wavePod

INFAMOUS: The Mulholland Drive Murders - Crime Junkie | Wave AI Podcast Notes

INFAMOUS: The Mulholland Drive Murders

Mon Sep 15 2025

In 2003, an LAPD cold case detective digging through old case files finds a piece of forgotten evidence that belongs to an unidentified woman found murdered off Mulholland Drive in 1969. As he searches for her identity, he uncovers eerie parallels to another young woman killed nearby just months earlier. And he starts to wonder — are these cases linked by coincidence... or by a killer who's never been caught?

Summary

Crime Junkie – INFAMOUS: The Mulholland Drive Murders

Air Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Ashley Flowers with Brit Prawat
Summary Prepared By: [Podcast Summarizer AI]

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode, Ashley and Brit dissect two haunting cold cases from late-1960s Los Angeles: the murders of Jane Doe 59 (later identified as Reet Jurvidson) and Marina Habe. Examining the meticulous efforts of cold case detectives, the episode explores the challenges of solving decades-old cases, the influence of famous crimes like the Manson murders, and the persistence required to put a name to unknown victims and—hopefully—their killers. The hosts delve into how new forensic technologies, dedicated detective work, and public participation might yet bring long-awaited answers.

Key Discussion Points

1. Discovery of Jane Doe 59 (Reet Jurvidson) [01:53–09:36]

Detective Cliff Shepard, a veteran newly assigned to the cold case unit in 2003, stumbles across a bloody tan lace bra in the mishandled LAPD archives—evidence from the 1969 case of Jane Doe 59.
The victim was found in November 1969: white female, mid-20s, stabbed in the neck over 150 times and dumped in a ravine off Mulholland Drive.
No initial suspects or solid leads; evidence poorly preserved; the victim was cremated after remaining unidentified.
The only potentially testable evidence: the bloody bra.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [03:11]: “He sees something that should never be, ever be in these boxes—a tan lace bra stained with blood. Not sealed, not tagged, just, like, shoved in this box with yellowing case files.”

2. Investigation Challenges and Early Theories [05:45–11:42]

Other possible evidence, like a pair of men’s prescription glasses, is missing or destroyed.
Police initially thought it could be related to organized crime or high-profile killers (e.g., the Manson Family), fueled by contemporaneous rumors and the 1974 book Helter Skelter.
Detective Shepard, noting a reference in Helter Skelter, finds Jane Doe 59’s murder was speculated to be linked to the Manson Family and possibly connected to another unsolved murder in the same area: Marina Habe.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [09:36]: “It was another detail in that paragraph that stands out to Detective Shepard… Bugliosi mentions another young woman, 17-year-old Marina Habe, who was also brutally stabbed—just 10 months before…”

3. The Case of Marina Habe [13:11–23:48]

Marina Habe, 17, abducted and murdered in December 1968.
Her mother witnessed suspicious activity the night Marina disappeared—a young man and a black sedan in the driveway, after Marina returned from a night out.
Marina’s body was discovered stabbed and strangled in a ravine off Mulholland Drive on New Year’s Day, 1969.
Evidence of recent meal, potential sexual assault, and at least two possible assailants.
Investigators chased leads involving sexual predators, then temporally aligned Marina’s death with the later Manson murders.

Notable Quotes:
Ashley Flowers [15:29]: “It sounded kind of like an older model… another car, a black sedan, parked in the driveway… the man runs toward it, yelling something like ‘go’, before jumping in.”
Ashley Flowers [20:16]: “And does the family know who the other guy is? ... Could she have made up a fake boyfriend because she was dating this older guy she knew? It’d be a little bit scandalous.”

4. Parallels and Divergences: Linking the Cases [23:06–26:49]

Both victims ate shortly before death. Both murdered in secluded spots off Mulholland Drive. Both suffered extremely violent attacks.
However, DNA or forensic links are elusive. The possibility of multiple attackers; speculation about links to high-profile killers like the Michigan Co-Ed Killer or Manson Family.
Detective Shepard and later Detective Louis Rivera maintain cautious optimism, exploring all avenues.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [26:08]: “If Marina and Jane Doe 59 were killed by the same person, the answer to both cases might lie in one piece of evidence.”

5. Identifying Jane Doe 59: The Reet Jurvidson Breakthrough [28:14–33:04]

Detective Shepard retires in 2012, leaving the unsolved case to Detective Rivera.
True crime journalist Michelle McNamara features the case in her blog, which reaches Reet Jurvidson’s sister in Canada.
Identification is achieved using family jewelry and confirmed with DNA: Jane Doe 59 is Reet Jurvidson.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [30:40]: “She says her dad had two rings made from an old pair of cufflinks… And a ring found on this Jane Doe matches the one Reet’s sister has.”

6. Reet's Last Days and the Search for 'Jean' [31:37–38:15]

Reet, a free-spirited young woman from Canada, moves to LA after meeting a man named Jean (or John).
Stayed in an apartment near Paramount Studios; last written contact was an October 31, 1969 postcard.
Reet’s friends recall two French Canadian men named 'Jean', but decades later, their last names and whereabouts are unknown.
Police create forensic sketches, but no leads develop.

7. Are the Cases Connected? [38:22–39:19]

Detective Rivera eventually reviews Marina Habe’s files (from a different jurisdiction).
Despite similarities, Rivera’s gut says the two girls were likely murdered by different perpetrators.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [39:00]: “His gut feeling is that these are actually separate cases… There’s always a chance, but with everything he knows, it feels unlikely to him.”

8. Standalone Theories and Suspects [39:19–46:10]

Marina’s case:
- Suspicion falls on her date John (later discovered to have been married), and local criminals.
- Marina’s father’s CIA/OSS background explored (ultimately seems unrelated).
- An LA biker/drug dealer “Spanky” (Kirk Smith) emerges as a potential suspect; ties to a motorcycle found at the scene.
- Many records and forensic kits may be missing, untested, or water-damaged.
Reet’s case:
- Investigation turns to her associates, especially 'Jean(s)' from Montreal.
- Experts believe her murder was extremely personal, possibly by someone she knew intimately.

Notable Quotes:
Ashley Flowers [41:44]: “Police actually, when they found her body, found an old motorcycle frame at the crime scene and actually took the whole thing into evidence.”
Ashley Flowers [43:27]: “We might… there is physical evidence in her [Marina’s] case that hasn’t been tested yet… The question is, do they still have it?”

Memorable Moments & Quotes

Ashley Flowers [19:52]: “All these years later, like, he [Marina’s date, John] couldn’t be sure if that is the person who was with them that night.”
Ashley Flowers [28:20]: “One person hears him, though—Michelle McNamara.”
Ashley Flowers [34:21]: “[Reet’s family] never filed a missing persons report… everyone kind of assumed she just chose to cut ties with them and was starting over in LA.”
Ashley Flowers [46:10]: “The key to solving Reet’s case lies in finding those two Jeans—especially the one she followed to LA.”

Calls to Action and Public Appeal [46:10–47:15]

Listeners are encouraged to speak to parents/grandparents who lived in LA or Canada in the late 1960s and to report any knowledge about:
- Anyone named Jean or Pierre from Montreal living in LA in 1969.
- The black sedan seen during Marina’s disappearance.
- Activity at the Hollywood Executive Apartments near Paramount.
- Marina’s night at the Troubadour.
Contact info for police is provided in the episode show notes.

Notable Quote:
Ashley Flowers [46:59]: “Maybe, like Michelle McNamara’s blog, one day this episode will find the right person who remembers John.”

Conclusion

The episode closes with a passionate reminder of the importance of sharing these stories to keep both cases alive. Advances in forensic technology may yet reveal crucial evidence, but justice will depend on the memories and willingness of those connected—however distantly—to the victims. The hosts urge listeners to review show notes for details on how to share tips with authorities.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|:-------------:| | Introduction & significance of cold cases | 01:51 | | Discovery of Jane Doe 59/initial evidence | 01:53–05:45 | | Case file mishandling and first investigation | 05:45–09:36 | | Manson link and parallels to Marina Habe | 09:36–13:11 | | Marina Habe's timeline and investigation | 13:11–26:02 | | Parallels between the two cases | 23:06–26:49 | | The DNA journey and delays | 26:49–28:14 | | Michelle McNamara's role in identification | 28:14–30:40 | | Reet Jurvidson’s background and LA stay | 31:37–38:15 | | Connection between the cases examined | 38:22–39:19 | | Theories and playable suspects | 39:19–46:10 | | Public appeal, call to action | 46:10–47:15 |

Additional Resources

See the show notes for police contact information and links to forensic sketches.
Visit crimejunkiepodcast.com for full source lists and to join the fan club.

Loading summary...

Transcript

A (0:00)

Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh, really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC this is an ad by BetterHelp. Who do you go to in order to solve your life's problems? Is it your bff? The group chat? Please don't say AI. We still need the humans, you guys. And that's where BetterHelp comes in. BetterHelp has qualified and experienced counselors that meet localized standards for counselor vetting and care delivery. They've been around for over a decade, and out of 1.7 million client reviews, they've got a 4.9 rating as the largest online therapy provider in the world. BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. So find the one with better help. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com crimejunkie that's better. H E L P.com crimejunkie your personal space should be an expression of who you are. The couch I bought for my first home was from Ashley. It was this little cream sectional that I sat on and wrote 12 different drafts of the very first Crime Junkie episode. I am still writing scripts on a couch from Ashley. This time it's the Elissa Quartz sofa. The machine washable cushions are clutch, and no matter how many times I wash them, they look great. So trust this Ashley and get furniture from Ashley. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style. Hi crime junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

B (1:50)

And I'm Britt.

A (1:51)

And the story I have for you today is a perfect example of of why we need to keep cold cases alive by talking about them and revisiting them with fresh eyes. Because when a detective went the extra mile to name a victim who couldn't speak for herself, his work led to a break in a case that seemed impossible to solve for decades. And it led him to another case that could be connected. But police still need more information to solve these cases once and for all. So we need you crime junkies to listen closely and share these details far and wide in case someone out there is sitting on answers. This is the story of the Mulholland drive murders. It's January 2003, and homicide detective Cliff shepherd is kicking off his year digging through boxes of paperwork in the LAPD's Archive Unit. Detective Shepard's an almost three decade vet of the department, and he's recently been assigned to the Cold Case unit. So he's reviewing cases from the late 1960s, especially ones with evidence that can be tested with new technology. But the archives are a disaster. I mean, over the years, files have gone missing or haven't been logged correctly. Some case materials haven't been touched in decades. And so he's sorting through it all, trying to make sense of a backlog that's been gathering dust, skimming case summaries, trying to figure out which files are even complete. But when he pulls one box off the shelf and lifts the lid, he sees something that should never be ever be in these boxes. A tan lace bra stained with blood. Not sealed, not tagged, just, like, shoved in this box with yellowing case files. And this is not how he should be finding evidence. But, like, on the other hand, it, like it's evidence. It's still evidence. Like, evidence with blood on it that may still be testable, which is like, kind of exactly what he's looking for, right? So he sees the file it's in belongs to the case of someone known only as John Jane Doe 59, because she was LA County's 59th Jane Doe found in 1969. Even if the blood just belongs to this victim, like, he sees huge potential to be able to use it to give her a name, which might actually kickstart an investigation that, as he goes on to read, didn't make it very far. So what he sees is that on November 16, 1969, a 15 year old boy was hiking Mulholland Drive to go birdwatching when he found the woman's body in a ravine, tangled up in branches and brush and about 15ft down the hillside. LAPD arrived on the scene by nightfall and determined that the victim was white, about 23 years old, 5, 9. And she had been stabbed in the neck over 150 times with what police thought was likely a small knife. Now, to them, it looked like she'd been stabbed while laying on her back. Like maybe her killer, like, sat on top of her to, like, subdue her. And she had her head turned to one side because most of her wounds were on the side of her neck. But she fought back, or at least tried to block the blade from coming down on her because she had defensive wounds on her hands. Now, police didn't find the murder weapon at the scene, but they were pretty sure of one thing. This wasn't where she was killed. There were bloody drag marks left on Mulholland Drive, like her killer had parked there, dragged her across the road, and then put her body over the edge of the ravine until it, like, fell down the hillside.

A (13:11)

When Detective Shepard looks into Marina's case, he learns that it wasn't investigated by lapd. It was in a different jurisdiction. So the sheriff's department took it. Which may be why neither department made any connection initially, even though Bugliosi eventually did. But because Detective Shepard doesn't have the case file, he starts by reading through old news coverage. He learns that In December of 1968, Marina, a college freshman and aspiring artist, was home for winter break after her first semester at the University of Hawaii. She was staying at her mom's house off Sunset Boulevard, right where West Hollywood borders Beverly Hills. On the night of December 29th, Marina went out with friends to celebrate New Year's a little early and around 3:30am so this would have been the morning of the 30th. Now, her mom finally heard her sports car pull into the driveway. And then seconds later, she heard another car outside, one with loud pipes. It sounded kind of like an older model. It's been reported that she told detectives she looked out her window and she saw Marina's car parked in the driveway with a man standing next to it. And then another car, a black sedan, was also parked in the driveway. Now, I'm sure this all happens fast, but the black sedan starts backing out and the man runs toward it, yelling something like go. Before jumping in. And they speed off just as Marina's mom goes outside. But when she's out there, there's no sign of Marina, even though when her mom checked her car, the keys are, like, still in the ignition. And in an instant, this bad feeling just courses through her mom. And by 3:45, she was on the phone with police reporting her daughter missing. When they arrive at the house, all she could tell them about the man she saw was that he was young, like, not super helpful. Police do check out Marina's car, and they made note that the glasses her mom said that she needed for driving and likely kept in her car, those were missing. They also noticed that the emergency brake was pulled all the way up like, as far as it can go. And I don't know exactly how they got to this from that, but they thought whoever pulled it used more force than Marina could have. They say because she was a smaller girl. And, like, I don't know what this car is, but, like, I can fully.

A (43:27)

Sexual assault kit, which we might. So from what Detective Rivera remembers, like, there is physical evidence in her case that hasn't been tested yet. Now, is that the sexual assault kit? Is it something else? I don't know. And I don't know what, if anything has been done, will be done or could be done. And the question is, do they still have it? Because I do know that at some point there was a pipe burst at the evidence facility. And so it's possible that the reason we haven't seen or heard anything about this is that there's been water damage. Like, we haven't confirmed that with the sheriff's department because it seems like somehow there still isn't anyone working Marina's case. So, like, that's bad news, but also good news because maybe it is just sitting there and nobody's gone looking for it. But, like, we're running out of time and like, if someone in the sheriff's office is hearing this, like, even just going down and knowing that that was there, that this could be solved, like, I beg of you to take 20 minutes. Now, we know most of the evidence in Reid's case is long gone. Detective Rivera told us that the blood stained bra has been tested to death and only Reid's DNA profile has been pulled from it. And he said that Reits murder going back to, like, are they connected? He just said Reets felt different. Like it was so personal and so full of rage. Like, you have to be angry to stab someone 150 times. And that's usually the kind of violence Detective Rivera sees when the attacker is like an intimate partner. Now, both detectives believe the key to solving Reid's case lies in finding those two jaunes, especially the one that she followed to LA. But maybe, like Michelle McNamara's blog, one day this episode will find the right person who remembers John. Now, by this point, Detective Rivera has retired too, but he still works Reith's case as a reserve officer on a part time basis. All of Marina's family and most of Reid's immediate family who knew her are gone now. So Detective Rivera is relying on the public you guys to come forward with tips. So talk to your parents, talk to your grandparents, share this episode, especially if they lived in LA or Canada at the time and contact police if you know anything. Did you know Marina and have information about her boyfriends or anyone who drove a black sedan? Call if you were with her that night at the Troubadour or saw a black sedan in that area. Were you on a bus with Reet from Toronto to LA in the late summer or fall of 1969? Did you work with her at the post office in Toronto and saw her? Was John? Honestly, if you know any French Canadian men with the name Jean or Pierre who lived in LA in 69 or if you lived at the Hollywood Executive Apartments on Melrose Avenue near Paramount studios in late 69 and then finally you know there's a possibility if you went to medical school in Montreal or Toronto in the late 1960s and knew of anyone who was at medical school with you who moved to LA soon after graduation. Like these are all the little things they're hoping like sparks, memories for people. So we're going to put in the show notes exactly who to call for each case because again, Reid's case and Marina's case are held by different jurisdictions. But if you know anything, please check the show notes for this episode. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website crimejunkiepodcast.com and if you want to listen to more episodes like this and all of our episodes, click completely ad free. Be sure to join our fan club. We'll put a link to that in the show notes. You'll also get early access to new episodes every week as well.