Clifton Hudspeth (deceased) has been identified as the suspect in the December 20, 1982 double homicide of Mary Jane Malatag (16) and Jeffrey Flores Atup (16).
A 37 year old cold case involving two 16 year old teenagers has been solved through the use of DNA technology. Clifton Hudspeth, now deceased, had lived in the area at the time of the double murder and was confirmed as the suspect through the exhumation of his remains.
Fremont, CA - On December 20, 1982, at approximately 6:00 a.m., a caller reported they had seen what they believed to be a body located near the intersection of Green Valley Rd and Scott Creek Rd in Fremont, near the Milpitas border. When officers arrived to the area, they located Jeffrey Flores Atup, a 16 year old boy, deceased. It was immediately apparent based on visible injuries he was the victim of a homicide.
At 8:35 a.m., while this investigation was occurring, a second call was received of a person down near the intersection of Hunter Ln and Mission Blvd. Officers responded and found 16 year-old, Mary Jane Malatag, to be deceased as well. She too had visible injuries and was believed to be the victim of a homicide.
Initially, it was unknown if the two murders were related, but as the investigation progressed; the two victims were identified as being cousins. It was also learned they had been together the prior evening in Milpitas. Atup worked at the Serra Theaters in Milpitas and Malatag was at the movie theater with some friends, awaiting Atup to get off work. Once Atup closed up the theater, they walked to a local 7-eleven store off of N. Abel Road and purchased some food with Malatag’s friend. When they left, Malatag and Atup were last seen walking northbound on N. Abel Rd at approximately 12:35 a.m. It was believed they were walking to Atup’s residence located on Horcajo St. in Milpitas, but unfortunately the two never made it home.
After an extensive investigation and multiple interviews with possible persons of interest, this case went cold. In 1999, while DNA was becoming more prevalent in investigating crimes, Fremont police detectives began to look at this case again and located key DNA evidence which was uploaded into the state and national DNA databases in an attempt to find a match to the known offender. Unfortunately, there was no match to anyone in the database, and although the case continued to be looked at, no new leads developed.
In 2018, Fremont Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Detective, Jacob Blass, took a renewed look at the case. Detective Blass determined additional information was available that needed to be reviewed and they had the opportunity to use new DNA technology.
Parabon Nanolabs was contacted and they initiated new DNA testing on evidence in an attempt to utilize Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), a process that was most recently used in identifying Joseph DeAngelo as the suspect in the Golden State Killer case. The technology had also recently assisted Fremont Police Detectives this past January in the identification and arrest of suspect Russell Guerrero, for the 1990 Cold Case Homicide of Jack Upton.
Through the use of IGG, Detectives then conducted extensive follow-up into the possible familial line of the potential suspect. Through the in-depth investigation, Clifton Hudspeth, was identified.
It was learned that Clifton Hudspeth (31 years old in 1982) had lived in Milpitas at the time of the crime and lived relatively close to where the teenagers had been seen walking. Hudspeth had a history of violence including bank robberies, sexual assaults and attempted homicide.
On December 19, 1982, at about the time Malatag and Atup were walking home, sources were able to confirm Hudspeth was in the area of Jacklin Rd. Jacklin Rd. travels westbound into Milpitas and eventually turns into N. Abel St, which happened to be the street Malatag and Atup were last seen walking on. Hudspeth’s residence was a four minute drive from where Atup’s body was located.
Once Hudspeth was identified as a potential suspect in this case, it was discovered he had been deceased since October 1999. Hudspeth died at age 48 as the result of a medical condition.
To confirm Hudspeth’s involvement, a search warrant was authored and approved to exhume Hudspeth’s remains interred at a cemetery in Santa Clara. Through the help of Serological Research Institute in Richmond (SERI), DNA evidence was extracted from Hudspeth’s remains and through DNA testing, Hudspeth was confirmed as the suspect in this case. It is believed Hudspeth acted alone and is the only suspect in this case. A motive for the murders is not available at this time.
Late last week, Detectives met with the families of Jeffrey Flores Atup and Mary Jane Malatag to share the information. Both families were appreciative of the Department’s efforts, but have asked for privacy during this difficult time. Detectives also notified Clifton Hudspeth’s family of the finding.
It’s believed Hudspeth may have been involved in other crimes in and around the time of these murders. He was known to be in Arkansas and San Diego in the months preceding. If anyone has any information pertaining to this case or any other cases where they believe Clifton Hudspeth may be involved, please contact Fremont Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Detective, Jacob Blass.
FREMONT POLICE DEPARTMENT - CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, COLD CASE DIVISION - The Fremont Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit has invested its resources into investigating and solving cold case homicides and missing persons. The Cold Case Division focuses on those cases with the highest probability of being solved with fresh leads and new forensic technology. Our mission is to give a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. Our ultimate goal is to give answers and a sense of closure to the loved ones of every murder victim and missing person.
Please visit www.fremontpolice.gov/ColdCase to learn more and view current ongoing cold case homicide investigations. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please call the Fremont Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Detective, Jacob Blass at 510-790-6963 or send an anonymous tip by texting TIP FREMONTPD followed by your message to 888-777, or via the web at https://local.nixle.com/tip/alert/6216337.
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