Author Topic: BERRIEN COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 65-75, found along Krueger Road in garbage bags - 23 August 1992  (Read 625 times)

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The victim was found on August 23, 1992 in a plastic bag, left along Krueger Road, Berrien City, MI.
Her body was found wrapped in a sheet, towel and two garbage bags, and bound with twine. The victim's body was ****, and the hands and dentures were missing.
Investigators think she may have lived at a care facility in either northern Illinois or Indiana.

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https://identifyus.org/en/cases/8224

Case Information
Status Unidentified
Case number 54-1780-92
Date found August 23, 1992 10:40
Date created December 08, 2010 09:41
Date last modified November 02, 2015 11:52
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed December 23, 2010 19:00

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Name Robert Clark
Agency Berrien Cnty Med Examiners Ofc
Phone (269) 983-8313, (269
Case Manager
Name Sarah Krebs
Phone 313-215-0675

Exclusions
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Elizabeth Rogers 1931 North Carolina
Victoria Salisz 1918 Michigan
Nadine Timm 1935 Illinois

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https://identifyus.org/en/cases/8224

NamUs UP # 8224

ME/C Case Number: 54-1780-92
Berrien County, Michigan
65 to 75 year old White Female

Case Report - NamUs UP # 8224
Case Information

Status Unidentified
Case number 54-1780-92
Date found August 23, 1992 10:40
Date created December 08, 2010 09:41
Date last modified November 02, 2015 11:52
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed December 23, 2010 19:00

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Name Robert Clark
Agency Berrien Cnty Med Examiners Ofc
Phone (269) 983-8313, (269
Case Manager
Name Sarah Krebs
Phone 313-215-0675

Demographics
Estimated age Adult - Pre 80
Minimum age 65 years
Maximum age 75 years
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 105, Estimated
Height (inches) 63, Estimated
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
One or both hands not recovered
Body conditions
Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Probable year of death 1992 to 1992
Estimated postmortem interval 4 Days

Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 Red Arrow Highway
Address 2
City New Buffalo
State Michigan
Zip code
County Berrien
Circumstances
In August 1992, the skeletonized remains of an elderly woman were found near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo, MI.

Physical
Hair color White

Left eye color Brown
Right eye color Brown
Eye description

No other distinctive body features

Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is currently not available

Clothing and Accessories
No clothing or accessories

Clothing on body
Found ****

Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

Images

Facial/case ID
Public viewable
Facial Reconstruction done by MSP forensic artist Amy Michaud

Akoya

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/129ufmi.html

The Doe Network:
Case File 129UFMI




Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified White Female

Located on August 23, 1992 near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo Township, Berrien County, Michigan
Cause of death was homicide.
Police believe that she was killed 4 - 7 days before she was found and had been at the location for about 48 hours.

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 65-75 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'2"; 102 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White hair; brown eyes. She had an appendectomy scar. Also had a broken spine which was not the cause of death.
Dentals: No teeth. Dentures were missing.
Clothing: No clothing located.
Case History
The victim was found on August 23, 1992 in a plastic bag, left along Krueger Road, Berrien City, MI.
Her body was found wrapped in a sheet, towel and two garbage bags, and bound with twine. The victim's body was ****, and the hands and dentures were missing.
Investigators think she may have lived at a care facility in either northern Illinois or Indiana.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
The Michigan State Police
Bridgman Post
616-465-6525
OR
Berrien County Medical Examiners Office
269-983-8495

Agency Case Number: 54-1780-92
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information: Michigan State Police
NamUs

Akoya

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http://www.harborcountry-news.com/f...cle_fb07b6ba-b71b-50cf-a9df-125187ff85a8.html

20 years later, she’s still a mystery

Police seeking identity of woman whose handless, toothless body was found in New Buffalo Township
By Julie Swidwa
For the News
Sep 5, 2012

Facial reconstruction of a Jane Doe was completed by a Michigan State Police forensic artist using the victim's skull in 1992

NILES — The identity of a woman’s body found in 1992 remains unknown after 20 years, and the Michigan State Police Niles Post is again asking the public for help in identifying her.

Trooper Jeffery Oudman said the woman died of natural causes. But someone had cut off her hands, removed her teeth, tied her up in garbage bags and dumped her body. Detectives theorize that someone close to the woman wanted to hide her death to continue collecting money or benefits, Oudman said. He said fingerprints and teeth, in this case dentures, are tools police use to identify a person.

“Without those, it makes an ID of a body almost impossible,” he said.

The body was found on Aug. 23, 1992, by a person walking along Krueger Road east of Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo Township. A medical examiner determined the victim had been dead for four to seven days before being dumped along the road, about 24 hours before being found. The body was wrapped in a sheet, towel and garbage bags and then bound with twine.

Oudman said that when a body is found, the case is treated as a homicide until proven otherwise.

“As additional information surfaced, it was determined that it was not a homicide and that she died due to an illness,” he said.

Oudman said an autopsy done in 1992 indicated that the woman had been in poor health, and said she probably had a caretaker.

The victim was a white female with white hair and brown eyes who was between 65 and 75 years old at her death. She was about 5 feet 2, weighed 103 pounds and wore dentures. Anyone with infor mation is asked to contact the MSP Niles Post at (269) 683-4411.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...r_victims_in_Michigan#Berrien_County_Jane_Doe

Berrien County Jane Doe

The remains of a woman were found on August 23, 1992 in New Buffalo, Berrien County, Michigan. The victim was **** and between the ages of 65 and 75 when she was murdered. The victim was wrapped in a bed sheet, two garbage bags and a towel and left alongside a highway. Her hands were severed to prevent identification through fingerprint examination. The victim was also missing her dentures, as she had no teeth. The body was at the scene for approximately two days, but she was killed four to seven days before. The woman may have been from a nursing home in Illinois or Indiana. She was believed to have been five feet two inches tall at a weight of around 102 pounds.

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http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/mis...chigan-near-red-arrow-highway-in-new-buffalo/

Michigan-near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo



Jane Doe #2 – Unidentified white female
Victim: White female
Age: 65 – 75
Height: 5′ 2″
Weight: 102
Hair: White

In August 1992, the skeletonized remains of an elderly woman were found near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo, MI. The badly decomposed body was found wrapped in a sheet and towel and two garbage bags and bound with twine. The victim’s body was ****, and the hands and dentures were missing. Police believe that the woman was killed four to seven days before she was found.

If you have any information about this case, or if the above photos remind you of someone you have not seen in a while, please contact the Michigan State Police – Bridgman Post, (269) 469 – 1111.

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http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/08/31/michigan-police-still-seek-id-on-woman-killed-20-years-ago/

CHICAGO (CBS) — Michigan State Police are still trying to identify a woman who was murdered and left on the side of a road 20 years ago this month.

It’s a case that has been handed from detective to detective for two decades and officers won’t stop trying to solve it, WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports.

The victim was found in New Buffalo Township. She was found wrapped in a sheet, towel and garbage bags and bound with twine.

It’s believed she was between 65 and 75 years old and may have lived in a care facility in northern Illinois or Indiana.

Her body was found on Aug. 23, 1992 by a pedestrian walking along Krueger Road east of Red Arrow highway.

A medical examiner determined the victim was deceased for four to seven days before being dumped along the road, approximately 24 hours prior to discovery, police said.

The victim was white and had brown eyes. She was approximately 5’2” tall, weighed 103 pounds and wore dentures. Her hands and dentures were missing when she was found, police said.

Right now, she is buried in an unmarked grave as a Jane Doe.

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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/ar/t819.htm

MSP: After 20 Years, Body Found in New Buffalo Still Unidentified

By Kelli Stopczynski (kstopczynski@wsbt.com)

WSBT TV Reporter

WSBT TV

6:37 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2012
At first, Mark Henshaw didn't believe his mother-in-law when she told him she saw a body on the side of the road near her home in rural New Buffalo Township. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought it might be a good idea to at least drive by and check it out.

"I rolled down my window enough to get a smell of decay and the flies were terrible," he recalled. "I drove past what was definitely a body wrapped in trash bags and twine. And the only reason I knew for sure was there was some hair poking through where the plastic bags had broken.

It was August 23, 1992.

A stack of 35 millimeter crime scene photos, a three-ring binder and several thick folders with reports, leads, tips and information now sits on Michigan State Police Investigator Jeffery Oudman's desk at the Niles post.

The photographs show black trash bags wrapped in twine just a few feet off Krueger Road, east of Red Arrow Highway.

The woman's body was wrapped in a white sheet and towels before she was put in the bag, Oudman said. Her hands and dentures had been removed because whoever put her there likely didn't want her to be identified, he added.

"Now, of course, we have DNA, but back then, basically that's all we had, was fingerprints and dental records. And because neither was available from this body it made the investigation all that much harder," Oudman said.

One theory, he added, was that someone may have been trying to collect her Social Security benefits or possibly take advantage of what she left behind. Investigators also believe the woman may have lived in a care facility such as a nursing home in northern Illinois or Indiana due to an illness, and the type of white sheet that was found wrapped around her body.

A medical examiner determined the woman inside the bag died four to seven days before being dumped. That examiner also ruled the woman died of natural causes, but police didn't rule out foul play because of the condition of her body when she was found.

The tips and leads into identifying her dried up years ago. Nobody came forward to claim her as a missing friend or relative. Police were at a dead end.

But recently, police released photographs of a facial reconstruction an MSP forensic artist put together of that "Jane Doe," using her skull and clay. Police describe the woman as a white female with white hair and brown eyes who was between 65- and 75-years-old at her death. She was approximately 5'2" tall, weighed 103 pounds and wore dentures. The hope is that someone will recognize her and come forward.

"We will not close this case until we find the identity of this person," Oudman said.

As for Henshaw, the chilling discovery he made on a warm summer day 20 years ago is something that will stay with him forever.

"It feels just like a few days ago because it's pretty clear [in my memory]. You don't forget something like that," he said.

If you have any information about the woman or the circumstances surrounding her death, call Detective Sergeant Douglas Kill or Tpr. Investigator Jeff Oudman at the Niles Post at (269) 683-4411.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-new-buffalo-...0,6298091.story

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http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...e-doe-20120831_1_trash-bags-plastic-bags-body

Police trying to identify woman dumped in rural Berrien County 20 years ago
6:37 p.m. EST, August 31, 2012|
By Kelli Stopczynski (kstopczynski@wsbt.com)

, WSBT TV Reporter
At first, Mark Henshaw didn’t believe his mother-in-law when she told him she saw a body on the side of the road near her home in rural New Buffalo Township. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought it might be a good idea to at least drive by and check it out.

“I rolled down my window enough to get a smell of decay and the flies were terrible,” he recalled. “I drove past what was definitely a body wrapped in trash bags and twine. And the only reason I knew for sure was there was some hair poking through where the plastic bags had broken.

It was August 23, 1992.

A stack of 35 millimeter crime scene photos, a three-ring binder and several thick folders with reports, leads, tips and information now sits on Michigan State Police Investigator Jeffery Oudman’s desk at the Niles post.

The photographs show black trash bags wrapped in twine just a few feet off Krueger Road, east of Red Arrow Highway.

The woman’s body was wrapped in a white sheet and towels before she was put in the bag, Oudman said. Her hands and dentures had been removed because whoever put her there likely didn’t want her to be identified, he added.

“Now, of course, we have DNA, but back then, basically that's all we had, was fingerprints and dental records. And because neither was available from this body it made the investigation all that much harder,” Oudman said.

One theory, he added, was that someone may have been trying to collect her Social Security benefits or possibly take advantage of what she left behind. Investigators also believe the woman may have lived in a care facility such as a nursing home in northern Illinois or Indiana due to an illness, and the type of white sheet that was found wrapped around her body.

A medical examiner determined the woman inside the bag died four to seven days before being dumped. That examiner also ruled the woman died of natural causes, but police didn’t rule out foul play because of the condition of her body when she was found.

The tips and leads into identifying her dried up years ago. Nobody came forward to claim her as a missing friend or relative. Police were at a dead end.

But recently, police released photographs of a facial reconstruction an MSP forensic artist put together of that “Jane Doe,” using her skull and clay. Police describe the woman as a white female with white hair and brown eyes who was between 65- and 75-years-old at her death. She was approximately 5’2” tall, weighed 103 pounds and wore dentures. The hope is that someone will recognize her and come forward.

“We will not close this case until we find the identity of this person,” Oudman said.

As for Henshaw, the chilling discovery he made on a warm summer day 20 years ago is something that will stay with him forever.

“It feels just like a few days ago because it's pretty clear [in my memory]. You don't forget something like that,” he said.

If you have any information about the woman or the circumstances surrounding her death, call Detective Sergeant Douglas Kill or Tpr. Investigator Jeff Oudman at the Niles Post at (269) 683-4411.

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https://wetbin.com/michigan-trying-to-identify-remains-of-missing-persons/

Michigan Trying to Identify Remains of Missing Persons
August 28, 2007

In August of 1992, the skeletal remains of a woman between the age of 65-75, were found near the Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo, Mi. The woman who was 5’2″, 102 lbs., was found wrapped in a sheet and a towel then place into a garbage with twine wrapped around it. The woman was found **** with her hands and dentures missing. Authorities believe that the woman had been killed just four to seven days before her discovery. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Michigan State Police Bridgman Post at 616-465-6525. A computer enhanced photo of the deceased is located HERE (Jane Doe #2)

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https://alchetron.com/List-of-unidentified-murder-victims-in-Michigan-744972-W

Berrien County Jane Doe

The remains of a woman were found on August 23, 1992 in New Buffalo, Berrien County, Michigan. The victim was **** and between the ages of 65 and 75 when she was murdered. The victim was wrapped in a bed sheet, two garbage bags and a towel and left alongside a highway. Her hands were severed to prevent identification through fingerprint examination. The victim was also missing her dentures, as she had no teeth. The body was at the scene for approximately two days, but she was killed four to seven days before. The woman may have been from a nursing home in Illinois or Indiana. She was believed to have been five feet two inches tall at a weight of around 102 pounds.

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Krueger Road, New Buffalo Township, Michigan

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New Buffalo, Michigan



New Buffalo Harbor




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Michigan police hope DNA tests will ID remains found in '92

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State Police are hoping DNA testing will reveal the identity of woman whose remains were found nearly 30 years ago.

The police are turning to the DNA Doe Project, an organization that uses a DNA database to make comparisons and reconstruct family trees. After decades of investigating, authorities are hoping to bring justice to the woman whose remains were found inside two garbage bags in 1992, WOOD-TV reported.

Detective Sgt. Douglas Kill said he is optimistic given the success of the DNA organization.

“This is going to be great for identifying this woman, maybe bringing some closure to some family members who just never knew what happened to her,” Kill noted.

Missing from the remains were the woman's hands and a set of dentures. Kill said the level of decomposition made it impossible to determine how she died.

“It was obvious to the detective at the time that somebody was trying to disguise her identity or keep her from being identified, and that makes it really difficult," Kill said.

Police know the woman was white, from 65 to 70 years old and had been deceased about a week before her body was dropped in New Buffalo.

The DNA Doe Project "has sent out their investigators to follow up on the leads they have, so to me that indicates that they’ve found some family members someplace and they’re working on it,” Kill said.

The person who found the remains and told police, Mark Henshaw, says he wants justice to be served.

“If they did it once, who’s to say they haven’t done it again?” Henshaw told WOOD-TV.

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Her page on DNA Doe Project. She is referred to as "Betty the Bag Lady".

Betty the Bag Lady Berrien Co 1992 - DNA Doe Project Cases
Description In the evening of August 23, 1992, a passerby noticed what appeared to be a body wrapped in a black plastic bag 15 feet off the side of a rural road near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo, Michigan. The ****, decomposing remains of a White-Caucasian elderly woman were found wrapped in...
dnadoeproject.org

In the evening of August 23, 1992, a passerby noticed what appeared to be a body wrapped in a black plastic bag 15 feet off the side of a rural road near Red Arrow Highway in New Buffalo, Michigan. The ****, decomposing remains of a White-Caucasian elderly woman were found wrapped in a sheet and inside two garbage bags, with her feet wrapped in an institutional-type white towel. Both her hands and her dentures were missing. Forensic scientists determined the body had been dumped about 24 hours prior, and that the woman had been deceased from four to seven days. Investigators speculate she may have come from a care facility in either northern Illinois or Indiana.

DNA Doe Project Status: Research in progress

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Michigan police hope DNA tests will ID remains found in '92
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State Police are hoping DNA testing will reveal the identity of woman whose remains were found nearly 30 years ago. The police are turning to the DNA Doe Project, an organization that uses a DNA database to make comparisons and reconstruct family trees...
www.thehour.com

Michigan police hope DNA tests will ID remains found in '92

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State Police are hoping DNA testing will reveal the identity of woman whose remains were found nearly 30 years ago.

The police are turning to the DNA Doe Project, an organization that uses a DNA database to make comparisons and reconstruct family trees. After decades of investigating, authorities are hoping to bring justice to the woman whose remains were found inside two garbage bags in 1992, WOOD-TV reported.

Detective Sgt. Douglas Kill said he is optimistic given the success of the DNA organization.

“This is going to be great for identifying this woman, maybe bringing some closure to some family members who just never knew what happened to her,” Kill noted.

Missing from the remains were the woman's hands and a set of dentures. Kill said the level of decomposition made it impossible to determine how she died.

“It was obvious to the detective at the time that somebody was trying to disguise her identity or keep her from being identified, and that makes it really difficult," Kill said.

Police know the woman was white, from 65 to 70 years old and had been deceased about a week before her body was dropped in New Buffalo.

The DNA Doe Project "has sent out their investigators to follow up on the leads they have, so to me that indicates that they’ve found some family members someplace and they’re working on it,” Kill said.

The person who found the remains and told police, Mark Henshaw, says he wants justice to be served.

“If they did it once, who’s to say they haven’t done it again?” Henshaw told WOOD-TV.