Victim of ‘Happy Face Killer’ had Las Vegas ties, officials say

An unidentified woman killed by the “Happy Face Killer” over 30 years ago had ties to Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, according to law enforcement officials in California.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s office said in a news release that “Happy Face Killer” Keith Hunter Jesperson told homicide investigators in late 2023 that the woman he killed in 1992 was named “Claudia” and was a frequent hitchhiker whom Jesperson said he killed while working as a long-haul truck driver.

Jesperson said met “Claudia” at a break check area on Interstate 15 south of Victorville, and the two drove to the Indio/Coachella Burns Brothers rest stop. After an argument about money, Jesperson said he killed the woman in his truck, and then dumped her body along U.S. Highway 95 near Blythe, California.

“Claudia,” which may not be her real name, was about 20 to 30 years old, blond, 140-150 pounds and about 5 feet, 6 inches or 7 inches tall, Jesperson told investigators.

The district attorney’s office said that, based on conversations with Jesperson, “it is believed (the victim) was living, or at least familiar with the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside County areas, and had ties to Las Vegas and southern Nevada.”

Jesperson confessed to both Riverside County Sheriff’s office deputies and a news reporter in Oregon that he killed the unidentified woman and seven others. He pleaded guilty to murder on Jan. 8, 2010, and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, the district attorney’s office said.

The district attorney’s office is asking anyone with additional leads about the case to call the Cold Case Hotline at 951-955-5567 or email coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org. Anyone who believes they were a relative of the woman is encourged to contact GedMatch for DNA comparison.

“Our goal is to identify this victim and provide closure to her family, wherever they may be,” District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a news release. “We are hopeful someone hearing any of these details may remember anything that could help us reunite this woman with the family who may have been looking for her for over three decades.”

A previous version of this story said information from Jesperson was shared by the Riverside County District Sheriff’s office. It was shared by the Riverside County District Attorney’s office.