The sole remaining unidentified victim of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the “Happy Face Killer,” has officially been identified as Texas woman Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter after DNA testing linked her to a maternal family member in Lamar County.
As part of the identification process, the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office collected a DNA sample from the family member, which was submitted for comparison.
Lydia, previously referred to by investigators as “Claudia,” was found on Aug. 30, 1992, along Highway 95 near Blythe, California.
Jesperson is currently serving four life sentences in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem for the rape and murder of eight women from January 1990 to March 1995, while he was working as a long-haul truck driver.
He was known as the “Happy Face Killer” for the smiley faces he drew on anonymous letters he sent to journalists and authorities.
While Jesperson confessed to Lydia’s murder, he referred to her as “Claudia,” and investigators were never able to confirm that was her real name.
With advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy, the Riverside County Cold Case Homicide Team was able to identify relatives on Lydia’s paternal side in 2024, but a maternal connection was still needed to confirm her identity.
Following a lead to a direct maternal relative of Lydia’s in Lamar County, the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office was able to collect a DNA sample, allowing investigators to positively identify her as Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter.
Lydia’s sisters, who she grew up with, spent decades not knowing what happened to her after she disappeared from Texas in the 1990s.
“After 30 years, Lydia’s surviving family members finally know what happened to her. Reaching this point was the result of the collective efforts of everyone who played a role in this investigation, including all of you who came forward and shared information along the way,” said Ebony Caviness, senior investigator for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office Division of Victim Services is working with Lydia’s family as they determine how they would like to honor and lay her to rest.
“With Lydia’s identification, the final case associated with the murders for which Jesperson was convicted is closed. RCCHT achieved this with the assistance of the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Justice Missing Persons DNA Program,” said the Office of the District Attorney County of Riverside.
Source: Office of the District Attorney County of Riverside
