http://www.sanduskyregister.com/Law-Enforcement/2016/10/04/FBI.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1 OTTAWA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
FBI digs into local cold case
PATRICK PFANNER • UPDATED OCT 5, 2016 AT 7:27 AM
patrickpfanner@sanduskyregister.com
PORT CLINTON — The FBI reopened a 41-year-old cold case involving a woman found floating naked in a Salem Township creek.
Recent advancements in technology allowed investigators to construct a composite image of the woman's face when she died.
With this new information now available, investigators hope they can finally solve a longstanding mystery.
"Her death was questionable," Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick said Tuesday during a news conference with the FBI. "We were never able to close this case."
Two hunters discovered the unidentified woman in the evening hours of Oct. 22, 1975, off the banks of Mud Creek near West Mud Creek Road.
Investigators pursued the case, but were unable to determine who she was or how she died. With their leads dried up, deputies shelved the case until new information presented itself.
"Determining her identity is crucial if we want any hope of solving the mystery behind her death," Levorchick said.
Push for leads
Ottawa County Detective Sgt. Amy Gloor, who works an FBI task force, told her colleagues about the case. Federal agents stepped in to assist the sheriff's office with a joint investigation.
Gloor, along with FBI agents, pieced together bits of information from the old case file, including the woman's height, weight, and other characteristics.
"As many of you are aware, the FBI works closely with law enforcement officers," said Ken Keppler, special agent in charge with the Cleveland division of the FBI. "It's through this avenue the FBI became involved."
From the scene
Levorchick said the case was immediately difficult for deputies to handle in 1975.
"There were no obvious signs of trauma on her autopsy," Levorchick said. "It's suspicious given the body location and her being ****. We hope to get to the bottom of this mystery."
She was likely dead for at least 48 hours when her body was found, investigators said. There's evidence suggesting she may have been pregnant within one year of her death.
"There's no indication if this area was a dump site or just where she died," Levorchick said. "There are a lot of questions surrounding this case."
She was buried in an Ottawa County cemetery without a marker or any way of identifying her.
"No one deserves that," Levorchick said. "We'd love to have help from the public to identify her."
Do you know this woman?
• White female
• Height: 5-foot-4
• Weight: about 145 pounds
• Hair: medium length brown and red
• Eyes: brown
• Teeth: poor dental health
• Other: found wearing a love knot ring
Anyone with information on this unnamed woman is encouraged to call the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office at 419-734-4404 or the FBI at 419-243-6122.