The Lost and the Found

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/10708

NamUs UP # 10708

ME/C Case Number: OA12-137
Cameron County, Texas
43 to 55 year old White Hispanic/Latino Female


Case Report - NamUs UP # 10708
Case Information
Status Unidentified
Case number OA12-137
Date found October 10, 2012 00:00
Date created October 24, 2012 10:11
Date last modified December 01, 2014 12:36
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed October 25, 2012 04:39

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Ofc Of The Cameron Cnty JP
Phone 956-427-8057
Case Manager
Name Elizabeth Miller
Phone 956-389-1956

Demographics
Estimated age Adult
Minimum age 43 years
Maximum age 55 years
Race White
Ethnicity Hispanic/Latino
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 95, Estimated
Height (inches) 60, Estimated
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
One or both hands not recovered
Body conditions
Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Probable year of death 2012 to 2012
Estimated postmortem interval Weeks

Probable year of death 2012 to 2012
Estimated postmortem interval Weeks

Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 5.3 miles north of beach access #6
Address 2
City South Padre Island
State Texas
Zip code 78597
County Cameron
Circumstances
covered in lime, buried on beach between sandhills and shore, partially unearthed recently due to weather-associated high tides.

Physical
Hair color Black
Head hair
coarse, straight to wavy, approximately 17 inches long.

Left eye color Unknown or Missing
Right eye color Unknown or Missing
Eye description

Distinctive features as described below

Tattoos
Black tattooed eyebrows.
Red tattooed lips (entire lips).
Piercings
Each earlobe pierced once.

Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is available elsewhere

Clothing and Accessories
No clothing or accessories
Clothing and accessories are described below
Clothing on body
1. Dark color tank top, "Paris Blues" brand, size M.
2. Blue, green, and white plaid shorts, labeled as part of two-piece girls sleepwear set, "Komar Kids" brand, size L/G 10/12.
3. Red bikini panties with sanitary pad in crotch.


Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/10708

The decomposed remains of an Hispanic woman were found on the beach, scavenged by coyotes, on October 10, 2012, on South Padre Island, Cameron County, Texas. The victim's body was likely exposed due to changes with water levels on the beach. The woman had been dead for one or more weeks before the discovery. The sand above the body had been "covered with lime," possibly to speed decomposition or plant growth, likely as a way to prevent the body from being found or identified.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/39umtx.html

The Doe Network:
Case File 39UMTX



Unidentified White Male

Located on June 3, 1977 in Mesquite, Dallas County, Texas.
Cause of death was injury due to vehicle / pedestrian accident.
The victim died the same day he was located.

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 20-30 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'8-5'10"; 160-170 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Light brown hair and brown eyes. He had an enlarged heart and may have been suffered from heart murmurs during his life.
Clothing: He was wearing a tan print t-shirt; blue jeans; and brown moccasin-style shoes. The victim was carrying a reddish-colored guitar.
Fingerprints: Available
Other: He may have been traveling through Texas with a dog.

Case History
The victim was struck and killed by a car.


Investigators
If you have any information concerning this man's identity, please contact:
Texas Department Of Public Safety
800-346-3243
Or
Mesquite Police Department
972-216-6228
Or
Dallas County Medical Examiner
214-920-5900
You may remain anonymous when submitting information to any agency.

Agency Case Number:
Mesquite Police Dept. #772496 County Medical Examiners case # 1120-77-0599

NCIC Number:
U-153040902
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Texas Department Of Public Safety
NamUs

On June 3, 1977, this man died after being struck by a motor vehicle while walking along Highway I-635 in the city of Mesquite (Dallas County), Texas.  He was reported to have been seen traveling through Texas with a dog.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/470415123551623626/



Dallas Texas Jane Doe July 2004 | Scars: Multiple scars .Tattoos: Eyeliner to both eyes & lip liner to lips. Visit her profile for details. http://canyouidentifyme.org/DallasTexasJaneDoeJuly2004

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/1734

NamUs UP # 1734

ME/C Case Number: 2301-04
Dallas County, Texas
35 to 45 year old Female

Case Report - NamUs UP # 1734
Case Information
Status Unidentified
Case number 2301-04
Date found July 04, 2004 17:44
Date created May 09, 2008 18:45
Date last modified July 17, 2014 14:14
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed May 10, 2008 05:34

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Dallas Cnty Med Examiners Ofc
Phone 214-920-5900
Case Manager
Name Steven Kurtz
Phone 214.920.5900

Demographics
Estimated age Adult - Pre 50
Minimum age 35 years
Maximum age 45 years
Race Other
Ethnicity
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 127, Measured
Height (inches) 60, Measured
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
All parts recovered
Body conditions
Recognizable face
Probable year of death 0 to 2004
Estimated postmortem interval

Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 4400 Sylvester
Address 2
City
State Texas
Zip code
County Dallas
Circumstances
Failure to stop and render aid.

Physical
Hair color Gray or Partially Gray
Head hair
Long, straight color-treated auburn hair with gray roots.
Body hair
None noted.
Facial hair
None noted.
Left eye color Brown
Right eye color Brown
Eye description
Brown eyes.

Scars and marks
Right lower quad. of abdomen, scars on both upper eyelids, and irregular scars on both upper arms.
Tattoos
Dark green eyeliner tattooed on eyelids and pink lip liner tattooed on lips.
Piercings
Pierced ear, nonspecific

Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is available and entered

Clothing and Accessories
No clothing or accessories
Clothing and accessories are described below
Clothing on body
Green panties, pink print short set.
Clothing with body
None.
Footwear
Blue plastic slide style sandals.
Jewelry
YM pierced hoops with clear stones in ears.
Eyewear
None present.

Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Samples submitted - Tests not complete

Images
There are currently no images available for this case.

Subsequent search
Following the discovery of the child's body, the general vicinity of the Escatawpa River where the truck driver had sighted the body of the adult female was dragged in the hopes of also retrieving her body, although these efforts would prove unsuccessful.[10] These searches were conducted with the aid of helicopters and boats, although the body of the woman initially sighted within the Escatawpa River has never been found.[n 1] However, if the body seen floating in the river on December 5 was not hers, she has never been located alive, or presented herself to authorities.[7][14][n 2]

Although the underwater search unit failed to locate the body of the adult woman,[9] this search unit did locate the largely skeletal remains of an African-American male on December 8. This individual is believed to have been aged 18 to 22, and his body was located beneath the eastbound I-10 bridge approximately 60 yards from the scene of the earlier discovery of the child's body.[15][16] This decedent remains unidentified, and although investigators believe this individual had also been thrown over the I-10 bridge, this decedent had lain undiscovered for a minimum of six months, and had been shot to death, thus making his death extremely unlikely to be connected to the case.[17]

Physical examination
An autopsy performed on the child's body revealed that someone had attempted to smother her before she had entered the river, although the child had still been alive when she had entered the water,[18] having inhaled murky water from the river into her lungs, thus indicating she had ultimately died of drowning.[6] The official cause of death would be certified as drowning due to her having inhaled water upon impacting the surface of the river.[11] Investigators would also conclude she had been intentionally deposited into the river from the eastbound I-10 bridge, very likely having been thrown into the river by the woman seen carrying her two days prior to her discovery (with this woman possibly believing the child had died via the act of smothering).[2]

In life, Delta Dawn had been a healthy toddler, with her age estimated to have been between the ages of one and two years old, most likely being between 18 months and two years of age. Twelve of her milk teeth had erupted at the time of her death, which influenced this age estimation. The girl was Caucasian, with curly strawberry-blond hair,[7] and has been described as being markedly beautiful in appearance.[11] Because the child's body had lain in the river for approximately 36 to 48 hours prior to her discovery, her eyes had clouded to such a degree that determining their precise color was very difficult, although it is believed they had been either blue or brown.[7][6] Despite the elemental damage to the eyes, her face was described as being in a "recognizable" condition.[12] She was around two feet six inches in height, weighed around 25 pounds and although no food was found in her stomach, she showed no signs of having been malnourished.[12] The girl wore a pink and white Cradle Togs checkered dress, decorated with three flowers on its front, along with a diaper.[7][11]

Funeral
The funeral of this unidentified child (who would become known as both "Delta Dawn" and "Baby Jane" to both the public and the media) was primarily funded by a local deputy named Virgil Moore who, along with his wife, Mary Ann, initiated a fundraising and donations appeal via local businesses and funeral homes to ensure the child received a Christian funeral, with Mary Ann Moore as the individual who coined the name "Baby Jane," having been aghast at the thought of the child being simply buried as a Jane Doe.[11][n 3]

Delta Dawn was buried in the Jackson County Cemetery following an hour-long service conducted at the Bethel Assembly Church in Pascagoula. This service was conducted within weeks of the child's discovery, after all efforts to locate any relatives had proven fruitless. The service itself was attended by approximately 200 people, with four police officers serving as pallbearers. The primary means of paying for and conducting the child's funeral were donations by various local businesses and their employees,[13] and Delta Dawn was buried beneath a flat granite marker with a ceramic vase. Her grave bears the inscriptions "Baby Jane" and "Known Only To God".

On the 25th anniversary of the funeral of Delta Dawn, a memorial service in her honor was held at the Bethel Assembly Church.[14] This memorial service was organized by two Alabama women named Marjorie Brinker and Lynn Reuss, who have both stated they could not comprehend "why someone would throw a baby into the river like that."[19]

"She belongs to somebody. And, if she's not remembered, it's not going to be put out anymore. It's just ... time is going to pass on by. And this way here, if we keep her in the light, somebody may just come forward."
Paul Murphy; Deputy sheriff on duty at the time of the recovery of the body of Delta Dawn from the Escatawpa River, 2007.[20]
Investigation
Extensive searches were conducted to find the body of the woman seen floating face-down within the Escatawpa River on December 5; equal efforts have been made to locate and/or identify the acutely distressed woman seen walking along Interstate 10 carrying a barefooted child in her arms on December 3, should the body sighted by the truck driver actually not have been hers.[7][2] All efforts proved fruitless. Several scenarios surrounding the death of Delta Dawn have been theorized, with the most common contemporary assertion being that the woman seen with the toddler was the child's mother, who had either accidentally or intentionally caused the child's death before subsequently committing suicide.[6]

Following the discovery of Delta Dawn, newspapers throughout the country published stories of the discovery of the child's body, and the sightings on Interstate 10 two days previously. These stories often featured contemporary forensic facial reconstructions of how the child had most likely appeared in life. All initial efforts proved unsuccessful with ascertaining the identity of Delta Dawn via this technique.[2] A contemporary report of a woman who informed sheriff's deputies that she had "given away" her child to a group of men was originally connected to the case by the investigating officers, although these investigators rapidly determined that the subject requesting assistance had a male child, thus enabling investigators to quickly determine this report as being impertinent to this case.[11]

In 2009, the body of Delta Dawn was exhumed in order that investigators could obtain a DNA sample from her body which could be entered into both the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children databases for comparison with nationwide unsolved murders and missing person reports. Initially, no DNA match with Delta Dawn or the individual believed to have been her mother (should the two have been related) was obtained.[21]


Two forensic facial reconstructions of Delta Dawn prior to her 2020 identification. The most recent rendering (right) was created in 2014.[3]
With advances in technology, several forensic facial reconstructions of the child were created in the years following the discovery of her body in ongoing efforts to identify her. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also released two illustrations depicting potential likenesses as to how Delta Dawn may have physically appeared in her life; other forensic artists also produced their own renderings in efforts to discover her identity.[7][6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Alisha_Heinrich