In a stunning development, detectives have identified the victim of a gruesome 1981 cold case as Vivian moss, an Oakland grandmother. The breakthrough comes nearly 44 years after railroad workers discovered a headless torso in an empty field in San Jose, California. The Santa Clara District Attorney’s cold case unit used forensic genealogy and DNA to identify Moss, hoping this revelation will lead to her killer.

The grisly Discovery

On the morning of July 11, 1981, just before 10 a.m., railroad workers made the unsettling discovery. The dismembered and decomposing torso,wrapped in plastic,bore multiple stab wounds to the chest and was missing arms and legs. A pair of Christian medallions, one featuring Saint Christopher and the other the Virgin Mary, lay nearby. The field where the body was found is now a commuter rail transit center and parking structure.

“Vivian Moss was her name”

Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced the identification on may 27, stating:

Vivian Moss was her name. My office knows it. I know it. Her family knows it. And now our community knows it.
Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara District Attorney

Rosen expressed hope that this identification would help uncover the truth behind Moss’s murder.

DNA and Determination

Moss, a native of Arkansas, was a 54-year-old grandmother who may have worked at an elementary school in Oakland before her disappearance. Family members told investigators that Moss was “close” to preacher Louis H.Narcisse, the late founder of Oakland’s Mt. Zion Spiritual Church and a renowned vocalist.

How Moss Was Identified

In 2023,the Santa Clara DA’s office partnered with Parabon NanoLabs,a Virginia-based forensic genealogy company. Parabon suggested the remains were likely those of Vivian Moss. Cold case unit investigators tracked down Moss’ granddaughter in 2024. The granddaughter recalled waiting as a young girl in the 1980s for her grandmother to pick her up for an overnight stay,but Moss never arrived,and she never saw her again.

The DA’s office concluded that the remains were those of Moss based on Parabon’s testing, which compared the granddaughter’s DNA to evidence from the crime scene. Her case was featured in an October 2023 video showcasing the work of the DA’s office cold case unit.

District Attorney Rosen vowed to continue the pursuit of justice:

One day soon, I hope we will know the depraved person who took her life and left her in a field, hoping she would be forgotten. If her murderer is still alive, thay will know that we don’t forget in Santa Clara County.
Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara District Attorney

The Preacher Connection

Vivian Moss had a close association with Louis H. Narcisse, the founder of Oakland’s Mt. Zion Spiritual Church. Narcisse, known for his collaborations with gospel singer LORD JACKSON, was a prominent figure in the community.

According to SFGate.com, Narcisse, whose congregants called him “His Grace,” wore robes and a crown and carried a staff. He launched churches nationwide and hosted a syndicated Sunday radio show.

A profile by British music writer Opal Louis Nations describes Narcisse,who died in 1989,as enthralled with the british monarchy,a man thought by some to work miracles as he spread the gospel in his parish. Though, Nations wrote, “others saw him as a devil, con artist and clever snake-oil salesman” with “a darker, exploitative side” who “bled his parishioners dry.”

The church no longer operates and last posted on social media in November 2023.