Maritza Glean Grimmett (1958 - c. 1979) was a young woman whose remains were found in a drainage ditch in El Toro, California, in 1983. No cause of death was able to be determined, but investigators suspect she died under suspicious circumstances.
She was identified by Othram in June 2024. In February 2025, Maritza's ex-husband and his current wife were named as persons of interest in her murder.
Background[]
Maritza, originally from Panama, married a US Marine Corps member in 1978 and they had a daughter. The young family then moved to the United States later that year.
Maritza lived with her husband and daughter in Ohio, then moved to Tennessee before initiating divorce proceedings in July 1979. She told her sister of her plans to relocate to California and was never heard from again.
In 2022, genetic genealogy conducted by Othram led to the identification of distant relatives. These relatives suggested posting forensic sketches to Facebook groups for people searching for missing women from the 1970s and 1980s. Maritza's daughter saw the sketch and contacted authorities, suggesting it resembled her missing mother. DNA subsequently confirmed the match.
Characteristics[]
- Black hair.
- Narrow and delicate face.
- A gold, open-faced crown on an upper-left tooth.
- One of her lower right teeth had a "crossbite relationship."
- Her weight could not be estimated, but she appeared to have a slender body type.
Clothing and accessories[]
The remains were unclothed, but some items were found nearby.
- A white or tan tank top believed to depict an "abstract" scene of a house in a wooded area in yellow, blue, red, and brown or black.
- A red trim was also present.
- A pair of "athletic" white ankle socks with red trim and a red fabric ball.
- Foam hair curlers.
Gallery[]
