A mystery spanning almost half a century may finally be solved as Los Angeles police say they have identified the body of a woman stabbed 150 times in 1969, found near the site of the infamous Manson family killings.

LAPD investigators identified the former Jane Doe No 59 as Reet Jurvetson, a 19-year-old Montreal native who moved to Los Angeles the year of her death. The method and timing of her death fueled speculation that followers of Charles Manson had committed the murder. The victim did not have any identification at the time of her death.

Cold case LAPD detective Luis Rivera told People magazine that they cannot rule out that the Manson family were involved.

Ms Jurvetson was found by a birdwatcher, stabbed 150 times in the neck. Mr Rivera said the attack was “personal.”

“It was a maniac … or love gone wrong,” he said.

Reet Jurvetson Coolopolis/Blogspot

According to Mr Rivera, police have a lead pointing to a man named “John,” who he says met Ms Jurvetson before she moved to Los Angeles that summer.

Ms Jurvetson’s sister, Anne, told People that their family did not report her missing because they just assumed she was living her life.

“As incredible as it seems, my parents never thought to report Reet missing to the police,” Anne said in a statement. She added that they thought “eventually news from her would turn up.”

“No one deserves what happened to her,” Mr Rivera said, committed to closing the decades-long case. “It’s our job to find out who’s responsible and bring them to justice.”