OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — More than five decades after a 16-year-old girl was strangled to death in a hotel room downtown near the Oakland police station, advances in DNA technology finally identified the victim.
Investigators identified the girl slain in 1969 as Joanne “Joanie” Yvonne Burdick, Oakland Police Chief James Beere announced at a news conference Thursday. Her body was found at the former Hotel St. Louis at 539 7th Street.
Witnesses and hotel staff reported seeing the victim enter the room with a man. “Less than 30 minutes later, staff heard a scream. The suspect left before officers arrived. The victim had no identification, and her identity remained unknown for decades,” the Oakland Police Department wrote.
Investigators believe Burdick was a victim of a man known as the “Crew Cut Killer.”
Police and FBI officials said modern forensic tools and genetic genealogy were recently used to re-examine cold case evidence that ultimately led to the breakthrough.
Joanne “Joanie” Yvonne Burdick (Photo courtesy Oakland PD)
FBI Special agent in Charge Scott Schelble said, “Genealogical leads helped investigators locate Joanie’s brother, who voluntarily provided a DNA sample,” he said.
Schelble said identifying the girl was important for “restoring her identity, honoring her life, and bringing long-overdue closure to her family.”
During the original Oakland homicide investigation, Taylor Morris Teaford was identified as a potential suspect, but he was never brought to justice.
“He has a significant criminal history,” Beere said. “He’s also a suspect in the murder of his own grandmother. He shot his own sister,” he said. In the late 1960s, Teaford was known as the “Crew Cut Killer” and placed on the FBI’s most wanted fugitives list.
The chief says he’s confident Teaford is responsible for Burdick’s death, but at this point, they don’t know if Teaford is still living or dead.
“We hope today’s announcement will provide answers for her family, and we continue to pursue justice 57 years later,” Beere told reporters.
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