1983 cold case murder: Investigators seek new leads for justice
The murder victim, identified only as 'Jane Doe' for decades after her remains were discovered in a culvert in the area of Old Trabuco Road in what is now the city of Lake Forest in April of 1983, was positively identified as Maritza Glean Grimmett in March of last year.
Now, investigators have also identified two persons of interest in the case including Grimmett's ex-husband Howard Grimmett, and his current wife Isabel 'Terry' Cruz-Grimmett. Authorities are hoping this information provided to the public will help solve Maritza Grimmett's murder.
Maritza Grimmett, a Panamanian native, married U.S. Marine Howard Grimmett in the summer of 1978 and gave birth to a daughter, the Sheriff's Office stated in Thursday's news release. In late 1978, the family moved to the United States and lived in Columbus, Ohio then in Millington, Tenn., but began divorce proceedings in July of 1979.
Howard Grimmett later married Isabel 'Terry' Cruz and subsequently moved to California. Maritza Grimmett later told her sister that she was going to go to California but her family never heard from her again.
'Investigators are actively investigating Maritza's homicide and are interested in any details that might help establish how and when Maritza arrived in California,' the Sheriff's Office stated.
Authorities also mentioned that they were interested in speaking with former military service members who may have seen her at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station between late 1979 and April 1983.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the cold case homicide team at 714-647-7055 or coldcase@ocsheriff.gov. Anonymous tips may be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227 or at occrimestoppers.org.
More details about Maritza Grimmett's story can be found on the OC Sheriff's Cold Case website at ocsheriff.gov/coldcases.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Woman tries kidnapping child at fair, MD cops say. Family and bystanders step in
A child nearly kidnapped at a Maryland county fair was kept safe by his family, fairgoers and the event's employees after they 'intervened without hesitation,' a sheriff's office said. On-duty deputies at the Queen Anne's County 4-H Fair took action at about 6 p.m. on Aug. 11, when they learned of the abduction attempt, according to an Aug. 12 news release shared by the county sheriff's office. Then four people were taken into custody, including 28-year-old Alexandra Kay Dawson, who is now charged with kidnapping a child under 16, authorities said. The three others had visited the fair with Dawson and were with her 'throughout the evening,' according to the sheriff's office. But they were released after the sheriff's office said investigators confirmed they 'had no involvement in the crime.' Dawson, of Church Hill, was the only person trying to kidnap the child, according to authorities. She was also charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault. It is not immediately clear whether she has legal representation. At the fair, according to court documents reviewed by WBOC TV, Dawson tried to pull the boy away from his grandmother, whom he had been holding hands with while they were inside a goat barn. Then Dawson picked him up and put 'a baseball hat on his head,' the TV station reported, citing court records. As she tried to take the boy away, Dawson and his grandmother got into a struggle until a man at the fair grabbed ahold of Dawson's arm and stopped her from leaving the area, court documents say, according to WBOC TV. It was the first day of the county fair, which is held in Centreville, about a 30-mile drive east from Annapolis on Maryland's Eastern Shore. According to the sheriff's office, other bystanders also helped prevent Dawson from fleeing before authorities apprehended her at the event. In a statement, Queen Anne's County Sheriff Gary Hofmann commended everyone involved in protecting the child. 'The quick thinking and immediate actions of child's family, community members, and fair staff, combined with the pre-coordinated safeguards and emergency response protocols established by the Sheriff's Office and the (fair board), allowed our deputies to respond within moments,' Hofmann said. Now detectives are investigating additional 'reports of unwanted contact with children at the fair,' the sheriff's office said in the release. The reports have not yet been confirmed, according to authorities. Dawson is being held without bond, the sheriff's office said. After the agency posted the news of the abduction attempt to Facebook, the release garnered several reactions, including more than 1,000 comments as of the afternoon of Aug. 13. 'Someone didn't play when it came to that baby,' Facebook user Kat Steele commented. 'Takes a village.'
The Hill
6 days ago
- The Hill
Judge sets hearing but denies immediate restraining order against GOP Rep. Cory Mills
A court on Thursday declined to issue an immediate restraining order against Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) requested by a woman who accused him of harassing and threatening her after their break-up, according to a court document reviewed by The Hill, but ordered both Mills and the woman to appear at a hearing later in the month to consider the matter further. Lindsey Langston, a Florida Republican state committee official who was crowned Miss United States 2024, filed the petition for an injunction earlier this week, according to lawyer Anthony Sabatini who has consulted with her. She separately told law enforcement last month that Mills had threatened to release explicit photos and videos of her, according to a sheriff's country incident report revealed on Wednesday. Sabatini told The Hill that Langston has spoken not only to the Columbia County, Fla., Sheriff's Office as detailed in the incident report, but that she also sat for an interview with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE confirmed it had received the incident report from the county but said it 'does not comment on any active inquiries or investigations.' Mills has said that those claims 'are false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions,' and in a Thursday statement about the court decision said the 'accusations are baseless.' 'As a general rule, when you're able to prepare an ex parte injunction— a one-sided attack— you're going to lead with your absolute best evidence. In this case, the judge fully rejected the accusations and found them insufficient to support any of the allegations,' Mills said in a statement Thursday. The circuit court of the third judicial district in Columbia County, Fla., declined to grant the emergency petition for a no-contact order — a decision, Sabatini said in a post on social media, made because Mills had stopped allegedly harassing Langston last month. The court did, however, order Mills and Langston to appear at another hearing to consider the injunction request. Sabatini said the hearing date is Aug. 21. 'The Court finds that based upon the facts, as stated in the Petition alone and without a hearing on the matter, there is no appearance of an immediate and present danger of domestic violence; repeat, dating or sexual violence, or stalking, or that stalking exists. Therefore, there is not a sufficient factual basis upon which the court can enter a Temporary Injunction for Protection Against Domestic, Repeat, Dating, or Sexual Violence, or Stalking, prior to a hearing,' said the court document on the restraining order petition shared with The Hill. Langston has not commented on the matter since her allegations, first reported by Drop Site News and Blaze News, were made public this week, and has not returned The Hill's requests for comment. Langston, 25, told police that she ended her relationship with Mills, 45, following reports that police were investigating a physical altercation between Mills and another woman in his Washington, D.C. residence (which both Mills and the alleged victim later denied). After the break-up, 'Cory has contacted Lindsey numerous times on numerous different accounts threatening to release nude images and videos of her, to include recorded videos of her and Cory engaging in sexual acts,' the incident report said. Mills has taken aim at Langston consulting with Sabatini, a former Florida state representative who ran in the Republican primary against Mills for his congressional seat in 2022. Sabatini has called for Mills to resign in the wake of the allegations. 'Once again, Anthony Sabatini, who was my primary opponent in 2022, should be fighting at the ballot box— which he lost to me— but instead, he appears more interested in weaponizing his judicial system against a former political opponent,' Mills said as part of a lengthy statement on the court order. 'It is tragic the way he continues to use people to serve his political agenda of attacking me. And once again, he has turned up empty-handed, with nothing more than fake news in his latest round of baseless attacks.' Mills compared his situation to President Trump being 'relentlessly targeted by political opponents with baseless accusations,' adding that Sabatini was 'borrowing tactics from the radical left's playbook.' Mills also compared Sabatini to the convicted fraudster Michael Avenatti, the former lawyer for the adult film star Stormy Daniels who was at the center of a hush money scandal with Trump. 'While the accusations are baseless, I sincerely hope he is not using his client as a sacrifice at the altar for his own political ambitions,' Mills said. 'Breakups happen, but it's truly tragic when a washed‑up politician drags someone else into his vendetta. I wish Ms. Langston well and genuine happiness.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
2 people found dead after being hit by train in Tuscarawas County: Sheriff
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) — Two people are dead after being hit by a train Tuesday afternoon, the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office confirmed. First responders were called to the area of a railroad trestle bridge located between the Village of Zoar and Tusky Valley Road for reports that a train with the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad had hit two people. Hoban teacher facing sex charges involving students The sheriff's office said the two individuals, identified only as a 20-year old woman and a 21-year-old man from Tuscarawas County, were found dead under the bridge next to the Tuscarawas River. The sheriff's office said an initial investigation shows the two people were walking on the trestle when the train came through. 'Statements indicate that the train engineer immediately engaged the emergency stop protocol but could not get the train stopped before striking the individuals,' the sheriff's office said in a press release. 2 in custody after pursuit ends on I-90: North Olmsted police An investigation is ongoing and the railroad company is cooperating. The names of the deceased are going to be released by the Tuscarawas County Coroner's Office at a later time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
