Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Coolopolis exclusive: Montreal woman identified as Jane Doe 59, possible Manson Gang victim


     Reet Jurvetson, who grew up at 4545 Royal Ave. in Montreal's west end NDG district has been positively identified through DNA testing as Jane Doe 59, the unidentified murder victim found stabbed dead 150 times in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles in 1969.
   Jurvetson was a popular figure from Westhill's Class of 67, who attended the Estonian church on Marcil Ave, where she made many friends who raved about her many talents, as she scored straight As without studying much. She was also a gifted illustrator and seamstress.
  "She was funny, she loved practical jokes and was a dynamic person,"  her longtime friend Ilmi Siimann told Coolopolis.
   Jurvetson dreamed of going to California and said she might hitch-hike there, a common practice at the time. Friends talked her out of it, citing its dangers.
  She went to Toronto where she stayed with her grandmother while modeling part time and working at the post office.
  Eventually she saved enough money to fly to Los Angeles where she stayed with her boyfriend Jean, who she had met at Cafe Prag on Bishop Street.
   Jean bore a likeness to rock star Jim Morrison, who Jurvetson greatly admired.
   Little else is known about Jean or another friend also named Jean, at whose place the two stayed for two weeks.
    Los Angeles Cold Case Squad Detective Luis Rivera has visited Montreal in an attempt to locate people who might be able to identify the two Jeans.
   One tip has it that longtime Old Montreal street musician Paul "Gypsy" Robert was acquainted with the two and might be able to provide the last names of Jean and Jean.
   Jurvetson was stabbed 150 times and found on 19 November 1969 in the bushes near Mulholland Drive and Skyline Drive in Los Angeles.
   There was no way to identify the body, as she had no identification on her and the family had never thought of reporting her missing, even though they mourned her absence profoundly.
   "Made in Canada" tags on her clothing led detectives to suspect that the unidentified victim might be Canadian. An autopsy found coal dust in her lungs but no evidence of smog, which indicated that she was new to Los Angeles.
   Some suspect Jurvetson was a victim of the Manson Family murder cult, which was responsible for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, to whom Jurvetson bore a great resemblance.
   Tate was killed two months before Jurvetson's body was found, as the gang committed the grisly murder on August 9 and then following up the next night by killing Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.
   Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter speculates that Jane Doe 59 - now known to be Jurvetson-  might have been killed for witnessing the murder of John Philip "Zero" Haught who supposedly died playing Russian roulette at the Spahn Ranch.
   The excessive nature of the killing indicates, however, that Jurvetson was killed in a crime of passion.
   Her parents were greatly distressed by their daughter's mysterious disappearance and have long since passed on. Her sister, who still lives in Quebec, has asked that her privacy be respected.
   The 47-year mystery was solved when Jurvetson's longtime friend Gloria Lalonde told her brother about her long-disappeared friend. He poked around the internet where he came up with the photo of Jane Doe 59.
   Lalonde asked a mutual friend in Vancouver whether the victim seen in the photo could be Jurvetson. That woman, in turn, contacted Siimann, who felt strongly that it was her longtime childhood friend Reet Jurvetson.
   Siimann passed the tip on to Los Angeles police who eventually confirmed that the victim was Jurvetson through DNA testing.

  
   

16 comments:

  1. What a story! Her poor family; went to their graves not knowing what happened.

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  2. Very sad and things like that are scary

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  3. I remember Gloria Lalonde quite well. Nice gal. Her dad went to my father's funeral. Good for her for getting the ball rolling to find out what happened to her friend.

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  4. Why didnt any report her or check on her.. Parent just dont let their kids go on with their life without checking on their child.. I dont care how old my children get i will always be in contact with them if i i cant get ahold of them im calling police straight up..

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    1. You're a true unrelenting Mama Bear :-) The reason is that she was an adult at 19 by Canadian Law & most European Law. In the US it's 21 but they had no way of knowing how old she was. There was no id on her & she looks like a grown woman, which she was. Even if Mama was a Bear, like you, she would have been murdered between phone calls or postcards. Don't forget that this was the 60's. Tragic. No person should be the victim of hatred & rage; no parent should have to bury or wonder where their long-lost daughter is.

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  5. Incredible reporting! Many thanks.

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  6. A sad end to a totally messed up decade,

    Weren't the Sixties the LAST time Canada was 'in the Black' financially.

    Poor kids.

    Too much freedom can be worse than not enough.

    My generation could have made it a lot better all the way around.

    Now look at it all.

    " I got MINE, so Screw the rest. "

    On my last visit my Doctor asked me what I would change if I could go back and relive my life again.

    I said I doubt if I would WANT to live it again.

    Sorry, Disappointed, and, very tired of it all.

    Thank You.

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  7. MP. & I......I guess you are talking about Charlie Manson, 3 assassinations in the US, the Viet Nam War, black rioting, widespread drug use, and Hippies.

    You left out that the US put a man on the moon in 1969 and young people were demonstrating for civil rights, an end to the Viet Nam War and against nuclear arms. Civil rights were expanded by LBJ. Medicare was introduced in 65 and Medicaid in 66. College was affordable for those that wanted to go and gas was cheap. Manufacturing was booming and most blue collar workers had steady jobs.

    A lot of the music was pretty good including The Beatles and The Stones. A lot of young people travelled and saw parts of their country that they weren't familiar with. Healthier foods were starting to get noticed. The pill gave women more sexual freedom.

    Some didn't make it through like Hendrix, Morrison and Joplin.

    A lot of young people got to experience personal freedom for a while before they joined the mainstream. Pot never killed anyone. The hypocrisy of organized religion was challenged.

    Most went on to productive lives.

    Today there is a school shooting in the US almost every other week. People have been swallowing prescription pills for years. Insane people are trying to be president of the US. Women still aren't often paid the same as men. We've seen a number of stupid wars. 1/10th of a % has more money than the next 50% combined in the US. We put up with Harper for 10 years because we were too dumb to get the NDP and the Liberals to join together.

    Cheer up Bucko! We still live in the best country on the planet in spite of a number of things that have to improve.


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    1. Sad you no longer have Harper.

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    2. What a one track and closed minded dumb ass.....idiot

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    3. Colin Paterson: This is about the senseless death of a wonderful young woman - not about you

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  8. I remember Reet as the coolest grooves the girl in the Estonian community. I had a bit of a schoolboy crush on her and at age 15 in 1968 I met her briefly at Cafe Prag in Montreal. That was the last time I saw her. I thought about her often throughout the years. It was most disheartening to learn about the brutal way her short life ended. Rest in peace dear Reet. "Puhka Rahul Kallis Reet"

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  9. I remember Reet as the coolest grooves the girl in the Estonian community. I had a bit of a schoolboy crush on her and at age 15 in 1968 I met her briefly at Cafe Prag in Montreal. That was the last time I saw her. I thought about her often throughout the years. It was most disheartening to learn about the brutal way her short life ended. Rest in peace dear Reet. "Puhka Rahul Kallis Reet"

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  10. Thanks for the input Thomas. Please drop me a line at megaforce@gmail.com

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