Tilden Regional Park homicide of Maria Weidhofer was solved after 35 years by the use of DNA science.
Police report that more than thirty years after Maria Weidhofer was strangled to death, her killer has finally been identified through forensic DNA testing. Weidhofer was found murdered with a rope around her neck in Tilden Regional Park, where she frequently went jogging.
Detectives reported that her assailant sexually assaulted her.
East Bay Regional Park Police Department Press Release Re: Weidhofer Cold Case
The East Bay Regional Park District Police Department announced today that DNA evidence has conclusively identified the murderer in a 35-year-old case that took place in Tilden Regional Park.
Evidence collected from Jon Lipari, who died by suicide in Oregon in November 2024, was linked to the victim Maria Weidhofer. Weidhofer was an avid jogger and park user of Tilden Regional Park.
On Nov. 16, 1990, Weidhofer was found deceased on a trail near Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park.
Weidhofer was found with rope around her neck and with physical signs of a struggle after she had been reported missing the night before.
An autopsy, performed at the time of the crime, found that Weidhofer’s cause of death was asphyxia by ligature strangulation and found a multitude of minor abrasions and contusions upon her person. A lengthy investigation was conducted in 1990-1991 by the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department. A suspect was not identified from this initial investigation.
In 1997, biological evidence found on Weidhofer from the suspect was sent to the Contra Costa Crime Lab for analysis. That evidence was later submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Among the evidence collected, during the initial investigation, was semen from which a DNA profile was generated.
In 2020, the East Bay Regional Park District Police Investigations Unit began working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on this case. This collaboration included the use of advanced DNA techniques. Through this investigation, Lipari was determined to be a potential suspect and became the primary suspect in 2024.
Once John Lipari was identified as a potential suspect, hundreds of hours of further investigation were conducted in collaboration with the FBI, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, and the Curry County Sheriffs Office. The investigation also determined that Lipari was living in Gold Beach, Ore.
In early November 2024, Lipari was found deceased in his residence by local law enforcement from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. DNA from the scene was retrieved by the Curry County Sheriffs Office and a direct comparison was done by the Contra Costa County Crime Lab. The comparison determined the DNA profiles generated from the evidence collected at the original scene and the DNA from Lipari were a match.
There is no indication from the investigation, Weidhofer’s family, or Lipari’s family that there was any previous contact between the victim and suspect.
“We hope that today’s development brings some measure of closure to the family, who have shown tremendous strength throughout this difficult time” said Roberto Filice, Chief of the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department. “This breakthrough comes after years of relentless investigation, and I want to personally thank our dedicated staff for their perseverance and firm commitment to seeking justice. Their determination to never give up ultimately led to solving this case, and we are proud to serve a community that stands together in the face of tragedy.”
Special thanks to the FBI, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Forensic Services Division, and the Curry County Sheriff’s Office for their collaboration, expertise, and dogged determination in solving this 35-year-old case.
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives an estimated 30 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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