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Crime & Safety

Is Your Child Safe? Remember Castro Valley Teen Murdered 31 Years Ago

Celebrate life of Jenny Lin (1980-1994) on Friday, May 23, at CV Library, then downtown candlelight walk. Sheriff Sanchez will give update.

At the 31st anniversary of the loss of Jenny Lin, her family is hosting a memorial service on Friday, May 23, 2025, at the Castro Valley Library (3600 Norbridge Avenue) to honor the teenage girl. Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez will be present to give an update on the investigation effort. Following the ceremony will be a candlelight walk in downtown Castro Valley to remind the public of the unsolved murder and to raise awareness of child safety.

Everyone is invited to share this special occasion.

Schedule for the service on Friday, May 23, 2025:

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6:15 p.m. Reception

7:00 p.m. Ceremony followed by Candlelight Walk

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A young, talented musician and a straight-A student, Jenny was murdered in her own home on May 27, 1994, at the age of 14. This brutal death devastated her family and shocked the community. Jenny’s parents, John and Mei-lian Lin, vowed to continue working with the police until the case is solved, and to carry on Jenny’s dreams to see her life extended in a unique fashion.

For 31 years, the Jenny Lin Foundation has offered music scholarships and free music programs to the community each year, and has organized numerous safety fairs, workshops and contests to raise awareness of child safety issues and to improve safety knowledge and precautions for parents and children. In addition, the Foundation has been working on a safety book project in collaboration with the East Bay public libraries. Titles covering a wide range of safety-related topics were added to its collection.

To date, there is still no arrest or conviction related to Jenny’s murder. However, her family remains hopeful that through continuous police effort and public help, this senseless, horrifying case will soon be solved. A reward of $200,000 is available for the arrest and conviction of Jenny's killer. Anyone with information please call the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department at (510) 667-3636
or the toll-free hotline at (855) 4-JENNY-LIN.

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