Buckskin Girl

"Buckskin Girl"

Mortuary photographs of the victim
Born 1954-1963 (approximate)
Status Unidentified for 34 years and 4 days
Died April 23, 1981 (aged 18-26) [1]
Troy, Miami County, Ohio
Cause of death
 Homicide
Body discovered
 April 24, 1981
Resting place
 Riverside Cemetery, Troy, Miami County, Ohio, United States
Other names Miami County Jane Doe, Miami Jane Doe
Known for Unidentified victim of homicide
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) (minimum)
5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) (maximum)
Weight 130 lb (59 kg)

Buckskin Girl is the nickname given to an unidentified female murder victim discovered in 1981 in Troy, Miami County, Ohio. She is known for her unique hairstyle along with the tasseled suede jacket she wore.[2][3][4][5] The victim may have been murdered by a serial killer in the area that had killed many prostitutes or dancers in the area, although this specific case had no indication of sexual activity.[2][6]

Discovery and death

She was found within 24 to 48 hours of her death near Greenlee Road in Troy, Ohio.[3][7][5] However, some sources state she was found in Newton, Ohio.[1] She had suffered trauma to the head and was strangled and her shoes were absent from the scene.[8][2][7][4] Some believe she may have been a teenage runaway or a possible victim of a serial killer who had murdered multiple prostitutes in the region.[8][2][5][9] However, the scene showed no signs of sexual assault, rape or other sexual activity, indicating the Buckskin Girl was not a sex worker.[2]

Description

The young woman's reddish-brown hair was braided into pigtails on both sides of her head.[2][3][4] Her eyes were brown and she had many freckles across her face.[2][5] Her personal hygiene was described to be well maintained, and all of her teeth were in good condition. The victim had a ruddy complexion, indicating she spent a lot of time outdoors.[2] [5][5][9] She wore Wrangler jeans, a patterned brown and orange turtleneck pullover sweater, as well as a deerskin poncho that appeared to have been handmade with purple lining.[2][3][7][9][10] She wore no shoes or socks.[7][4][5][10] She was between 5'4" and 5'6" and weighed 130 pounds.[2][2][3] [4][5][10] Several scars were also found on the body, including under the chin, on one wrist, the arms and the ankle.[7][10] Her bra size was 32D.[2]

Investigation


Reconstructions of the Buckskin Girl, also illustrating the jacket and sweater the victim wore.

Because of the short time the victim had been deceased, it was possible to obtain her fingerprints. Her dental information and DNA were also taken. Although these three elements are considered vital for identifying a body, they have not led to her identity. Approximately ninety-five missing women and girls were ruled out as possible identities of the victim, including Tina Kemp, Pamela Harvey Rousseau and Karen Zendrosky.[1][11] The case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries in attempts to generate new leads for the case.[2]

Serial killer theory

Some speculate that the Buckskin Girl was the first of many victims killed by an unidentified serial killer in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as others that had occurred in Ohio until 2004.[12][13] Such a serial killer was suspected to have killed approximately seven to ten other women, presumed prostitutes and exotic dancers in Ohio.[6][14] In 1991, a press conference was conducted where investigators discussed a task force that was created that connected various murders in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.[14] These cases were originally connected by a reporter who discovered similarities with other unsolved murders in the area.[6]

On an episode of Unsolved Mysteries the case was briefly detailed along with several other cases connected to the unidentified serial killer. Unsolved Mysteries connected the case to that of Shirley Dean Taylor, Anna Marie Patterson, Hebron Jane Doe and additional cases. All of the victims had been beaten or strangled and had some clothing or jewelry missing. The Buckskin Girl wore no jewelry and had her footwear removed and had died the same way that the other victims had.[6]

Buckskin Girl was missing shoes when she was found, yet there was no indication that she had participated in any sexual activity prior to death and was fairly well-groomed, unlike many of the other victims. Some, like the Hebron Jane Doe had participated in sexual activity before their deaths, which indicated they were sex workers. One victim, Anne Marie Patterson, had her body wrapped in a sleeping bag and was likely stored in a refrigerated area for "nearly a month" before it was located on the side of a highway.[6][14]

It is thought that the women who may have been victims of the serial killer could have met with a man at a truck stop while working as prostitutes. In the case of Anne Patterson, there was a suspect identified as "Dr. No" on a CB radio, betlieved to be between the ages of 25 and 40.[15][6] Patterson's husband, who was involved with her work as a sex worker stated she stated she was uncomfortable accepting the man's requests, as other local prostitutes, some speaking over the radio, had expressed that they were suspicious of the man and did not wish to meet with him. Police suspect that the person involved with her death may have been this individual.[15]

Earlier, it was presumed that she had been a victim of a different span of killings, known as the Redhead murders, but this case was ruled out to be linked to these murders.[16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "NamUs UP # 4790". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 "Case File 133UFOH". The Doe Network. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Besso, Donna (25 July 2008). "Need Help Identifying "The Buckskin Girl"". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Miami Ohio Jane Doe April 1981". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Buckskin jacket key to solving cold case". 26 March 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Prostitute Serial Killer". unsolved.com. Unsolved Mysteries. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Ohio Unsolved Homicides". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 DeBrosse, Jim (6 August 2007). "'Somebody cares about them. We do.' - Jane Doe cases could be solved 'overnight' if database utilized, police say.". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Miami County Jane Doe, OH". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Miami Ohio Jane Doe April 1981". 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Will the "Buckskin Girl" Finally have a Name?". nickscrimeblog.blogspot.com. Blogger. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Stargazer killer". everything2.com.
  13. ↑ "Still No Answers". websleuths.com.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Investigators of 10 Killings to Meet". The Pittsburgh Press. 15 March 1991. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Mysterious 'Dr. No" sought in Ohio truck stop prostitute murder". The Pittsburgh Press. 19 April 1987. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Aldrich, Marta W. (25 April 1985). "OFFICIALS PUZZLE OVER STRING OF REDHEAD MURDERS". Associated Press (Nashville, Tennessee). Retrieved 16 April 2015.

External links

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