Fifty years ago, fishermen in California found a woman’s dismembered body that had been concealed in a suitcase and layers of plastic bags.
Now, decades later, police have identified her as a New Jersey woman and are asking for help in identifying the killer.
The San Diego Police named Arminda Grangela Rodrigues da Silva Ribeiro – who was 29 at the time of her death – as the victim of the 1973 murder.
Around 11:20 a.m. June 13, 1973, fishermen found the body of a woman in the San Diego Bay between Laurel Street and the United States Coast Guard Station, according to San Diego Police. Her body was dismembered and placed into an orange suitcase and several plastic bags.
Ribeiro remained unidentified for decades, police said. But in 2020, her remains were exhumed by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to try to identify her through DNA.
A DNA profile was developed from the remains, leading to Ribeiro as the victim, police said.
Investigators have learned that Ribeiro was born in Portugal, and her family emigrated to the Ironbound neighborhood in Newark, which is home to a large Portuguese community, according to San Diego Police. Ribeiro was married and had two children and still has family in the Newark area.
According to police, Ribeiro worked at a trailer fabrication company in Newark at the time of her disappearance. It is unknown what connection she may have had to San Diego, but police are seeking assistance in identifying the company she worked for in Newark, any potential connections she had to San Diego or any information that might help investigators determine what happened to Ribeiro.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey woman identified as murder victim in 50-year-old cold case