Donna Haghighat Jou

Case Information:

Donna Haghighat Jou was 19 years old when she vanished from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, on June 23, 2007. She was a brilliant pre-med student at San Diego State University. Donna left home that afternoon to attend a party in West Los Angeles with a man she met online.

Concerns arose quickly after Donna called a friend from the party. She claimed she was hiding in a bathroom because her companion was “freaking her out.” Her family later received suspicious texts from her phone. They are certain she did not write them due to uncharacteristic spelling.

Case Details:

The investigation identified her companion as John Steven Burgess, a convicted sex offender. He was using the alias Sinjin Stevens at the time. The pair traveled to a rented home on Faris Drive on his black 1981 Yamaha motorcycle.

Donna was academically gifted but was described by family as naive and trusting. Following her disappearance, all activity on her phone and bank accounts stopped. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department soon concluded she was a victim of homicide.

Timeline of Events:

Donna departed her mother’s home at 5:30 p.m. on June 23, 2007. By the next evening, a text from her phone claimed she was in San Diego. This contradicted her known location and typical habits.

She failed to attend summer classes at Santiago Canyon College or report for work. Her family filed a missing persons report on June 26. It took nearly two years for Burgess to admit his involvement in her death.

Investigation:

The Los Angeles Police Department faced hurdles because Burgess refused to cooperate. In 2009, he finally confessed that Donna died of a drug overdose at his home. He admitted to providing her with cocaine and heroin.

Burgess claimed he panicked and dumped her remains in the Pacific Ocean using a sailboat. However, leads suggested he spent significant time in the Santa Monica Mountains. This led to exhaustive searches of Malibu Creek State Park.

Community Response:

The disappearance of “Mamoosh” sparked massive outcry in Rancho Santa Margarita and Los Angeles. Her family maintained a constant media presence to keep the search alive. They even held a press conference in 2011 to warn the public about Burgess’s release.

Advocacy groups like The Doe Network still feature her case today. The community continues to support her parents, Reza and Shahrazad. They have spent nearly two decades fighting for justice and the recovery of their daughter.

Family Statements:

Reza Jou, Donna’s father, has been a tireless advocate for justice. He states that closure is impossible while her remains are still missing. He has publicly criticized the short sentence Burgess received for involuntary manslaughter.

The family remains haunted by the final texts they believe her killer sent. They urge anyone with information about the 2007 party to come forward. Any detail could help the California Department of Justice solve this case.

Physical Appearance:

Donna is an Iranian-American female who stood 5’3” tall and weighed 110 pounds. She has long, wavy brown hair and brown eyes. She has a surgical scar on her left breast from a procedure at age 14.

She was last seen wearing a white tank top, a black jacket, and plaid Vans shoes. She wore silver hoop earrings and a white plastic Ozzy Osbourne ring. She also carried a dark blue Jansport backpack.

Current Status:

As of April 16, 2026, Donna Haghighat Jou remains a missing person. She is legally presumed dead, though her body has never been found. Her case is active in the NamUs system as Case No. MP2557.

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that she was left on land. Authorities continue to monitor new forensic leads across Southern California. They hope to finally bring Donna home to her family.

Contact Information:

If you have any information regarding Donna Haghighat Jou, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 213-486-6879. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department or the California Department of Justice.

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