Walker County Jane Doe

Walker County Jane Doe

Most recent reconstruction of the victim
Born 1960 - 1966
Status Unidentified for 34 years, 5 months and 29 days
Died November 1, 1980 (aged 14 - 20)
Harris County, Texas
Cause of death
 Manual strangulation
Body discovered
 November 1, 1980
Resting place
 Oakwood Cemetery, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas, United States
Known for Unidentified victim of homicide
Height Between 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
and 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight Between 105 lb (48 kg)
and 120 lb (54 kg)

The Walker County Jane Doe is an unidentified murder victim discovered on November 1, 1980, in Huntsville, Walker County, Texas. After the investigation of her murder and identity went cold, she was buried in a donated casket in the Oakwood Cemetery in the same town where she was found.[1] To this day, she has yet to be identified, even though her face has been reconstructed several times. In 1999, the remains were exhumed to obtain more information of the victim's height and age, as well as a DNA sample.[1][2]

Case

The body of a girl aged between 14 and 18 (although possibly as old as 20) was found laying face-down and nude by a passing driver on November 1, 1980 in Huntsville, Walker County, Texas.[3] The victim had been dead for around six hours; the cause of death was strangulation, although she had also been severely beaten, had a visible bite mark on her right shoulder, and had been sexually assaulted with a blunt instrument.[4] She had light-brown hair past her shoulders, a scar above her right eyebrow, and had been no taller than 5 feet 6 inches in height.[1] Her toenails had been painted pink, she had hazel eyes, and wore a rectangular smoky blue glass stone on a thin gold chain necklace.[2][5] High-heeled red leather sandals with light brown straps, which likely belonged to the victim, were recovered from the scene. She appeared to have been from a middle-class household, as she was at a healthy weight and her teeth had been well cared for.[6]

Other reconstructions of the Walker County Jane Doe (left by Karen T. Taylor)

Sightings

Multiple people reported seeing a teenage girl matching the victim's description, including the manager of the South End Gulf station and the Hitch 'n' Post truck stop, who described her as wearing jeans and a yellow pullover, and said she asked directions to the Ellis Prison Unit, which is located about 14 miles from where her body was later found.[7][1] She was reportedly dropped off by a man driving a blue 1973 or 1974 Chevrolet Caprice with a lighter-colored top.[4] After getting directions, the girl left on foot.[1]

A waitress from a truck stop also believed that she had spoken to, and drawn a map for, the victim. The waitress said that she suspected the girl was a possible runaway, and that she said she was from Rockport or Aransas Pass, Texas. The victim claimed to be 19 years old; when the waitress expressed doubts and asked if the victim's parents knew where she was, the girl replied, "Who cares?"[8][9][10][7][11]

Investigation

Inmates at the prison were shown photos of the victim, but none could identify her. It is possible that the girl may have been trying to meet with a guard, rather than a prisoner.[1]

There is a possibility that she may have been killed by the same person as another unidentified victim, known as "Orange Socks", who was murdered exactly a year before. Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas has also been named as a possible suspect in this case.[9][4] However, the bite marks on the girl's shoulder could not be matched to Lucas' dental reconstruction.[12]

Additional reconstruction

Rule outs

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the following people have been ruled out as being the Walker County Jane Doe.

Name Birth date Missing Date Age at time of murder Location Circumstances
Mary "Rachel" Trlica (Arnold) November 15, 1957 December 23, 1974 22 Fort Worth, Texas Apparently abducted with two friends while Christmas shopping. Within days of her disappearance, a letter was mailed to her husband that stated that she and her companions were traveling to Houston, Texas. The letter was written by a right-handed person, where Trlica was left-handed.[13]
Cindy King July 27, 1961 July 19, 1977 19 Grants Pass, Oregon A girl who went missing in 1977. She had worn a retainer when she went missing and had a scar near one of her temples, like the Jane Doe.[14][15]
Kimberly Rae Doss September 11, 1962 May 29, 1979 18 Jacksonville, Florida Vanished while visiting a relative. She had similar physical characteristics as the Jane Doe.
Deborah McCall March 30, 1963 November 5, 1979 17 Downers Grove, Illinois Last seen departing from school. She wore a gold necklace, like the victim and had very similar physical characteristics.[16]
Kristy Booth December 26, 1960 February 2, 1980 19 Midland, Texas A nineteen-year-old waitress who was presumably abducted while she was driving to get vehicle repairs.[17]
Laureen Rahn April 3, 1966 April 26, 1980 14 Manchester, New Hampshire Believed to have been abducted after leaving her home on the night of her disappearance. She did not take her purse, shoes or additional clothing, indicating she did not intend to travel far.[18]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Case File: 91UFTX". The Doe Network. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Postmortem photo at link "NamUs UP # 4630". www.namus.gov. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "UNIDENTIFIED DECEDENT NOTICE" (PDF). www.harriscountytx.gov. Harris County Police Department. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Walker Texas Jane Doe November 1980". canyouidentifyme.org. 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "WALKER COUNTY COLD CASE". montgomerycountypolicereporter.com. Montgomery County Police Reporter. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Jane Doe 1980". missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Walker County seeks assistance in finding identity of local Jane Doe". 28 August 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Texas DPS Unidentified Person Bulletin". 30 November 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Postmortem photo at link "Walker Co. Jane Doe". 14 June 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Walker County Jane Doe found 11/1/1980". 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Police Seek Identity of 1980 Jane Doe Homicide Victim". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Batista, Chris Giovanni. "Jane "Walker County Jane Doe" Doe". findagrave.com. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Case File 57DFTX". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Cindy King". missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "Cindy Irene King". charleyproject.org. The Charley Project. 12 October 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Deborah Mccall". missingkids.com. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Case File 704DFTX". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "Laureen Ann Rahn". charleyproject.org. The Charley Project. 12 October 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unidentified murder victims.