The Lost and the Found

http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/Delta_Dawn

Delta Dawn

Delta Dawn is the nickname given to an infant or toddler found dead in the Dog river in Moss Point, Mississippi in 1982.

It is believed that Delta Dawn was seen alive one night with a woman who was carrying a child while pacing over a bridge. The woman, presumably Delta Dawn's mother or abductor, was causing a disturbance and refused help from those who offered.

The child's body was found in the river the next day. Someone had attempted to suffocate her, but she was still alive when she landed in the water, as some was found in her lungs, indicating she drowned.

It is unknown why the victim had been disposed of in the river, possibly by the woman carrying her or by someone who was seen that stopped and possibly grew angry when the woman refused help.

Delta Dawn's body was found after a man had called police to report a woman's body in the river, but the child's body was found instead. The adult has never been located.

Another victim, the Jackson County John Doe was found after an additional search. He was not likely related to this case, as he had been shot and was deceased for a significant amount of time before.


Delta Dawn

Sex Female
Race White
Location Moss Point, Mississippi
Found December 5, 1982
Unidentified for 34 years
Postmortem interval 24 Hours
Body condition Recognizable face
Age approximation 1-2
Height approximation 2'6
Weight approximation 20 - 25 pounds
Cause of death Drowning (homicide)

https://bethevoiceofthevictims.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-delta-dawn-case.html

Voice Of The Victims
Historical Missing Persons & Unsolved Murder cases

Friday, September 18, 2015



"Delta Dawn" is the nickname of an unidentified decedent found in Moss Point, Mississippi in late 1982. The child was a murder victim, as she had both been smothered and drowned shortly before her body was found in the Escatawpa River.



Born: 1980 - 1981 (approximate)
Status: Unidentified for 32 years, 9 months and 13 days
Died: December 3 or 4, 1982 Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi, United States
Cause of Death: Drowning
Body Discovered: December 5, 1982
Resting Place: Jackson County Memorial Park, Moss Point, Mississippi, United States
Height: 2 ft 5 in (0.74 m) - 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m)
Weight: 20 lb (9.1 kg) - 25 lb (11 kg)


A Little Bit About The 'Delta Dawn' Case
It is believed that the girl was seen with an adult female within two days before the body was located in Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi. The woman, who was carrying the child, was walking above a bridge near the area. The adult, possibly the girl's mother, was walking between midnight and one o'clock in the morning two days prior, that was acting distressed but would not accept help from passing vehicles. Within two days after the sightings, a man called police to report the discovery of a body in the river, clothed in a blue plaid shirt, which is now presumed to be the adult.Authorities responded and soon arrived at the scene, located along interstate 10, but instead came across the child's body. The sheriff that found the baby's body had initially mistaken the body to have belonged to his daughter, that apparently bore a strong resemblance to Delta Dawn, who was later found to be alive and well at his residence.The adult's corpse was never found and she has never been located alive.



An autopsy performed on the Jane Doe's body concluded that she had been alive when she entered the water, as evidence in her lungs indicated that she drowned, although someone had attempted to smother her before she entered the river. The official cause of her death was concluded to have been due to inhaling the water upon impacting its surface. Delta Dawn was a healthy toddler between the ages of one and two years old, most likely at the age of eighteen months. Twelve of her teeth had erupted at the time of her death, which influenced the age estimation. The girl had curly strawberry-blond hair and was of Caucasian heritage. Because of the amount of time she was in the water, her eyes had clouded to the point where estimating the exact color was very difficult, but it was believed that they were either blue or brown. Despite that her eyes had been damaged by exposure to the elements, her face was still stated to be in a "recognizable" condition. She was around two feet six inches and weighed around twenty-five pounds. The girl wore a pink and white checkered dress or shirt, decorated with three flowers on its front, along with a diaper.

Extensive searches have been conducted in hopes to find the body of the woman that had initially been found prior to Delta Dawn's, which has been fruitless. Several scenarios have been conceived, some believing that, if the woman seen with the baby was indeed her mother, had caused the victim's death and subsequently committed suicide. Another revolves around a woman that had stopped by the sheriffs office, describing that she had "given away" her child to a group of men. Officers speculated that the individual could have been the child's mother, yet it was eventually learned that the subject requesting assistance had a male child.



The victim was adopted posthumously by a police officer and his wife, who funded the victim's funeral and burial. The victim's nickname was coined by his wife. She is buried in the Jackson County Cemetery. In 2007, a graveside memorial service was conducted in memory of the victim.

Since her discovery, the girl was reconstructed forensically in efforts to identify her through recognition. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has released two illustrations and other artists have also produced their own renderings.

The Doe Network: Case File: 45UFMS
NCMEC - 'Jane Doe 1982' - Delta Dawn
NamUs - NamUs UP # 12191 - Delta Dawn Case

[img]https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zweyb4HDnnc/Vf3GqHp4QWI/AAAAAAAAAlo/1URlxllcCDY/s640/deltadawn3.jpg[/

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/45ufms.html

Case File: 45UFMS
The Doe Network





Artistic renderings of the victim

Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: December 5, 1982
Location of Discovery: Escatawpa, Jackson County, Mississippi
Estimated Date of Death: 36 and 48 hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Possible drowning

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

Estimated Age: 12 months to 2 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 2'6"
Weight: 20-25 lbs.
Hair Color: Strawberry blonde
Eye Color: Brown or blue

Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Dentals: Not available. 12 baby teeth had grown in at the time of her death.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Cradle Togs' pink and white dress which buttoned in the back and a disposable diaper. Some reports state that she was wearing a red and white checkered dress or shirt.

Jewelry: Unknown

Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Case History
The child's body was located in the Dog River beneath the westbound lane of I-10 in Pascagoula. She was apparently thrown off the Interstate 10 bridge. Her body was found when a truck driver reported a body of an adult wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans floating in the river.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office believes the body is the mother of the child found floating in the river. Detectives said the theory is based on the fact that a woman, who was obviously distressed and carrying a child, was seen walking on Interstate-10 on the previous Friday night. This is further confirmed by a Moss Point woman who was monitoring CB conversations that night. She said "truckers were 'raising-a-boat-load-of-Hell' between midnight Friday and 1 AM. Saturday because a woman and child were walking on the interstate and refused to let anyone help her."

Authorities said a woman wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans and carrying a child was seen near the scales at the Alabama line walking west on the interstate. She was reported walking in the westbound lane. A man who saw the woman said a pickup truck stopped but she refused to get into the truck.

Authorities speculate the woman may have thrown the child into the water and then jumped. The baby still had a breath of life because she had sucked in some of the murky water into her lungs.

The body of the woman was never recovered nor has she been identified.

The unidentified toddler is buried in Jackson County Memorial Park. Deputy Moore and his wife stepped forward and made sure the little girl was given a proper funeral and burial in 1982. 200 people attended the young girl's funeral.

Investigating Agency(s)
If you have any information about this case please contact;

Agency Name: Jackson County Sheriff's Department
Agency Contact Person: Capt. Curtis Spiers
Agency Phone Number: 228-769-3306

Agency Name: Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 228-769-3197

Agency Case Number: 82-21094; NCMEC: 1103997
NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: UP #12191
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Information Source(s)
NamUs
NCMEC
Gulf Live News Archive
WLOX News Archive (12/8/07)

Skull found by two boys fishing on Canyon Creek on 3088 E of 97A Co Rd.



Co Rd 97A, Sandia, TX 78383

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