Janet Herstein was 17 when she was murdered on May 18, 1977, while working her paper route for the Fresno Guide. She disappeared partway through deliveries; her bicycle and a bundle of undelivered newspapers were later found abandoned in a ditch, and a search focused on the Butler Park neighborhood where she was last seen.

Investigators encountered a man who identified himself as McGowan; he was later revealed to be Ray Dell Sims, a longterm identity fraud. Sims was arrested, charged and convicted for Herstein’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was later convicted in the 1974 murder of 15-year-old Elizabeth Ortega, and prosecutors believe he may be connected to at least five young women’s deaths from the mid-1970s. DNA evidence contributed to the Ortega conviction.

Janet’s mother, Edna, attended later trials and spoke out about justice and concerns that Sims could profit from his crimes. Does anyone from Fresno who remembers Janet’s route or the Butler Park area in 1977 have information that could add detail to the case?