Woman found shot to death in Ventura County identified four decades later

Ventura County authorities have used DNA analysis to identify a woman who was shot to death near Piru in 1981.

That woman, Maria Belmontes Blancas, came to California from Mexico in 1980 before she was found dead on Jan. 27, 1981, in a citrus orchard, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said. She had been shot multiple times.

For decades, Blancas' identity eluded authorities, though in 2023, the Cold Case Unit used DNA analysis to determine that Blancas' family hailed from Michoacán, Mexico, and to identify relatives.

Using "critical new information" learned this summer, investigators "were able to confirm the identity of the victim for the first time," the VCSO said.

"After decades of uncertainty, Maria’s family living in both the United States and Mexico finally received the answers