California woman discovers last unidentified victim of Happy Face Killer is her SISTER after DNA breakthrough revealed she shares father with woman murdered over 30 years ago

A California woman recently discovered that her sister was the latest unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer discovered through DNA testing.

Summer Gonzales, who lives in Seattle, said she never knew she even had a half-sister until she was contacted by police in California about a year ago.

Gonzales’ relative, whose name has not been identified, was murdered sometime in the 1990s and her body was dumped on the side of a highway in Blythe County, California.

In 1992, the woman’s killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as The Happy Face Serial Killer, confessed to the murder, along with seven other murders he committed during a cross-country killing spree.

He called his female victim “Claudia,” although investigators believe Claudia may not be her real name, Riverside County sheriff’s investigator Amy Contreras said. CBS8 News said.

Gonzales expressed frustration that officials have not released her sister’s remains to the family, saying she wants to “get justice and find the truth for my sister.”

Sandra Gonzales found out a year ago through DNA testing that she is the half-sister of Happy Face Serial Killer’s last victim, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who has not yet been identified. She told CBS8 News she is trying to “get justice” and find the “truth” in her sister’s murder

Alfonso Saldana Gonzales, father of Sandra Gonzales and the unknown murder victim

Keith Jesperson, known as ‘The Happy Face Serial Killer’, claimed to have killed up to 160 people during his killing spree in the 1990s. He was accused of murdering eight women across the country. He was nicknamed “Happy Face” for the “smiley faces” he placed on many confession letters he wrote

The victim, who regularly hitchhiked, allegedly met Jesperson, who worked as a long-haul truck driver, at a truck stop.

Contreras told the news outlet that “it is believed she took a ride with Jesperson, who was traveling from Las Vegas or the Barstow area along I-15 near the Cajon Pass, the morning before her death.”

According to the investigator, “Claudia” then walked up to Jesperson as he worked on his purple 1989 Peterbilt. The pair traveled east on I-10 to the Burns Brothers truck stop near India.

The pair stopped at a restaurant and then got into a heated argument while in Jespersen’s truck and that’s where he killed her.

Additional reports cited that Jesperson raped and then strangled the young woman before dumping her body on the side of the road in Blythe County, California.

Jesperson, who claimed to have murdered as many as 160 people in the late 1990s, was accused of murdering eight women across the country.

He was nicknamed the Happy Face Serial Killer because he placed a “smiley face” on many confession letters he wrote, the news station said.

Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said that “this woman is the last of all his victims to remain unidentified.”

On Monday, their office posted a YouTube video asking for the public’s help.

The spokesperson said the murder victim may have ties to Southern California.

Gonzales said her father, Alfonso Saldana Gonzales Sr., had fathered at least nine children by five women.

She said she wasn’t shocked her father had so many children, but said she was “devastated” when she learned one of his daughters was a victim of the Happy Face serial killer.

Her father died in 2006, but said she remembered his character as something of a “ladies man.”

“He had a lot of women when he was younger, even in his old age, he had a lot of girlfriends everywhere,” she said.

Earlier this year, she sent photos of her father to the news channel in the hope that it might reveal the identity of her mother, her half-sister.

“If anyone recognizes the photos of my father, and he knew where he was between 1964 and 1967, he would have lived in Harris County, Houston, Texas, or Santa Barbara County, which is Santa Maria, California,” Gonzales said. said.

She said none of her known relatives could identify her newly found relative.

Gonzales said she has been in despair since Riverside officials won’t release her sister’s remains to the family so they can hold a funeral.

‘It would be nice to know her real name. “It would be great if I could find her mother’s name so I could put those items on her gravestone,” she said.

‘But I know she is my blood. And I want her to rest with her family. “I’m sure she would have wanted that too,” she said.

Contreras told DailyMail.com on Friday that they have been in contact with the victim’s half-sister, Summer Gonzales.

She said that “because the victim has not been identified, the coroner’s office cannot release the remains until a positive identification is made.”

But added: “Once a positive identification has been made, the coroner’s office will be able to determine who the actual next of kin are and make arrangements with the family for a proper burial.”

Jesperson worked as a long-haul truck driver and met his victim at a truck stop

Officials said the woman was between 25 and 35 years old at the time of her death.

She was described as being about 6 feet tall and of medium build, with brown hair, possibly dyed blonde. She also had a tattoo of two black dots on the side of her right thumb.

Investigators said the unidentified murder victim’s mother may have been from southeast Texas or Louisiana.

Gonzales added, “We are of Mexican descent, so it is more likely that the person who was my sister’s mother would have lived among Mexican people.”

The Riverside County Sheriff Officer Investigator said any information could help and explained that “no call would be insignificant to us.”

“(He) dumped her on the side of the road like she was trash, and she’s not,” Contreras said. ABC13 Las Vegas News.

“She deserves dignity and respect. Just try to think back. Anything you can remember and bring back a memory, call us.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Riverside County District Attorney’s office by calling the Cold Case Hotline at (951) 955-5567, or emailing coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org