MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - A body found in Mohave County, Arizona, in 1987 has finally been identified as Carol Ann Riley, a San Diego nurse who vanished just before a dinner date with a man she intended to break up with.
The man, a serial predator named Robert Dean Weeks, was later convicted of murdering two other women and died in prison.
Timeline:
On July 16, 1987, someone rounding up cattle near Bonelli Landing at Lake Mead found a human skull. After some more searching, more remains wrapped in a yellow blanket were found in a shallow grave.
Attempts to identify the body weren't successful. So, a forensic odontologist was able to complete a "NCIC Unidentified Person Dental Report and enter it into NamUs," the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said in a news release on Aug. 5 of this year.
In 2011, Mohave County Sheriff's detectives were contacted by Austin, Texas investigators believing the remains might be a match for someone missing from their jurisdiction. It ended up not being a match.
"MCSO detectives were then able to send bone remains to the University of North Texas (UNT) where a DNA profile was obtained and entered into CODIS and remaining extract was secured and stored for future examination," MCSO said.
Thirteen years later, MCSO investigators assigned to the case contacted UNT to check in and see if the extract was of good quality and the right amount to conduct a Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) investigation.
"They were told the sample was too degraded for analysis of this type," MCSO said.
In February 2025, investigators sent some of the victim's clothing and the blanket she was wrapped in to an Arizona Dept. of Public Safety lab in Flagstaff in an attempt to get a DNA sample suitable for Forensic Genetic Genealogy.
"This was also unsuccessful. In addition, attempts to identify her were further hindered when investigators learned that her skeletal remains had been cremated in 2016 and her ashes scattered at an unknown location," investigators said.
Finally, on July 15, investigators were contacted by the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office.
"An email received indicated that a forensic odontologist and staff from the Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, California Department of Justice, had worked on a dental comparison of the Jane Doe victim and Carol Ann Riley, a person missing in 1986 from San Diego County, California, case # 86-030036, NamUs MP9411. As a result of their comparison, they positively identified Jane Doe as Carol Ann Riley, DOB 12-13-1943," MCSO said.
Map of the area where the remains were found
Who was Carol Ann Riley?:
MCSO says Riley was a nurse who worked at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego.
She disappeared on the same day she had a dinner date with a man she was reportedly dating, who went by the name Robert Howard Smith. She apparently told friends she was planning to break up with him.
"When interviewed, Smith told police that Riley had canceled the date. Two days later, Smith left town and dropped out of sight. Detectives investigating Smith discovered that his real name was Robert Dean Weeks and had a history of going by false names," MCSO said.
Carol Ann Riley. Photo courtesy of the Mohave County Sheriff's Office
Not the only victim:
Investigators also found out that his ex-wife, Patricia Weeks, disappeared from Clark County, Nevada on April 25, 1968. It was just weeks after their divorce was finalized.
He also dated real estate agent, Cynthia Jabour, who went missing on Oct. 5, 1980. She had a dinner date planned with him, and investigators say she was planning to break up with him.
"To add to these cases, Weeks’ business associate, James Shaw, was last seen on 5-5-1971. He disappeared after having an argument with Weeks and his bloodstained vehicle was found abandoned in a Las Vegas parking lot," MCSO said.
The bodies of Weeks, Jabour and Shaw were never found.
"In April 1987, the investigation involving Weeks was aired on the television show Unsolved Mysteries. A warrant had been issued for his arrest due to fraud and embezzlement charges from his business. As a result of viewer response, Weeks was located and arrested in Tucson, Arizona," MCSO said.
In April 1988, Weeks was convicted of the murders of Weeks and Jabour even though their bodies were never found. He was never charged with the murders of Riley and Shaw.
Weeks was sentenced to life in prison and died on Sept. 20, 1996.