The Lost and the Found

Southern States => Alabama => Topic started by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:40:03 am

Title: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:40:03 am
(https://i.imgur.com/JReinth.jpg)



This unidentified female was located in April, 1982 in Slughter Creek on the banks of the Sipsy River in rural Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. She was sexually assaulted, strangled and severely beaten. Investigators believe the victim was possibly fishing in the area at the time of the attack, based on what she was wearing.
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:48:09 am
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/108ufal.html

The Doe Network:
Case File 108UFAL


(https://i.imgur.com/n2QdnSx.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/jJKYLUo.jpg)

Left Sketch of Victim by Wesley Neville

Unidentified White Female

Located April 18, 1982 on the banks of the Sipsy River in rural Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Cause of death is strangulation. The victim was severely beaten.
Estimated date of death is within a day.

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 34-38 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'4"; 110-115 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black/dark brown, shoulder length hair; brown eyes. Somewhat ruddy complexion. Scar over right eye, beneath eyebrow. Her ears were not pierced. She did not use nail polish, or regularly file her nails.
Dentals: Available. She wore a partial upper denture plate. The partial denture replaced the upper right central and lateral incisor teeth.
Clothing: She was wearing a Preppy button-up, long-sleeved light blue shirt; blue knit pants with an elastic waistband; a white bra; white panties; and size seven grey tennis shoes.
Other: There is evidence of a prior pregnancy. She had done manual labor. Fingerprints are on file.
Case History
This unidentified female was located in April 1982 in Slughter Creek on the banks of the Sipsy River in rural Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. She was sexually assaulted, strangled and severely beaten. Investigators believe the victim was possibly fishing in the area at the time of the attack, based on what she was wearing.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this woman's identity, please contact:
Alabama Department Of Forensic Sciences
Lisa Cary
205-344-5420
Email
or
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Lt. Loyd Baker - Homicide Unit
205-752-0616 Ext. 691
Email

You may remain anonymous when submitting information to any agency.

Agency Case: 82040182

NCIC Number: U-172296346
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
Source Information:
Alabama Department Of Forensic Sciences
Tuscaloosa Sheriffs Dept
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:50:22 am
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20050418/unsolved-mystery


Unsolved mystery

By Jason Morton / Staff Writer
Posted Apr 18, 2005 at 12:01 AM

ROMULUS | Little has changed in the 23 years since three fishermen found a woman’s body partially submerged in a tiny slough of the Black Warrior River.

While fishing in Slaughter Branch near the Old Robinson Bend Landing next to Robertson Cemetery Road on April 18, 1982, a Tuscaloosa man and two others found the woman’s body behind a large log on the weed-covered riverbank.

Although officials believe they found her within 24 hours of her death, homicide investigators have yet to determine who she was, why she was in Tuscaloosa County or who killed her and threw her beaten body into the river.

Tuscaloosa’s “cold case”

Loyd Baker was one year out of Tuscaloosa County High School when the body was found. Now he is a lieutenant with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit.

In his office last week, Baker was arranging the case file of the dead Jane Doe that had gone untouched for years. He does not like unsolved crimes, especially murders, and he’s hoping that some new publicity will shed light on this cold case.

“Somewhere, somebody is missing a loved one,” Baker said. “They want to know what happened to this person, and we’d like to bring them closure, at least in that respect.”

A composite sketch of the woman’s image, along with her identifying information, was recently added to The Doe Network, found on the Internet at www.doenetwork.us.

The information has been in the National Crime Information Center, a national database of suspects, missing persons and other law enforcement-related information.


“What we have is two cases,” Baker said. “We have a missing person, whom we’ve found. But we don’t know where she came from or who she is. And second, we have a murder with a yet-unknown suspect.”

All that’s available

The dead woman was white, estimated to be about 35 years old (although her age could range from 34 to 38 years), and stood about 5 feet 4 inches tall.

She weighed 110 pounds, had dark, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She also had a partial dental plate of two front teeth.

When she was discovered, she was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt, blue knit pants with an elastic waistband, a white bra, white panties and gray, size seven, tennis shoes.

According to The Doe Network, there was evidence of a prior pregnancy.

There also was evidence of a brutal attack, physically and sexually, and the autopsy revealed she died from strangulation.


The lead investigator at the time, Capt. Shirley Fields, said it was one of most gruesome attacks he’d seen in his then-17 years of law enforcement.

After the body was discovered, some witnesses came forward telling of an encounter they’d had with a woman investigators believe is the murder victim.

Baker said the witnesses, who were riding three-wheelers, saw the woman on April 16, 1982, near the cemetery on Robertson Cemetery Road. She said she was with a man and their car had gotten stuck in the mud. She requested help.

The witnesses said the man waiting at the car was angry, cussing the woman and blaming her for getting the car stuck. He also made references to being at a bar earlier in the day.

He was described as white, between 35 and 40 years old with a muscular build and a reddish complexion. He was clean-shaven, stood about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed between 180 and 200 pounds.

“We need to account for this man,” Baker said.

The car was a green, 1973 or 1974 Ford LTD with a dark vinyl top and possible front-end damage.


Homicide investigators worked on the case, running down all available leads but ended up with nothing.

A small but somber burial

The unidentified woman was buried on Dec. 9, 1982, in Sunset Memorial Park on Watermelon Road. The county paid for the funeral. By then, The Tuscaloosa News had begun referring to the woman as “Ms. X.” Reporter Doris Flora reported on the funeral.

“The card on the spray of pink carnations standing at the end of the casket was simple but explicit: ‘Because we believe that no one’s passing should go unnoticed and unmourned,’” said Flora’s account of the funeral. A handful of mourners, law enforcement officials among them, attended, and the Rev. Joe Bob Mizelli presided.

“One of the women shivered, either from the cold wind whipping under the grey canopy or from inner thoughts, and pulled her coat closer around her,” Flora’s story said. “Several of the men shifted their stance. The scripture was completed; the prayer ended. It took less than five minutes and those around the grave started moving away.

“One of the women said she came ‘because everybody needs somebody.’ ”

The years since


Frank Kelly, 61, still lives in Romulus, just as he did in 1982 when the body was discovered.

On Friday, Kelly said he was roofing the house of the late University of Alabama professor Frank Engle when they noticed the commotion.

He and the professor drove the short distance from Engle’s residence to Robertson Cemetery Road, where a deputy stopped them.

Because he knew the law enforcement officials, Kelly was eventually allowed down to the riverbank.

“They were just picking her up,” he said. “I told Professor Engle that they’ll find who did this within two or three days.”

Kelly said he’s still waiting.

“That always did puzzle the hell out of me,” he said, adding that no one in the area has talked of the woman’s body in years, “because they never did catch them.”


While he hasn’t been to the bank where the woman was in some time, Kelly still remembers clearly just where she was found.

On Friday, he led a reporter and Baker to the site, which is now accessible by land only by foot through a thick, gully-filled forest off the end of Robertson Cemetery Road.

Kelly said a group of campers had camped near the body the night before it was discovered. However, they never saw, heard or smelled anything.

“They were shooting glass bottles off a log with a .22 rifle,” Kelly said. “I told them if they’d bent out and looked over that log there, they’d have found her.”

Still questioning, too, is Helen Burroughs, 79, who was operating the Romulus General Merchandise Store with her husband, 82-year-old Verdo, when the woman was found.

The store sits empty and quiet now at the corner of Burroughs’ yard. But she remembers when deputies came around days after the murder with a composite drawing of the woman, searching for any shred of information that might lead them to some answers.

The officials and the residents never got any.


“I have never heard anything else about it,” Burroughs said. “I’ve often wondered if they ever found out anything about her.”

So far, they haven’t.

Baker asked that anyone who knows anything about this case to come forward. He can be reached at (205) 752-0616.

“The reason we’re doing this is because we weren’t able to identify the victim earlier,” Baker said. “This is a murder victim, and her murderer has never been brought to justice.”

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or (205) 722-0200.
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:51:27 am
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_..._the_United_States#Tuscaloosa_County_Jane_Doe

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe


(https://i.imgur.com/jJKYLUo.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/n2QdnSx.jpg)

The body of a white female aged thirty-four to thirty-eight was found in Slaughter Creek, near the Sipsey River in Romulus, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama on April 18, 1982.[4] The victim had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed approximately 110 to 115 pounds. She wore tennis shoes, knitted blue pants, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and white undergarments. It is possible that she was fishing at the area and was killed at the scene, as a disturbance of the earth was found at the location.[5] She had a ruddy complexion (indicating that she regularly engaged in outdoor activity), wore an upper partial denture, may have given birth to a child in the past, and showed evidence of having done manual labor. She had dark-brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.[6] She also had a visible scar under her right eyebrow. Her remains were exhumed in 2013 for additional examination and to obtain a DNA sample
 
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:53:37 am
http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2016/05/7_strange_jane_and_john_doe_ca.html

7 strange Jane and John Doe cases in Alabama: Can you help solve them?

Updated on May 10, 2016 at 8:34 AM

By Kelly Kazek

kkazek@al.com

In this age of modern technology, we are often surprised when we are unable to solve a mystery, especially a seemingly simple one such as a person's identity. Yet, many people in Alabama, who died in accidents or from foul play, remain unidentified in 2016. Some identities have been mysteries for many decades, while others are more recent discoveries. Still, the question remains: Who are they? Can you help restore their identities?

(https://i.imgur.com/pRwqQqD.jpg)

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe, 1982, murder victim, Romulus

On April 18, 1982, the body of a white female was discovered in Slaughter Creek near the Sipsey River in Romulus. Her age is estimated between 34 and 38. According to Sgt. Jeremy Franks with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, authorities exhumed the remains in 2013 for DNA testing that was unavailable in 1982. The victim had been beaten and strangled to death. She was about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed about 110 pounds. She had dark-brown hair, brown eyes and a scar under her right eyebrow.

Click here to read her full profile on DoeNetwork.com.

Her remains are interred in Sunset Memorial Park in Northport. Anyone with information should contact Sgt. Franks at 205-752-0616 or the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences at 205-344-5420.
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:55:30 am
http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/Tuscaloosa_County_Jane_Doe_(1982)

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe (1982)

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe was a woman found murdered on a riverbank in 1982.

The victim had been beaten, strangled, and sexual assaulted hours before the discovery. She was possibly fishing at the location, and killed at the scene, evidenced by signs of struggle, and earthly disturbances.

Physical characteristics
She had a ruddy complexion, indicating she engaged in outdoor activity.
She wore an upper partial denture.
She may have had a child in the past.
She may have participated in manual labor.
She has dark brown, shoulder-length hair.
She may have had brown eyes.
She had a visible scar under her right eyebrow.
Clothing & accessories
Tennis shoes
Knitted blue pants
Long-sleeved blue shirt
White underwear

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe

(https://i.imgur.com/gjZNNoa.jpg)

Sex Female
Race White
Location Romulus, Alabama
Found April 18, 1982
Unidentified for 35 years
Postmortem interval Hours
Body condition Recognizable face
Age approximation 34 - 38
Height approximation 5'4
Weight approximation 110 - 115 pounds
Cause of death Strangulation
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 10:58:09 am
http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tuscaloosa_County_Jane_Doe_body.jpg

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe body.jpg

(https://i.imgur.com/wCNqoUT.jpg)
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 11:01:34 am
(https://i.imgur.com/7rXxNSX.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/0eLWifJ.gif)
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 11:09:21 am
https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=559314&GRid=155049569&

Jane "Tuscaloosa County" Doe

Birth: unknown
Death: Apr. 18, 1982
Romulus
Tuscaloosa County
Alabama, USA

Tuscaloosa County Jane Doe

The body of a white female aged thirty-four to thirty-eight was found in Slaughter Creek, near the Sipsey River in Romulus, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama on April 18, 1982. The victim had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed approximately 110 to 115 pounds. She wore tennis shoes, knitted blue pants, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and white undergarments. It is possible that she was fishing at the area and was killed at the scene, as a disturbance of the earth was found at the location. She had a ruddy complexion (indicating that she regularly engaged in outdoor activity), wore an upper partial denture, may have given birth to a child in the past, and showed evidence of having done manual labor. She had dark-brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.She also had a visible scar under her right eyebrow. Her remains were exhumed in 2013 for additional examination and to obtain a DNA sample.
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 11:11:10 am
Slaughter Creek

(https://i.imgur.com/oVdwao9.jpg)
Title: Re: TUSCALOOSA JANE DOE: WF, 34-38, found by Sipsy River, Tuscaloosa, AL -18 April 1982 *GRAPHIC*
Post by: Akoya on August 18, 2020, 11:12:28 am
(https://i.imgur.com/ZgaEIUH.gif)