Attorney General Lockyer, Madera Sheriff Anderson Announce Arrest for 1997 Murder of Fresno State Student

Ex-boyfriend arrested and charged with murder of 20-year old Andrea Born, whose body was found in Madera orchard

Friday, March 23, 2001
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

(SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Madera County Sheriff John Anderson have announced that a man has been arrested for the July, 1997 murder of 20-year old Fresno State University student Andrea Born, whose body was found in a Madera County orchard.

Jacob Lee Travis, 31, was arrested March 19 in a suburb of Seattle, Washington, by Special Agents from the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and members of the FBI Fugitive Task Force. He has been charged with the murder of Andrea Born. At the time of the murder, Travis was a Fresno area resident and ex-boyfriend of Born.

Andrea Born's body was discovered by California Highway Patrol Officers July 4, 1997 when they investigated what appeared to be a burning automobile in a Madera County orchard. Officers determined that Born had been shot to death before her body was taken to the orchard and burned.

Because the crime involved multiple law enforcement jurisdictions, in 1999, Special Agents from the Fresno CBI office joined the Madera County Sheriff's Department and the Madera County District Attorney's Office in the investigation. Working together, investigators developed information that along with the re-examination of forensic evidence led to an arrest warrant for Travis. Travis was located in Des Moines, Washington, arrested, and returned to Madera County to face charges. Also, because of the involvement of multiple jurisdictions, prosecutors from the Attorney General's office will prosecute the case.

"My heart goes out to Andrea's family and friends, who suffered a tragic loss and have waited nearly four years for justice," said Lockyer. "Investigators from Madera County and our Bureau of Investigation never stopped working on this case, and the thousands of hours of investigative and forensic work paid off."

"Our department urges anyone with any information to please call our office at (559) 675-7770. In July of 1999, my request was honored by Governor Davis to issue a $50,000 reward to anyone with information about the Born murder case. This is still available," said Sheriff Anderson.

# # #