Fingerprints from dead man solve woman’s killing 30 years later, California cops say
Fingerprint analysis of a dead man linked him to the killing of a California woman 30 years ago, police said.
Juliette Rivera, 25, of Alameda, was found dead by a farmer near an irrigation pond in San Mateo County more than a week after she went missing on July 7, 1992, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 2 news release.
Rivera’s acquaintance, 50-year-old Gregory Marc Riviera, also from Alameda, became a suspect in her killing during the investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
When detectives issued a warrant for his arrest, charging him with murder, he had already fled from his apartment.
He evaded authorities for 30 years by using the fake name “John Paul,” which was his brother’s name, according to the sheriff’s office.
On May 12, the sheriff’s office got a call from the Merced County Coroner’s Office about a person, who went by John Paul, who had died in January.
“To locate next of kin, the Merced County Coroner’s Office conducted a fingerprint analysis. The results revealed the fingerprints matched Abraham Rivera: AKA Gregory Marc Riviera. Further, the Coroner’s Office located the active warrant for Riviera’s arrest for murder out of San Mateo County,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators closed the case when they confirmed the deceased man’s identity to be Riviera.
“We know that every cold case represents long-awaited answers for the family and friends of victims,” the release states. “Thanks to the hard work of our detectives and law enforcement partners, we can now bring a measure of closure and healing to the Rivera family.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Fingerprints from dead man solve woman’s killing 30 years later, California cops say."
