said the victim had extensive dental work done in the past. She was missing three left lower molars and had a distinctive gap between her top front middle teeth.

Photos of jewelry Jane Doe was wearing a the time of her death.

Investigators said the autopsy shows the victim was dead before being discovered by Contra Costa County Fire Protection District officials. Officials found the body on fire.

On Monday, detectives interviewed residents in the area and were working to find suspects or persons of interest.

Neighbors told KTVU the trail has seen its share of small fires, which have been started by unhoused people.

"It’s just horrific," a woman named Mariam said. "I never ever thought I’d hear something like that… a few hundred feet away from me."

Another neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said officers knocked on her door and asked about the area. The woman said officers showed her family a lineup on women’s pictures to try and figure out who the victim was.

"My kids are scared," she said. "I’m not too scared because there’s a lot of homeless activity. I’m kind of used to it."

With little information from police, some are left concerned that this was a potential crime.

"I hope she wasn’t burned alive and I hope whoever did this gets justice," Mariam said.

The death investigation is ongoing.