Episode 71 Doe ID ‘The Lady I The Fridge’ Amanda Deza
Amanda Deza who was dubbed ‘The Lady In The Fridge’ after her unidentified remains were found
One of the strange clues found with Amanda Deza’s body may help ID her killer. Any theories on these?
In March, 1995, 2 scrap scavengers found an abandoned refrigerator in a canal area known as 'Whiskey Slew' in Holt, California. As they tried to remove the fridge, it opened revealing it's ghastly contents; the decomposed remains of a young woman.
An investigation of the body revealed that the woman had been murdered; the victim of blunt force trauma to the head. Although she had no identification, police hoped that using the scant clues and items found inside the fridge, that they would be able to ID her. That didn't happen, and she became known as 'The Lady In The Fridge'. She was buried, and her skull was kept with hopes that it would one day help identify her.
Years later, DNA & genealogy would ultimately give 'The Lady In The Fridge' her name back. She was Amanda Deza, who would have been 30 years old when her remains were found. Despite having a name for her, police didn't have much else to go on. They learned she was the mother of three children and that her husband had disappeared leaving Amanda to care for her children alone. Before long, she struggled and apparently turned to drugs, ultimately having her children taken from her home. After Amanda's children were removed, Amanda seemed to vanish. While her family had some ideas of where she was at time, she didn't stay in regular contact and eventually vanished altogether. They didn't report her missing because they didn't think police would do anything.
Although they know who Amanda is, they don't know who her killer is and continue to dig for answers. It's theorized by some that Amanda fell victim to one of the countless serial killers that roamed the SF Bay area.
'The Lady In The Fridge' finally has her name back, it's Amanda Deza, and this is her story.
The sheriff’s office encouraged any member of the public with information about Amanda's case to contact their cold case unit at (209) 468-5087 or coldcase@sjgov.org.