Unidentified Teen Female -14-19 yo (2010) - Barstow CA

BARSTOW - Police have released a
computer-generated composite of a teenage girl whose severed head was
found in the remote desert, stuffed in a backpack and wrapped in plastic
grocery bags.A man searching for aluminum cans stumbled upon the grisly
discovery on Feb. 10 on the shoulder of Lenwood Road, about 1/10 of a
mile north of the 15 Freeway. The area is close to several truck stops
and the 15 Freeway and Highway 58 junction.


The head was stuffed in a black backpack and wrapped in
plastic Fiesta Foods and Walgreens grocery bags, according to a police
news release.

It was unclear Friday if police suspect there is a link
between where the girl's remains were found and their proximity to the
truck stops and freeway junction, heavily traversed by long haul
truckers.

Detective Keith Libby, the case agent, was off duty Friday and
unavailable for comment.

It was also unclear if police have any leads as to where the
rest of the victim's body is or if they have any leads on suspects.

An autopsy was performed on the victim's head on Feb. 17, but a
cause of death has not been determined. DNA samples and dental X-rays
were taken.

The victim is believed to be white or Latino, between 14 and
19 years old.

Police commissioned a forensic artist at the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children to create the composite of the
victim.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Barstow Police
Department'sdetective division at: 760-255-5134.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may contact the WE-TIP hotline at
1-800-78-CRIME.

Note from TomTerrific: This story below was formulated before the story above and is here to provide background.

Head found to be investigated as possible homicide
February 11, 2010 10:23 AM

BARSTOW • A human head found off Lenwood Road is being investigated as a possible homicide, according to the Barstow Police Department.

The head was found on Lenwood Road west of Tortoise Road by someone searching for cans, according to Sgt. Andy Espinoza Sr., of the Barstow Police Department.

Because of the condition of the remains, police haven’t determined the victim’s age or gender yet. Police officers were notified at about 2:55 p.m. Wednesday.

The case is still under investigation. Anyone with information concerning this case is asked to call Detective Keith Libby at (760) 256-2211 or WeTip at 1 (800) 782-7463
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/barstow-17278-desert-head.html

Along Interstate Highways Signs Of Serial Killings By Long Haul Truckers in TN, IND, OH, VA, NC, SC, LA and KY Where 100 Bodies Have Been Found.

UPDATED September 18th, 2013

Along Interstate Highways Signs Of Serial Killings By Long Haul Truckers in TN, IND, OH, VA, NC, SC, LA and KY where 100 bodies have been found.  Highway violence; In the past four decades, 459 deaths and 41 attempted homicides are believed to be linked to serial killers who are using the nation’s highways to find and dispose of their victims.

** snipped **

Source: FBI’s Highway Serial Killings initiative;  A passerby found the severed head on Feb. 10, wrapped in two plastic bags and stuffed inside a backpack in Barstow, Calif. Authorities still haven’t identified the victim or her killer, but the circumstances point in a particular direction. The teenage girl likely had been killed days earlier, Barstow police say. Her head lay a few hundred yards from a truck stop just off Interstate 15, not far from I-40. To authorities, the proximity to the truck stop and the interstates suggests that the slaying might have been the work of a distinctive type of criminal: a serial killer operating along the nation’s highways.  During the past four decades, at least 459 people may have died at the hands of highway serial killers, FBI statistics show. Investigators do not know how many people may be responsible for the killings but at least one such case — of murder, attempted murder or unidentified human remains — has been reported in 48 states, along roads as far north as Alaska and as far south as Key West. They believe the killers find their victims and dispose of the bodies along highways, sometimes near quiet roadside rest areas or at bustling truck stops.

http://billwarnermyblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/along-interstate-highways-signs-of-serial-killings-by-long-haul-truckers-in-tn-ind-oh-va-nc-sc-la-and-ky-where-100-bodies-have-been-found/