This Week's "48 Hours Mystery": Castro Valley's Jane Doe

Once again, I would like to bring your attention to a case featured on "48 Hours Mystery". You may remember seeing the recontruction of the young girl who was found brutally murdered in 2003. This 48 Hours Mystery episode takes you through the process of the reconstruction, highlights the determination of a cop who was haunted by this case from the beginning, the outrage of a community, and finally the identification of the victim. Please check your local listings for broadcast times. The show is on an hour earlier this week!!







Left to Right: Reconstruction of "Jane Doe"; Yesenia Nungaray/"Jane Doe"; Miguel Castaneda, potential suspect.
(Thanks to Louise Bashi, CBS News press contact, for providing the photos.)

A COP’S OBSESSION, A COMMUNITY’S RESOLVE, A FORENSIC SCULPTOR AND A 48 HOURS BROADCAST HELP IDENTIFY A MURDERED GIRL THEY CALLED JANE DOE­­--- BUT WILL POLICE FIND HER KILLER?




"48 HOURS MYSTERY" ON SATURDAY, DEC. 15



On the night of May 1, 2003, a teenage girl’s body was found in a trash bag left behind a restaurant in peaceful Castro Valley , Calif. The gruesome discovery became one detective’s obsession and touched the entire community, which came to call the young girl “ Castro Valley ’s Jane Doe.”



With no identity, the chances of tracking down Jane Doe’s killer were slim. Following countless leads, police eventually turned to forensic sculptor Gloria Nusse who embarked on an incredible effort over several weeks, to recreate Jane Doe’s face. Armed with this lifelike construction, police hoped to track down the victim’s identity, an effort that was fruitless, until suddenly the tide turned.



After the relentless efforts of the authorities and the local community, and a tip after a 48 Hours broadcast, police finally caught a break that led them to Yahualica , Mexico , a bereaved mother and a potential suspect.



Now, knowing the identity of their beloved Jane Doe, will police find their killer, and close the case that has haunted them for five years?



Harold Dow reports 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "The Girl Next Door," on Saturday, Dec. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT)** on the CBS Television Network. This broadcast is produced by Clare Friedland. Judy Tygard is the senior producer, Al Briganti is the executive editor and Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

To preview this week's episode, please click here.