A 30-year-old woman, the victim of an apparent murder, whose body was found dumped in a snowbank in Northern California in 1977 has been identified, and investigators continue to search for her killer.
A Bay Area couple out for a walk on Dec. 17, 1977, spotted the young woman’s body near the intersection of Highway 20 and Interstate 80 in Emigrant Gap, an unincorporated community in Placer County, California less than an hour’s drive from the Nevada state line.
Law enforcement quickly descended on the area and later spoke with a witness who said they saw two men in a Toyota Celica around 1 p.m. struggling with something heavy in the backseat in same area where the victim was found.
According to SFGATE, Placer County Sheriff’s investigator Johnnie Smith recalled, “We were so close. We were three hours behind the body being dumped.”
In a news release, investigators with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said the woman, who became known as “Emigrant Gap Jane Doe,” had been strangled to death.
Previously known as “Emigrants Gap Jane Doe,” Melinda “Pip” Beardsley, a victim of an apparent murder, was found in a snowbank in Northern California in Dec. 1977. (Moxxy Forensic Investigations)
A composite sketch, as well as her fingerprints and dental records, were sent were sent to scores of other law enforcement agencies. Believing she might have been a sex worker, her photo was distributed to every brothel in Nevada.
Despite extensive efforts over the next several decades, Emigrant Gap Jane Doe’s identity remained a mystery.
She was ultimately buried in an unmarked grave that was exhumed in 2011, so investigators could retrieve DNA samples. By 2018, they had obtained a partial DNA profile, but it was not suitable for genetic genealogy, investigators said.
Then, in 2025, after additional portions of her remains were tested, investigators were able to produce a DNA profile with sufficient information that a genealogical investigation became feasible.
Officials at the Placer County Sheriff’s Office began working the case with the nonprofit organization Moxxy Forensic Investigations, which specializes in genetic genealogy and missing persons research.
In 2026, Emigrant Gap Jane Doe was officially identified as Melinda “Pip” Beardsley, a mother who had been missing since the 1970’s.
The area in Emigrants Gap where Melinda “Pip” Beardsley’s body was discovered in Dec. 1977. (Google Maps)
Previously known as “Emigrants Gap Jane Doe,” Melinda “Pip” Beardsley, a victim of an apparent murder, was found in a snowbank in Northern California in Dec. 1977. (PCSO)
Born in 1946 in rural Michigan in an area just north of Detroit, she was the youngest of six children and was described by a sister as “an energetic little girl” who was always on the move.
Marriage license records from 1964 show Beardsley married a 23-year-old man based in L.A. County, though the couple quickly divorced and he was remarried by 1969, SFGATE reported. Beardsley did have a child but, so far, investigators have not identified the father or the child.
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A year before she was known to have been working as a server in Carson City, her name appears in a 1976 edition of the Reno-Gazette-Journal for a DUI arrest.
That information allowed sheriff’s investigators in Placer County to backtrack her whereabouts, ultimately leading them to one of her relatives and a DNA match that led to identification.
“This identification hopefully provides long-awaited answers to Beardsley’s family, but the work is not done. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the homicide of Melinda Beardsley,” Placer County investigators said. “Advancements in DNA technology are making it possible to solve cases that once seemed impossible. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to identifying unknown victims and bringing answers to families.”
Anyone with information related to this homicide investigation is encouraged to contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s Investigations Tip Line at 530-889-7830.
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