Theresita Dee Jones was 44 years old when she died on Sunday, November 27, 2005. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died after sustaining blunt force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide. Unusually, the public record of her death does not give the place where she was hurt, the city or neighborhood where she died, or the law enforcement agency that took the case.
She was a Black woman in her mid-40s. Beyond her name, her age and the place where she died, almost nothing about Theresita Dee Jones has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. She surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who she was, but none of that has entered the public record. Her first name is an uncommon one, yet searches for it turned up only women in other states who share it or something close to it, none of whom can be connected to her.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether she was beaten in a fight, attacked by a stranger, assaulted indoors or on the street, or struck by a vehicle, all of which can lead to a finding of blunt force trauma. It does not say what time of day she was hurt, whether she died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect. Without an address, the public cannot even tell whether she died in the city of Los Angeles, in one of the dozens of other cities in the county, or in an unincorporated area patrolled by the Sheriff's Department.
That gap matters. In most cases, the coroner's record at least names a street or an intersection, which gives neighbors and witnesses a place to connect with a name. Here there is nothing of the kind. Her death came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the end of a long holiday weekend when many families gather, travel and spend time together. Someone who saw her that weekend, or who knew where she was staying, may be the person who can fill in what the record leaves out.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
A woman of 44 had a family, friends and a history. She may have had children, siblings or a partner who have waited years for answers, and they deserve to know what happened to her.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Theresita Dee Jones could be found in news archives or public records. More than 20 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew her, or who saw her in Los Angeles County around the Thanksgiving weekend of November 2005, may hold information that could help investigators. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
