Dana Point Jane Doe

Dana Point Jane Doe

2014 composite of the Jane Doe, created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Born 1964 - 1969 (approximate)
Status Unidentified for 27 years, 7 months and 7 days
Died September 20, 1987 (aged 18 - 23)
Dana Point, Orange County, California
Cause of death
 Suicide by jumping
Height Between 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) and 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight 127 lb (9 st 1 lb; 58 kg)

The Dana Point Jane Doe was an unidentified woman who is believed to have committed suicide in 1987 by jumping off a cliff in Dana Point, California. Her true identity has yet to be discovered, although she was seen alive before her death.[1][2] In 2015, concerns were expressed by friends of Holly Glynn that the woman may have been their childhood friend, whom they were unable to locate.

Description

Her body was discovered by joggers in the morning of September 20, 1987, within hours after her death. Examination indicated that she was a young Caucasian woman, between 18 and 23 years old, standing at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) to 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) and weighed 127 pounds (58 kg). Her hair was strawberry-blond or light brown and long, reaching the middle of her back. She had no tattoos, distinct scars or birthmarks, although she did have freckles and there were healed acne marks on her back.[3][4] She had pierced ears, dental fillings, an A positive blood type and may have carried a child at one time during her life.[4][2] It was also possible that she had braces at one time as well.[5] She wore a tan dress, men's underwear and turquoise-colored shoes, all of which were believed to have either been second-hand clothing or hand-me-downs.[4] At the top of the cliff, a can of Coca-Cola, a purse containing coins, a package of cigarettes and a map were found. A cab company's phone number was written on the map, which was later used by investigators to contact a driver who had apparently performed service to a female that matched her description.[1]

Witness account

Original reconstruction of the Dana Point Jane Doe

Jane Doe called the cab company at 4 a.m. and asked to be picked up from a hotel in Mission Viejo.[6] A taxi driver claiming to have picked the woman up stated she told him that her car had broken down (although no abandoned vehicles were located in the area) and she requested to be transported for as far as $18 would bring her, as she could not afford to be taken to Laguna Beach, California.[2] He described her as appearing unhappy and did not speak often. Before this, the woman was seen at the cab company and had used the bathroom.[3] After dropping her off at the intersection of Cove Road and Scenic Drive, the driver saw the decedent walking toward the cliff, which was the last time she was reported to have been seen alive.[6][4]

Death and investigation

It is believed that the woman climbed over a fence at the cliff and jumped.[7] Other theories include that she may have been pushed or accidentally fallen.[1] She initially survived the fall and had moved somewhat before her death, leaving impressions similar to that of a snow angel.[6]

The purse in the Dana Point Jane Doe's possession was embossed with a woman's name, Carol Pinkham. Authorities proceeded to search for women who had the name, all of whom were still alive. One told investigators that her purse, the same color as the one owned by the Jane Doe, was stolen 12 years earlier, in 1975.[3][5] Pinkham did not know who had committed the theft, and no person has ever been charged or identified as the thief.[8] The body of the Dana Point Jane Doe was eventually cremated and buried at sea.[6]

2015 developments

In 2015, school friends from Whittier, California, unable to find their friend through social media or through other conventional means, have come forward and reported that they believe Dana Point Jane Doe is Holly Glynn. Unable to find any trace of her any other way, they realized that the news reports of Dana Point Jane Doe's suicide are similar to their childhood friend. The Orange County Coroner's office has been notified and an investigation is pending. Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner Division has contacted the surviving relatives of Holly Glynn and DNA comparisons are underway.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Identity Of Dana Point ”Jane Doe” Still A Mystery Twenty-Five Years Later". letsfindthem.wordpress.com. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Did a woman fall to her death off a cliff or was she murdered?". unsolved.com. Unsolved Mysteries. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Case File: 23UFCA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Jane Doe 1987". missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Dana Point Jane Doe, CA". http://meyahna.tripod.com/''. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Brazil, Jeff (26 April 1994). "The Search for Names of the Dead : Orange County has a striking number of John and Jane Does who were neither poor nor loners. Many left clues--a room key, a bus ticket--that torment investigators trying to find out who they were.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Dana Point : Body of Young Woman Found in Dana Point". Los Angeles Times. 21 September 1987. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Needham, John (17 August 1989). "ID-ing the Dead : Bodies of John and Jane Does Trigger Special Concern Among 34 Members of Coroner's Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 October 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dana Point Jane Doe.