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Tulare County Sheriff's Office looking to identify two victims in 1980 cold case

Posted at 4:37 PM, Oct 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-25 19:37:03-04

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office is looking for help in identifying two victims in a cold case, which they posted about on Facebook Tuesday.

The suspect in the case is in custody, but the victims are unidentified.

Wilson Chouest, the suspect, is serving time in prison for a rape and kidnapping that happened in September 1980 in Visalia, two months after the women’s bodies were found.

Both women, thought to be from the Central Valley, had the same DNA from the same suspect, according to Detective Dwayne Johnson.

Chouest was arrested for another rape and kidnapping in Los Angeles in 1979. He was released on parole in June 1980.

One woman was found in an orchard on July 15, 1980 near Zerker Road and Merced Avenue in Delano.

She was Native American or Hispanic, approximately 30-35 years, 5’4”, 115 pounds, and may have worked picking apples. She had a heart tattoo with “Shirley” written inside and “Seattle” written below and a rose tattoo with “Mother” above it and ‘I love you” below.

She may have been involved in an earlier car accident as there was a metal plate found in one of her legs, according to deputies.

DNA found at the crime scene by Kern County Sheriff’s Office links the suspect to her.

The second victim was found three days later on July 18, 1980 in the parking lot of Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks.

Investigators believe she was killed somewhere else and her body was dumped there.

She was Hispanic, approximately 20 to 30 years old, 5’2” tall, and approximately 110 to 120 pounds. She had black hair with bleached ends and brown eyes.

She was found wearing a white short-sleeved pullover blouse, red corduroy pants, and black open-toed high-heeled shoes. She was four to five months pregnant at the time of her death.

In 2012, DNA tested by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office linked the suspect to her death.

Anyone with information related to these cases are encouraged to call the Cold Case detectives at 559-735-1900 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or 24 hours a day at 559-733-6218.

Anonymous information can be reported at 559-725-4194 or tcso@tipnow.com.