In the autumn of 1975, a sense of unease settled over Humboldt County as a series of tragic events began to unfold. Janet Lee Bowman, a 19-year-old student at Humboldt State University, was just beginning her sophomore year. After spending the summer with her mother in San Diego, she had returned to the area on September 20th. On September 30, 1975, Janet was last seen at the Eureka Welfare Office.
She was known to hitchhike as a means of transportation, a common practice for many young people in the area at the time. However, after that day, she vanished, leaving her friends and family worried about her whereabouts. The days turned into a week with no word from the young woman who was described as having grace and intelligence.
The search for Janet came to a grim end on the morning of October 6, 1975. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous letter, postmarked two days earlier, which contained specific directions to a location off Highway 299 near the Korbel weigh station, east of Blue Lake. Following the letter's guidance, investigators discovered Janet's partially disrobed body hidden in the brush of the Demonstration Forest. An autopsy would later confirm that she had been strangled and likely raped. Investigators believed that she was murdered by someone who had picked her up while she was hitchhiking. Several of her belongings were missing from the scene, including a homemade red skirt with a floral pattern, straight-leg blue jeans, a blue down jacket, size 5.5 orange suede shoes, and a green canvas Camp Trails backpack. Despite the mysterious nature of the tip, law enforcement stated that the anonymous letter writer was not considered a suspect in the crime.
In the weeks and months that followed, the investigation into Janet Lee Bowman's murder struggled to gain traction. Detectives appealed to the public for any information, hoping someone might have seen her getting into a vehicle. A $500 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer through a Secret Witness Program designed to protect the anonymity of tipsters. Janet's murder was the first of four similar slayings of young women in Humboldt County over the next nine months, sparking fears of a serial killer preying on the community. Despite the passage of decades, the murder of Janet Lee Bowman remains an unsolved cold case. No suspects have ever been officially named or arrested, and no one has been brought to justice for ending the life of the 19-year-old student. The case, assigned number 197509543, remains open, a painful reminder of a life cut short and a killer who has never been held accountable.
