The sister of a 19-year-old woman found stabbed to death near the site of the Mason family killings is speaking out about “inaccurate” forensic sketches that she claims prevented her sister’s body from being identified sooner. Reet Jurvetson was found stabbed over 150 times in 1969 just six miles from the location where Mason family members would kill pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others in a grisly murder that haunted Los Angeles. Reet Jurvetson would remain unidentified, simply being called Jane Doe No. 59, until December of 2015 when her sister Anne Jurvetson recognized a photo of her sister’s dead body posted online.
The Daily Mail reports that Anne Jurvetson is claiming that forensic sketches created from her sister’s body were so inaccurate that no one would be able to identify Reet based on the photographs alone. In a public statement written by Anne, she notes that “these drawings were clearly inaccurate, as anyone can see, and did not resemble her in the least.” Therefore, the grieving sister has posted accurate images of Reet in the hopes that someone will have more information about her sister’s short time in Los Angeles.
According to Anne Jurvetson’s account , her 19-year-old sister Reet left her home in Montreal to go live with a boy named “John” that she had met one night in Montreal. The “free-spirited and adventurous” teen reportedly went to Los Angeles and met the mysterious “John” before sending a postcard back home noting that she had found an apartment and was happy in L.A. That would be the last that the Jurvetson family would hear from Reet.
https://www.facebook.com/luba.williams.5/posts/990588484365707
Though Reet would remain missing for 47 years, her family never reported her missing. Anne says that though it may seem odd to some that the family never reported their 19-year-old daughter missing despite not hearing from her for decades, she claims that the family thought Reet had made a new life in Los Angeles and never feared that she may be dead. However, Anne says the family never would have identified Reet from the forensic drawings provided by the Los Angeles Police Department anyway.
“A forensic artist had made some composite drawings of Reet. Some people thought they recognized her. Unfortunately, these drawings were clearly inaccurate, as anyone can see, and did not resemble her in the least. Hopefully, now that the police have more information on Reet’s time in Los Angeles and actual pictures of her, there may be new avenues explored.”
However, the fate of Reet would be disclosed when Anne recognized a photo of a young woman’s body that was posted online. The photograph, taken by forensic specialists following the discovery of Reet’s body, was posted online in a bid to identify Jane Doe No. 59. The identification would later be confirmed via DNA. With the horrific murder taking place so close to other Mason family murders, police have questioned the infamous Charles Manson in prison, showing him photographs of Reet provided by Anne. However, the mass murderer and cult leader provided “no useful information” according to the police.
https://www.facebook.com/robin.sawyer.5/posts/1107948955929874
Now Anne Jurvetson is hoping that new information will be uncovered regarding her sister’s murder considering police now have accurate photographs of the teen. Though many agree the forensic sketches were inaccurate, some have questioned why the Jurvetson family would not report the teen missing when they failed to hear from her after a period of time. Some have speculated that had the Jurvetson family provided photos of Reet to police, the girl would have been identified much sooner.
What do you think? While many note that the sketches looked nothing like Reet, do you think it really would have changed the outcome of the case had the sketches been more accurate?
[Image via ReetJurvetson.com ]