In October 1998, a young woman was reported missing to the Morro Bay Police Department. An out-of-the-area friend, who said she had been missing since 1995, reported her. The case was suspicious at the time and the Morro Bay Police conducted an investigation. Absent physical evidence and leads, the belated report was listed as a missing person and filed.
The case was periodically resurrected when the California Department of Justice (DOJ) sent out alerts to the MBPD advising of human remains found throughout the state that matched their missing by sex, age, and height. There were approximately four follow-ups by Morro Bay Police detectives with no new information gleaned.
In January 2009, Morro Bay Police Detective Dale Cullum was working investigations and came across this fourteen-year-old case. Because it continued to be suspicious in nature, Detective Cullum decided to investigate further. Detective Cullum knew that the missing person was reported well before DNA became an investigative tool. (Collecting DNA from family members is now routine in missing person cases.) Detective Cullum's training and experience dictated that he attempt to obtain a DNA sample from a family member in hopes of a present-day DNA match.
After tiring efforts, Detective Cullum finally located next-of-kin and worked with outside police agencies to obtain DNA samples from the missing person's mother, father, and daughter. These DNA samples were then submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and within three weeks, he got a hit. DNA samples indicated that Morro Bay's missing person was a deceased person found in 1995 along the 210 Freeway, in Los Angeles County. The victim had been strangled and the body set on fire. Since L.A. County authorities could not identify the body at the time it was found, they gathered bodily fluids and tissue and the case went into their “cold case” files.
As a result of Detective Cullum's self-motivated and tenacious efforts, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office now knows who their murder victim is and they are actively investigating the crime. And, they now have a definite "person of interest."
A cold case like this is unusual for any police agency, especially one the size of the Morro Bay Police Department. Detective Cullum's actions make us all proud that, with their limited resources, they are a major player in an unsolved "cold" murder case. It all began with Detective Cullum's hunches, professional follow up, and tenacity. Hopefully, it will end with the family getting closure and the perpetrator brought to justice.
Detective Cullum received a much-deserved Letter of Commendation for his efforts.
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INFORMATION
WANTED
MURDER
INVESTIGATION
On October 28, 1995, Victim Allen's body was found in the 21000 block of Covina Hills Road, unincorporated area of Covina. She was not identified until June of 2012.
Victim Allen resided in Morro Bay, California with her boyfriend, Marquis Michael Detar, and their 2-year-old daughter, Katie Detar. Victim Allen was employed by Taco Bell, located at 1700 Main Street, Morro Bay.
Victim Allen had family ties in the City of Victorville and Redlands area. Detectives learned that Victim Allen might have been in the company of a male Hispanic who drove a Chevy Camaro and lived in the Santa Maria area.
Anyone who had any contact with Victim Allen, or has information in this case, is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
Attention: SERGEANT J. COCHRAN or SERGEANT T. EWING
File Number 095-16867-2972-011
Phone (323) 890-5500 Fax (323) 887-1160
L.A.S.D. Homicide Bureau, 5747 Rickenbacker Road, Commerce 9004
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