Kovacich, circa 1982

Janet Kay Kovacich
Missing since September 8, 1982 from Auburn, Placer County, California
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Age at Time of Disappearance: 27 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 130 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; blue eyes.
• Marks, Scars: About a week before she disappeared, Janet had cosmetic surgery to remove scars and to have breast implants put in.
• DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance
Kovacich was last seen at her home in Auburn, California on September 8, 1982. She is a mother of two and the wife of a Placer County sheriff's sergeant who vanished from her home without a trace.
On the morning of September 8th, the children were sent to their Catholic school. At 8 a.m., Janet Kovacich phoned another private school in Lake of the Pines, north of Auburn, and made an appointment to see officials later that day to discuss transferring the children. She never showed up. Her husband told police he left the home at about 10:30 a.m. following a quarrel that morning with his wife. He said he ran errands and returned home at noon to find his wife missing.
Janet Kovacich's purse was also gone, but none of her credit cards were ever used. Police and other law enforcement agencies searched the canyon and caves around the proposed Auburn Dam site, used dogs to try to pick up a trail and flew helicopters with heat-detecting equipment in an effort to find her.
Police have never ruled out her husband as a suspect. The couple had been having marital problems, and police focused their attention on the sheriff's sergeant, questioning him repeatedly and conducting forensics examinations of his vehicle. He was not arrested.
Janet wanted out of the marriage. There were a lot of arguments between them leading up to the time when she disappeared.
She had already set up where she was going to take the kids. She wanted to go back to college and get a career. The surgery she had a week before she disappeared forced her to rely on others for transportation and would have made it difficult to run away.

Janet's husband has been convicted of murdering her and only her skull has been found. Police are continuing to keep her case open. They are still looking for her body.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Placer County Sheriff's Office
530-889-7800

NCIC Number: M-108801822
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The Sacramento Bee 3/4/05
The Union 3/3/05
TheKRAChannel 3/2/05
Auburn Journal 3/2/05