IRVINE : Woman Found Dead a Year Ago Identified

A woman found dead near Irvine more than a year ago has been identified as 18-year-old Cari Ann Parnes, sheriff’s Lt. Dick Olson said Friday.

Parnes’ body, found on March 26, 1992, was the first of three to be found in an orange grove across the street from the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station within a six-month span.

Olson said Friday that investigators still do not believe there is any connection among the three victims, which included 30-year-old Jose Antonio Valenzuela, found five days after Parnes, and 24-year-old Jose Luis Pena Banuelos, found Sept. 17, 1992.

Parnes, who died of blunt force trauma to the head, remained unidentified until her parents, who live in another state, contacted a local police department about her disappearance, Olson said.

They told authorities that their last contact with their daughter was on March 7, 1992, when they wired her some money. She was last seen on that day after receiving the money.

Now that Parnes has been identified, homicide investigators have resumed the investigation into her death. They have discovered that the teen-ager had been living in Stanton caring for an elderly invalid in exchange for room and board, Olson said.

Authorities are asking that anyone who knew Parnes to contact homicide investigator Rudy Garcia at (714) 647-7051 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or the patrol watch commander at (714) 834-6490.