Editor’s note: Information was added to clarify the meaning of one of McMahan’s tattoos according to investigators. Last updated 8/19/26 9:49 a.m.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Investigators in California are seeking information on a murder victim with ties to Bellingham who’s been identified after more than 50 years.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office says the partially buried body of an unidentified woman was found in the open desert of Desert Hot Springs in January 1974.
After years of efforts, investigators ran a DNA test on bone samples and matched them to a close relative.
The DNA comparison ultimately identified the woman as Rebecca Jean McMahan, who was also known as Becky McMahan and Becky Solis.
McMahan was reported missing by her family in July 1973 when she was 19. She was last seen on Jun 11, 1973 and had mentioned traveling to Palm Springs for vacation.
According to the DA’s Office, Bellingham is among several cities that McMahan was known to have lived in between 1969 and 1973, along with Bell, CA; Cudahy, CA and Commerce, CA.
She’s described as a Caucasian female with long brown hair and hazel eyes, standing 5’3″-5’4″ in height and 120-145 lbs. She had an “SS” tattoo on her ankle and a butterfly tattoo on the right side of her chest.
In an email to My Bellingham Now, Senior Investigator Ebony Caviness said that the “SS” tattoo was the initials of a loved one.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team. Any leads, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can be reported to Caviness at (951) 955-0257 or by email at coldcaseunit@rivcoda.org.
