The 18-year-old woman had a broken heart tattoo on her inner left wrist which helped in her identification. Photo: CCC Sheriff-Coroner’s Division
Just 18 years old; possibly same girl as went missing in Bakersfield last year
By Jimmy Lee, PIO, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Coroner’s Division
On May 4, 2026, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Coroner’s Division requested the public’s assistance in trying to identify a person, who despite multiple efforts, could not be identified.
After notifying local media and posting the information and photograph of a tattoo on social media, a person spoke to a Coroner Investigator stating she believed she knew the unidentified person and was able to provide a name. The person who spoke to the investigator was a social worker.
The Coroner’s Division continued their investigation and was later able to positively identify her. Next of kin were notified. She is identified as Layla White who was 18 years old at the time. Her last known address could not be determined.
Background: on February 16, 2026, a woman was struck by a train in Port Costa. The incident was investigated by Amtrak Police and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office. The person was pronounced deceased at the scene. The manner of death was later determined to be a suicide. The Coroner’s Division took custody of the body but could not identify the person who did not have any identification.
The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the community for their interest in this case. Social media posts on our Facebook and X on the Jane Doe case generated nearly 250,000 views and 465 shares. In the end, a single person who saw the Facebook post provided a name. Investigators were able to positively identify her and provide some answers and closure to the family.
According to a report by KGET News, a 17-year-old girl named Layla White, matching the description of the 18-year-old in the Contra Costa case, went missing in Bakersfield on August 20, 2024, according to police.
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