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The Buffalo Gals Murder: California Cold Case Solved At Last
Joette Marie Smith’s killer has been unmasked, but he took his own life as cops closed in.
Authorities in Santa Cruz have announced they have finally cracked a cold murder case that had tormented detectives for nearly four decades.
The body of 33-year-old Joette Marie Smith was discovered in 1983, and investigators must have feared they would never be able to prove their hunch about who took her life so brutally.
But now, thanks to DNA technology, her surviving family members have a name — and hopefully, an opportunity for at least some semblance of closure.
Ahead of her time
Joette had originally intended to be an art teacher, and had moved to California in the 1970s with the intention of going to school to pursue this as a career. However, when she arrived in the Golden State and saw first-hand the bohemian lifestyle of some of its residents, she was captivated.
Instead of teaching, Joette settled in the small town of Ben Lomond and took over a quirky little restaurant named Buffalo Gals.
Her younger sister Annette Anderson told the San Francisco Chronicle: “She was definitely a hippie, so much fun, always joking…
