Jean Clinton Roeschlaub was 83 years old when she died on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2006, in Glendale. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died of stab wounds at 222 Monterey Road. Her death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Glendale Police Department.
She was no ordinary victim. Roeschlaub was the daughter of Clifford and Nelda Clinton, who founded Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles in 1931, during the Depression, with a promise that no one would be turned away hungry. She joined the family business full time in 1944 and was co-owner of the last remaining cafeteria, Clifton's Brookdale at 648 S. Broadway, with her brother Donald Clinton. An associate manager who had worked with her for 40 years told the Los Angeles Times that she would "scour menus and plates like a hawk," yet "always used to say hi to everyone -- to the dishwasher, the cook.
Everybody."
Her brother told the Daily News that she "loved to travel, was a voracious reader, loved films and was an excellent cook." She had lived in her 16th-floor penthouse at Monterey Island Condominiums for about 17 years, and had been living alone since her husband, Ronald Roeschlaub, died the previous December.
When she missed several appointments and her son could not reach her, condominium staff went to check on her and found her face down on the floor at about 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 2. The family at first believed she had died of natural causes, since she had a pacemaker. A week later Glendale police announced that the coroner's findings showed a homicide. "Based on the coroner's report to the detectives, there were clear signs of foul play," spokesman John Balian told the Daily News. The autopsy results were sealed.
Police said the killing was not random. "You can't get in [to her building] unless you have a key or unless a guard lets you in," Balian told the Times. There were no signs of forced entry, and staff said her door had not been tampered with. Donald Clinton said police asked whether his sister had enemies. "I don't know of a soul that would've done anything hostile to that nature," he said. Later county records describe her as "discovered murdered by stab wounds in her Glendale condominium." On Aug. 22, 2006, NPR reported that "No one has been arrested in Jean's murder."
Glendale is an independent city just north of downtown Los Angeles, known for its shopping districts and for Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Monterey Road lies near downtown Glendale, and her building was a guarded high-rise where, residents said, a key was needed to get in.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Jean Clinton Roeschlaub could be found in news archives or public records. More than 19 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who visited or worked at the Monterey Island Condominiums on Aug. 1 or 2, 2006, or who knows who was let into her penthouse, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Glendale Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
