Human remains found in California ID'd as Memphis woman nearly 20 years later. What to know

Jordan Green, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

Human remains discovered in 2001 in Redondo Beach, California, have been identified nearly 20 years later as Memphis woman.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced earlier today that they are assisting the Redondo Beach Police Department in the investigation into Catherine Parker-Johnson's death. Though the remains were discovered in 2001, TBI and the Redondo Beach Police Department have marked it as an active homicide investigation.

Here is what we know about the case

When did Catherine Parker-Johnson go missing?

Parker-Johnson was last in contact with her family in May of 1981, according to a news release from Redondo Beach police. She was in Memphis visiting her children.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shared this image of Catherine Parker-Johnson, whose remains have been identified in California. They are asking for help with any information that could help in solving her homicide case.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shared this image of Catherine Parker-Johnson, whose remains have been identified in California. They are asking for help with any information that could help in solving her homicide case.

The last time anyone had contact with her was in Lennox, California on Aug. 31, 1981. Her remains would not be found until nearly 20 years later in Redondo Beach, about a 25-minute drive away from Lennox.

Where were Catherine Parker-Johnson's remains discovered?

On Aug, 29, 2001, human remains were discovered during construction on Wollacott Street in the City of Redondo Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles with a population of about 70,000.

Despite the further investigations, Redondo Beach detectives were not able to identify the remains during this time.

How did they identify the remains?

In 2019, the Cold Case Investigations Unit of the police department in Redondo Beach reopened the case and partnered with the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit dedicated to identifying missing people alongside law enforcement.

Based on the information from the scene and a 2023 DNA comparison with two women living in Memphis, authorities were able to identify the remains as those belonging to Parker-Johnson. The two women were determined to be her daughter and sister.

Parker-Johnson was never reported as a missing person, according to searches of law enforcement and other databases.

Anyone with may have had previous contact with Parker-Johnson or has information about her time in Memphis up to May 1981, should call Redondo Beach investigator John Skipper at (310) 379-2477 or to contact the TBI's tip line at TipsToTBI@tbi.in.gov.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis woman's remains found in California 20 years ago. What to know