Racine County Jane Doe

The Racine County Jane Doe (informally known as Crystal Rae)^[2] is an unidentified body of a young woman discovered in 1999 in the town of Raymond, Racine County Wisconsin, United States.^[3][4][5]

Physical description

Original reconstructions of the victim before the 2012 composite was created

Another rendering of the Jane Doe

The malnourished woman may have been mentally disabled and had a "cauliflower ear" deformity, which likely resulted from abuse.^[3][1] It is believed that she was eighteen to thirty-years-old, although some speculate she could have been in her mid-teens up to her mid thirties.^[2] The teeth were not well cared for; her front incisors protruded from the mouth and decay was present on many of her teeth; some of which were missing.^[1][3][6][5] The curly hair was observed to have been brown with blond highlights.^[3] The eyes were either brown, green or hazel; the ears contained two earrings, each.^[2][4][7] As for clothing, the victim wore a gray man's shirt with flower design on the front. After contacting the manufacturer, it was learned that the product was released in 1984.^[5][6][8] The body was also found wearing black sweatpants and no shoes.^[4][1][3]

Discovery and investigation

The body of a white female was found near a field on July 21, 1999 within a day after being disposed.^[8][1][7][6] An autopsy indicated that she had died from multiple injuries, such as burning and beating and had endured several weeks of neglect and abuse, which had increased in the previous few days before she died.^[9] Because it had rained the night the body was dumped, little evidence of the perpetrators was found.^{[7] [5][4]} She was also apparently sexually abused.^[1][6] It is believed that such a characteristic like the cauliflower ear deformity may have occurred due to the abusive conditions in which she lived.^[10][6] One of the two who discovered the body stated that the arm appeared to be broken, being in an unnatural position.^[7] The remains were exhumed in 2013 for further study and transported to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which had previously examined the body in 1999.^[3][8] Authorities hope that by studying the bones, they would be able to tell where the woman had lived prior to her death.^[6]

Multiple reconstructions were created to recreate the victim's face in efforts to solve the case.^[4] In 2012, an additional reconstruction was created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.^[11] Another version of the composite exists displaying a different facial expression.^[7][5] The girl had previously been thought to be one particular runaway girl, but DNA comparison demonstrated that they were not the same person. Missing persons such as Tina D'Ambrosio, Aundria Bowman and Karen Wells have since been ruled out.^{[12] [1][13][14]} Other theories include the idea that she could have been an unreported missing person.^[15]

Aftermath

Over fifty people attended the woman's funeral after the autopsy was completed.^[9][6] She was buried in a grave reading "Jane Doe", which also stated the dates she was found and buried at the edge of Racine, Wisconsin.^{[3] [1]} Although the murder remains unsolved, investigators hope that the case will eventually come to a close. A press conference in 2013 was reported to have uncovered more clues.^[5][3][16] Some believed that this case could be linked to the murder of Mary Kate Sunderlin, a previously unidentified victim who was discovered in Lake County, Illinois. Sunderlin was also malnourished, had poor dentition and had been beaten to death. Three were arrested for Mary Sunderlin's murder; one was convicted.^[17][18]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unidentified murder victims.

• Racine County Jane Doe at the NCMEC
• Racine County Jane Doe at the Doe Network
• Racine County Jane Doe at NamUs
• Racine County Jane Doe at Find a Grave