Jake Edward Brown has been identified as the lead suspect in the November 23, 1972, murder of 11-year-old Terri Lynn Hollis. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Brown.
Hollis disappeared while riding her bike on Thanksgiving Day in 1972 in Torrance, California. Her body was later found by fishermen on a cliff below the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County, where she may have been thrown over. She was clad only in a T-shirt, and she had been sexually assaulted.
The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs. Brown passed away on 27 May 2003 at the age of 66 in Goodyear, Arizona. His body was exhumed to confirm that his DNA profile is consistent with that recovered from Hollis’ body.
Brown had been charged in two separate sexual assault cases after Hollis’, in 1973 and 1974. Authorities are investigating whether he may be responsible for other crimes.
Police conducted more than 2,000 interviews during the decades this case was open. A 29-year-old man from Gardena was arrested on February 20, 1974, but the charges were dropped on
April 2, 1974, due to evidence he was not involved. He did admit to molesting a 10-year-old boy in 1974.
Sources:
Dazio, Stephanie. “California Cold Case Solved Through DNA, Genealogy.” Daily Herald, September 11, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190911/news/309119897.
Find a Grave. “Jake Edward Brown. Find a Grave Memorial no. 115919752.” Find A Grave, Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115919752/jake-edward-brown.
Geiger, Dorian. “Murder of 11-Year-Old Girl Who Vanished While Bike-Riding on Thanksgiving Day Finally Solved Nearly 50 Years Later.” Oxygen, September 13, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/police-say-jake-edward-brown-killed-11-year-old-terri-lynn-hollis-in-1972.
Percy, Nathaniel. “The Terri Lynn Hollis Murder Investigation: A 47-Year Timeline.” Daily Breeze, September 12, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.dailybreeze.com/2019/09/12/the-terri-lynn-hollis-murder-investigation-a-47-year-timeline/.