You remember the pigtails. Everyone does. As Buffy on the massive 1960s hit Family Affair, Anissa Jones was the face of childhood innocence for an entire generation. She had that small, polite smile and the ever-present Mrs. Beasley doll tucked under her arm. But by the time the mid-70s rolled around, that image was a ghost.
If you go looking for the last picture Anissa Jones ever took, you won't find a polished Hollywood headshot or a red carpet pose. The final glimpses we have of her aren't professional. They are snapshots of a teenager desperately trying to shed a skin that no longer fit.
The Girl Behind the Mrs. Beasley Doll
Anissa didn't want to be Buffy forever. Honestly, who would? By the time she was 13, the show was over, but the industry wasn't done with her. She auditioned for the role of Regan in The Exorcist—a role that eventually went to Linda Blair—but she didn't get it. Brian Keith, who played her TV uncle, reportedly offered her a role on his next show, but she turned it down.
She wanted out.
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The transition from child star to "normal" teenager was a train wreck. She moved to Playa del Rey, started hanging out with a rougher crowd, and essentially rebelled against everything her mother and the studio system had built. By 18, she had gained control of her trust fund—about $180,000 in 1976 money. That’s nearly a million dollars today. For a kid with no guidance and a lot of trauma, that much cash was gasoline on a fire.
The Mystery of the Last Picture Anissa Jones
People often ask about the "final" photo. There isn't one singular, verified "paparazzi" shot from her last day. Instead, the last picture Anissa Jones appeared in usually refers to a series of candid shots taken in the months leading up to August 1976.
In these photos, the change is jarring. The pigtails were long gone, replaced by feathered 70s hair and a look in her eyes that was miles away from the CBS soundstage. She looked like any other teenager at the beach, but there was a heaviness there.
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On the night of August 27, 1976, Anissa was at a party in Oceanside, California. She was with her boyfriend, Allan "Butch" Koven, and a group of friends. It wasn't a glamorous Hollywood party. It was a house belonging to the father of a 14-year-old friend. Just kids being reckless in a beach town.
What Really Happened in Oceanside?
The details from that night are grim. Witnesses said she wasn't being very social. She spent a lot of time in an upstairs bedroom.
The toxicology report was a nightmare. When she was found the next morning, her system was a cocktail of Seconal (a powerful barbiturate), PCP (angel dust), cocaine, and Methaqualone (Quaaludes). The coroner eventually ruled it an accidental overdose. It wasn't a suicide note situation; it was a "too much, too fast" situation.
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- The Doctor: An investigation later revealed a doctor named Don Carlos Moshos had been prescribing her Seconal. He was eventually charged with 11 felony counts of illegally prescribing drugs.
- The Scene: Police found a blue vial of Seconal at the scene with her name on it.
- The Aftermath: Her family eventually sued the doctor’s estate and won a small settlement, though it didn't change the fact that she was gone at 18.
Why We Can't Look Away
There is something uniquely haunting about the last picture Anissa Jones left behind. Maybe it's because we saw her grow up on screen, or maybe it's because her story is the ultimate cautionary tale of the "child star curse."
She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean. There is no headstone to visit. All that remains are the reruns of her as a six-year-old with a doll, and those few grainy, late-70s photos of a girl who just wanted to be left alone.
If you’re looking into the history of classic TV stars or the darker side of Hollywood, the best way to honor her isn't just staring at those final photos. It’s acknowledging that she was a real person under all that marketing.
How to Research Old Hollywood Cases
If you're digging into these types of archival stories, here are a few ways to get the real facts:
- Check the Coroner's Reports: For stars like Anissa Jones, the public record is the only place for "truth."
- Avoid Tabloid "Lost" Photos: Many images online claiming to be the "last" are actually just promotional stills from her final film, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
- Read Contemporary Accounts: Look for digitized newspapers from 1976, like the Los Angeles Times or local Oceanside papers, rather than modern blogs that often parrot the same myths.