http://www.chieftain.com/news/regio...cle_4045f5b8-9419-5926-8265-67c94f3d7255.htmlThe 1987 discovery of homicide victim Jane Doe has led to a twisted tale of exhumed remains that has perplexed many a detective during the past 30 years.
Fremont County Sheriff's Office Det. Dale King is the latest in a long line of Fremont County investigators who have worked the case. It started with the late Det. Bert Battu when Jane Doe was discovered by hikers on June 20, 1987, in a remote area several hundred yards off an old mining road 13 miles north of the intersection of U.S. 50 and Phantom Canyon Road (Colorado 67).
She had been buried under a pile of human-placed rocks, but animals had scattered some of the bones. Battu recovered a short piece of rope that was tied in a loop with a square knot, which possibly had been used to bind Jane Doe's hands.
Among items recovered was jewelry consisting of six rings, two necklaces and an earring, as well as a key attached to her jeans by a large safety pin, a tube of lip balm, a nail file, a pack of cigarettes, a book of 7-Eleven matches and a packet of coffee creamer. There was no identification, so possibly the killer confiscated it.
The key, made by Colorado State Safe and Lock Company in Colorado Springs or Denver, could not be traced because there were thousands like it.
The first autopsy revealed an approximate age of 25-35 and a physical description placing her at 5-foot-5, weighing 100-115 pounds and having light brown hair. The forensic pathologist also was able to determine she had given birth, but no cause of death was determined.
Because her flesh had been frozen, investigators determined Jane Doe had been at the burial site at least a year.
The coroner discovered a tattoo on Jane Doe's hand. Rehydration of the tissue revealed it was a rose with a stem and two leaves.
Jane Doe had been wearing Levi blue jeans (with a 26-inch waist and 34-inch length), tall brown leather boots with high heels, blue knit high-top socks and a leather jacket with fringe.
To aid in the investigation, a clay reconstruction was done using Jane Doe's skull, giving authorities a facial likeness with which to work. In December 1988, authorities came extremely close to matching her identity with a missing Sunnyvale, Calif., woman.
That woman, Monica Hibbs, fit Jane Doe's description, and her father, when shown the clay-reconstruction photos, felt positive it was his daughter. He also identified a beaded necklace as being exactly like one his daughter wore.
Like Jane Doe, Hibbs liked to wear a lot of rings. She even kept a large safety pin with a key on it.
So Jane Doe's body was exhumed from Mountain Vale Memory Gardens in Canon City and a second autopsy was conducted. This time, officials were looking for evidence of surgery that had been conducted on Hibbs as an infant to correct a club foot and a bent little finger on the left hand.
As part of the process, forensic pathologists boiled Jane Doe's bones to make the hand and foot comparisons. The result was negative on both comparisons.
However, new clues were revealed: the bones showed signs of knife wounds. Jane Doe had been stabbed several times in the back and neck area, from behind and from the front. She had defensive wounds on her right forearm, which indicated she tried to shield herself from her attacker.
A broken finger on her left hand indicated a fierce struggle took place before she died. The killing blow came near her neck and probably severed a major blood vessel.
"We have sent the remains to obtain DNA for an ID, and we are waiting on that," King said.
Anyone with information or theories about Jane Doe's murder can call King at 719-276-5553 or Fremont County Crimestoppers at 719-275-7867.
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