21-04-2025
$50K reward offered for info on 1997 murder of 12-year-old Petaluma girl
PETALUMA, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction for the murder of Georgia Moses, a 12-year-old girl found dead in Petaluma in 1997.
Georgia's body was found badly decomposed on Aug. 22, 1997, near the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Petaluma Boulevard South, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The body's identity wasn't confirmed until three days later when an anonymous tip linked her to a missing persons report.
An autopsy later revealed she died of asphyxia by strangulation or smothering between Aug. 13 and 14, 1997.
The backstory
Sheriff officials said Georgia was last seen on Aug. 13 around 10 p.m. near Sebastopol Road and Dutton Avenue with a Black man between 25 and 30 years old.
The man was around 6 foot 2 to four inches tall and was driving a small white four-door car.
No other details were available about the suspect.
Officials said despite their appeals to the public, a reward, and new forensic technologies, Georgia's killer remains unidentified.
What you can do
Anyone with information about Georgia's death or the suspect is asked to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at (707) 565-2727 or email sheriff-coldcase@ Anonymous reporting is available.
The Source
Office of the Governor, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
