Marie (murder victim)

"Marie"

Digital facial reconstruction of the victim
Born approx. 1952 - 1962
Status Unidentified for 41 years, 10 months and 18 days
Died June 9, 1973 (aged 11 - 20)
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Cause of death
 Vehicular homicide
Resting place
 Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Petersburg
Known for Unidentified victim of homicide
Height Between 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
and 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight Between 105 lb (48 kg)
and 120 lb (54 kg)

"Marie," (also known as "Cindy", "Maria", "Janice Marie Brock" and "Janice Marie Bromke") was an alias used by an unidentified girl who was murdered on June 9, 1973. A man was initially arrested for her murder, but the charges were dropped.[1] Her true identity has never been discovered.[2][3]

Physical description and circumstances

Previous reconstruction of the victim, created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

On June 9, 1973, a teenaged girl seen arguing with a man was shoved in front of a vehicle in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida. She died at the scene.[1] The incident occurred at the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 8th Street North.[4]

She appeared to be between 14 and 16, but may have been as young as 11 and as old as 20. Her wavy hair was auburn and shoulder length; her eyes were a vibrant blue. She wore two earrings in one ear, a piercing in her other ear had healed. She wore a ring missing its stone as well as a multicolored gown and purple tights. The girl had noticeably short fingernails, which is consistent with nail biting.

Other distinct features that the female had were three flat birthmarks on her back, a chipped tooth, no visible dental work and freckles visible on her shoulders. However, it is possible that her tooth was chipped when she was killed. Some of her teeth were also missing, possibly being extracted or may have not yet emerged.[3]

Investigation

Original reconstruction of Marie, created around the time she died.

It is possible that she was a runaway; some believe she was from North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, or Virginia, as she told many inconsistent stories to those she came in contact with.[5][3] Another reason for this speculation was because she was given clothing from other people, indicating she had little with her belongings. Marie also may have traveled from North Carolina to Florida with a man, whose name may have been Bill. Marie also stated that she had previously lived in Redington Beach, Florida before traveling to St. Petersburg and was currently staying with three roommates in an apartment.[6] It is also suspected that Marie was involved with a drug activity, which may have been a reason for her murder.[2][7][8][9]

"To Gloria, ...call Mark and say hello and also that I was planning on going to see Mark in Virginia... Signed, Marie"
- Text written in Marie's unfinished letter

Among her possessions, a letter written in pencil, was found with the name "Gloria" written on it. The letter detailed that Marie was "on break," which led to speculation that she may have had a job when she wrote the letter. It also made references to people she had met in the states of North Carolina and Virginia. The penmanship was reported to have been fairly poor and no addresses were present on the envelope.[10]

Lawrence Edward Dorn, then 24, was identified as the man she was arguing with. He was arrested and charged with her murder, but the charges were later dropped and the criminal case closed.[1] The reasons why the charges were dropped remain unknown.[11]

She was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg.[11] In 2010, the victim's body was exhumed to obtain a DNA sample, in the hope it would aid in her identification.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Daylina Miller (February 12, 2010). "Unlocking a Mystery". University of Southern Florida. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Case File 381UFFL". The Doe Network. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Jane Doe 1973". missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tampa Bay Cold Case Project: CASE 11". International Consortium for Forensics, Anthropology, and Human Rights. University of South Florida. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  5. ↑ Wise, Scott (3 November 2014). "Who is she? Share this photo to help solve a 40-year-old mystery". CBS 6. CBS. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Police Compile Photo of Shoving Victim". 1973. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Pinellas Florida Jane Doe June 1973". Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "St. Petersburg Florida Jane Doe--1973". 1 December 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Unidentified Female in 1973 in Pineallas County, Florida". Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Case Report - NamUs UP # 1342". namus.gov. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jamal ThaljiJamal Thalji (February 4, 2010). "USF anthropologist to help exhume unidentified St. Petersburg murder victims". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 12, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unidentified murder victims.