The Latest: Family, friends horrified at Jane Doe’s death

LOS ANGELES – The Latest on the identification of a woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 near the site of notorious Manson family killings (all times local):

12:40 p.m.

A friend of a newly identified young Canadian woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 near the site of some of the Manson family killings in Los Angeles says she’s distraught to finally learn how her friend had died.

Piret Koppel, a Montreal psychotherapist, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that 19-year-old Reet Jurvetson was intelligent and vivacious, and that learning how she died gave her shivers.

Jurvetson’s sister, Anne Jurvetson, says in a statement that she’s horrified that her sister must have felt “terribly frightened and alone” as she died and that she didn’t deserve to be savagely killed.

Los Angeles police Detective Luis Rivera said Jurvetson was finally identified 46 years after her death in December after her sister saw a photo of her body posted online.

Police are investigating whether Jurvetson’s death is connected to the Manson family killings.

People magazine was first to report she had been identified.

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11 a.m.

Los Angeles police are investigating whether a newly identified young woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 is connected to the Manson family killings.

Detective Luis Rivera said Wednesday that investigators have interviewed Charles Manson about the woman and are now trying to track down a man known as either “John,” or its French pronunciation, “Jean” (Zs-EHN’).

He says the Manson interview turned up no new information. Though he says detectives haven’t been able to find any concrete link to the Manson family killings, they can’t rule it out either.

In December, police used DNA to identify the woman as 19-year-old Reet Jurvetson of Montreal.

People magazine was first to report she had been identified.

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4:45 a.m.

Los Angeles police have identified the body of a woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 near the site of the Manson family killings as a 19-year-old from Montreal.

People magazine reported Wednesday that police have identified the woman as Reet Jurvetson, who moved to Los Angeles from Montreal the same year she was killed.

Los Angeles police Detective Luis Rivera tells People that investigators can’t rule out that the Manson family was involved in the killing. He says the best lead police have is a man known as “John,” whom Jurvetson met in Toronto before flying to Los Angeles to see him the summer of 1969.

Police say they used DNA to identify Jurvetson after a family member recognized a photo posted of the young woman’s body online.

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The Associated Press

The Associated Press

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