The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that Anita Kathleen Ranker, 57, has been identified as the woman known for years as“Parrotts Ferry Jane Doe.”Her remains were found in 2015 beneath the Parrotts Ferry Bridge in the Stanislaus River. Investigators believe she disappeared before 2000 and was never reported missing, a detail that kept the case unresolved for over a decade.
The turning point came in 2021, when the county formed the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force. Working with multiple labs and the California Department of Justice, the task force continued testing degraded samples until usable DNA was extracted in June 2026. Relatives confirmed the match. The Sheriff’s Office says a person of interest has been identified and the death investigation remains active. More than $50,000 in community donations helped fund the effort over the years.
Sheriff Rachelle Whiting’s office described the identification as a reminder that every unidentified person represents a family, friends, and a life story. For residents who travel Highway 49 or spend summer days on the Stanislaus, Parrotts Ferry is a familiar landmark. Now it is also the site of a case with a name attached and somewhere left to go. Anyone with information about Ranker’s life or disappearance is asked to contact the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office or submit an anonymous tip.
Have you ever followed a local cold case for years, hoping for an outcome like this one?
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
