The final unidentified victim of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “Happy Face Killer,” has been identified by the Riverside County district attorney’s office, solving a decades-long mystery thanks to advances in DNA technology and public assistance. Lydia McWhorter’s sister, Brenda Burks, had wondered for years what happened after her sibling disappeared from Texas in the 1990s.
Jesperson, who is currently serving multiple life sentences in Oregon, confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995. He earned his chilling moniker by sending letters to media outlets boasting about his crimes, signing them with a smiley face.
McWhorter’s remains were discovered in August 1995 along U.S. Route 95 in Riverside County, about seven miles north of Blythe. Jesperson later confessed to her murder, referring to her only as “Claudia,” stating he killed her while working as a truck driver and she was hitchhiking. He pleaded guilty to her murder in Riverside County in January 2010, by which time he had already been convicted of five other murders. He received a sentence of 25 years to life, but investigators were unable to determine her true identity at the time.
A breakthrough came in 2022 when DNA technology helped the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office identify another one of Jesperson’s victims, Patricia Skiple, whose body was found near Gilroy in 1993. The following year, Riverside County cold-case homicide investigators visited Jesperson at the Oregon State Penitentiary to interview him about “Claudia.” He told them he met her at a brake check area on Interstate 15 south of Victorville. He claimed she wanted a ride to Los Angeles, but he refused due to his route to Arizona. They traveled together until an Indio/Coachella rest stop, where he said they argued about money. Jesperson claimed he killed her in his truck in Coachella before dumping her body in Blythe.
Investigators used DNA technology, her remains, and Jesperson’s descriptions to create a forensic approximation of her appearance. They determined her father was deceased and from Cameron County, Texas, but initially couldn't find maternal matches. In 2024, they issued a news release asking for the public’s help.
The decisive lead arrived this week when DNA provided by Brenda Burks matched the victim, finally identifying her as Lydia McWhorter. Burks stated she "knew if I did the swab that it would prove whether or not the lady that they found was actually my little bitty sister that’s been missing.”
Ebony Caviness, a senior investigator with the district attorney’s office, thanked the public, noting that "information provided an important investigative lead that ultimately helped us identify Lydia.” The district attorney’s office is now working with Lydia’s family regarding arrangements for her burial.
