Author Topic: "MS. WIGGINS" JANE DOE: WF, 32-46, found in trash bags near Wiggins, MS - 5 October 1980  (Read 228 times)

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Hunters found the victim's skeletal remains in two green trash bags in a wooded area off Highway 26 in Wiggins. Her hands and feet were bound.

She is affectionately known as Ms. Wiggins.

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Akoya

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https://identifyus.org/en/cases/11583

Case Information

Status Unidentified
Case number 2013005870
Date found October 05, 1980 00:00
Date created September 09, 2013 11:55
Date last modified May 30, 2017 10:11
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Stone County Coroner's Office
Phone 601-528-4256
Case Manager
Name Kristi Johnson
Phone 228-896-0664

Exclusions
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Colleen Burgess 1948 Colorado
Peggy DeCoteau 1938 Montana
Delores Griffin 1942 Illinois
Barbara Jackson 1948 Alaska
Mary Levitz 1933 Mississippi
Mary Ann Perez 1943 Louisiana
Mary Thompson 1947 Texas
Cherry Weaver 1941 Florida
Jennifer Wyant 1958 Tennessee

Akoya

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https://identifyus.org/en/cases/11583

NamUs UP # 11583

ME/C Case Number: 2013005870
Stone County, Mississippi
32 to 46 year old White Female

Case Report - NamUs UP # 11583
Case Information

Status Unidentified
Case number 2013005870
Date found October 05, 1980 00:00
Date created September 09, 2013 11:55
Date last modified May 30, 2017 10:11
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Stone County Coroner's Office
Phone 601-528-4256
Case Manager
Name Kristi Johnson
Phone 228-896-0664

Demographics

Estimated age Adult - Pre 50
Minimum age 32 years
Maximum age 46 years
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) , Cannot Estimate
Height (inches) 61, Estimated
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
All parts recovered
Body conditions
Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Probable year of death 1980 to 1980
Estimated postmortem interval 6 Months

Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 Road off Hwy 26
Address 2
City Wiggins
State Mississippi
Zip code
County Stone
Circumstances
On October 5, 1980, hunters discovered skeletal remains.

Physical

Hair color Brown
Head hair
Medium to dark brown, shoulder length hair

Left eye color Unknown or Missing
Right eye color Unknown or Missing

Other distinctive
physical characteristics
Probably right handed
Muscle attachments are well developed, especially in the upper extremities. Physique was likely muscular and compact. Female was physically active through either occupation or athletics.

Skeletal findings
Healed nasal fracture with nasal bridge deviation to the right.
Healed fracture of the lateral end of right clavicle.
Slight porotic hyperostosis suggests at least one episode of chronic iron deficiency anemia.
May have given birth to a child many years prior to death or not at all.

Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is currently not available

Clothing and Accessories
No clothing or accessories

Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1065ufms.html

Case File: 1065UFMS
The Doe Network






Reconstructions and sketch of the victim


Unidentified Female

Date of Discovery: October 5, 1980
Location of Discovery: Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi
Estimated Date of Death: April through October 1980
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton
Cause of Death: Homicide

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate

Estimated Age: 34-46 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'1" to 5'6"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Medium to dark brown, shoulder length.
Eye Color: Unknown

Distinguishing Marks/Features: Healed nasal fracture with nasal bridge deviation to the right. Healed fracture of the lateral end of right clavicle. Slight porotic hyperostosis suggests at least one episode of chronic iron deficiency anemia. May have given birth to a child many years prior to death or not at all. Probably right-handed. Muscle attachments are well developed, especially in the upper extremities. Physique was likely muscular and compact. She was physically active through either occupation or athletics.

Dentals: Available. Extensive dental work. Four platinum dental bridges. several root canals. Seven fillings.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown

Jewelry: Unknown

Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Case History
Hunters found the victim's skeletal remains in two green trash bags in a wooded area off Highway 26 in Wiggins. Her hands and feet were bound.

She is affectionately known as Ms. Wiggins.

Investigating Agency(s)

If you have any information about this case please contact;

Agency Name: Harrison County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Kristi Johnson
Agency Phone Number: 228-896-0664
E-Mail
Agency Name: Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Mark LeVaughn
Agency Phone Number: 601-987-1440

Agency Case Number: 2013005870
NCIC Case Number: U640027728
NamUs Case Number: UP #11583
Former Hot Case Number: 1598
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Information Source(s)
NamUs

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http://www.mscoastcrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?P=unsolved&ID=523&PageNum=2

Remains Found-Wiggins (1980/10/05)
Click to View Movie
Jane Doe – October 5, 1980
Location: Hwy 26 Wiggins,Ms


(Harrison CO SO is working closely with Stone CO SO on this case)
Skeletal remains found October 5, 1980, in a wooded area off Hwy 26 in Wiggins, MS. The remains were submitted to a Forensic Anthropologist for evaluation. It was determined the victim was a Caucasian Female, aging from 34-46. She was approximately 5’1?- 5’7? tall and had medium to dark brown (almost auburn) shoulder length hair. She had very expensive dental work including a root canal and platinum/gold bridges. A forensic artist performed a facial reconstruction (pictured). Please note her eye color is unknown. For more information please visit https://identifyus.org/en/cases/11583

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http://z13.invisionfree.com/Ms_Missing_and_UID/ar/t952.htm

Officials hope to put names to murdered South Mississippi women's faces

Published: November 2, 2013


Facial renderings from their remains found in 1980 may help identification

By MARGARET BAKER � mbbaker@sunherald.com


HARRISON COUNTY -- In October 1980, hunters discovered the skeletal remains of a woman who had been murdered and dumped on a dirt road off Mississippi 26 in Wiggins.

The woman, referred to by authorities as Ms. Wiggins because of where her remains were found, had been stripped, bound and placed in a large green garbage bag.

Her identity remains unknown.

She's one of two women

whose skeletal remains were discovered the same year.

On Nov. 10, 1980, a man on White Plains Road, an old logging road off Lamey Bridge Road in Harrison County, discovered the second woman's remains, later determined to be another homicide victim. Authorities refer to her as Ms. Harrison because of where her body was found. She, too, was found unclothed. She, too, remains unidentified.

Now, two Harrison County cold case investigators, Sgt. Coley Judy and crime scene investigator Kristi Johnson, are hoping that by generating facial-reconstruction renderings of the women, investigators will be able to identify them and aid the investigations into their murders.

"We just really want to know who they are," Johnson said. "We want to be able to tell their families what happened to them and where they are, and bring them back home. People deserve to know."

Ms. Wiggins

Harrison County investigators have worked with Mississippi and out-of-state forensic experts and others to gain leads. So far, they have obtained dental records on the victims and have sought through forensic examiners any type of physical details that could aid identification.

In addition, they are working with experts to have DNA extracted from the remains. After the DNA is extracted, they hope to make greater strides in their investigation.

So far, Judy and Johnson said over the last four months they have been able to determine the woman found in Wiggins was white, 36 to 46 years old and 5 feet 1 to 5 feet 7 inches tall. She had a healed fracture of her right clavicle and had medium to dark brown hair.

Experts estimate she died between April and September 1980.

She also had undergone very expensive dental work, they said. Her dental records did not match any of the thousands of people listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, database. Both women's information has been submitted to NamUs.

Judy and Johnson said they have been working with a team of cold cases investigators throughout South Mississippi, among them Pascagoula police Detective Darren Versiga and Stone County sheriff's Lt. Ray Boggs.

Ms. Harrison

A man who was squirrel hunting discovered the remains of the woman found on the logging road in Harrison County. He told investigators then he called the owner of a nearby business to report the find to authorities.

Harrison County investigators said they have learned from experts the woman was white, likely had medium-length light-brown hair, was 19 to 25 years old, 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 5 inches tall and had a curvature in her spine that may have made her appear slightly hunchbacked.

Experts believe she died between May 1979 and August 1980.

She had 12 fillings but no other dental work and it was unlikely she ever gave birth.

Judy and Johnson are working with law enforcement officers from surrounding agencies to try to solve unsolved murders such as these.

Harrison County alone has 21 unsolved murders, Judy said, and cold case investigators are sharing information in an effort to get leads in them.

As for Ms. Wiggins and Ms. Harrison, "We've checked all the missing persons in the area at the time the remains were found, but never found anybody that matched," Judy said. He said information on the two has been entered into the National Crime Information Center database.

"We're hoping to identify the victims of these homicides, and we are hoping to have closure for the families," Johnson said. "They've got families who want to know what happened to them. It's kinda sad to know they are still waiting on answers."

To report information, call the Harrison County Sheriff's Office at 896-0678 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898, text CSTIP plus your message to 274637 or go to mscoastcrimestoppers.com.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/02/508157...?#storylink=cpy

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http://z13.invisionfree.com/Ms_Missing_and_UID/ar/t952.htm

Investigators continue to identify two women 33 years later

Posted: Feb 12, 2014 5:16 PM CST

Updated: Feb 12, 2014 7:00 PM CST

By Michelle Lady - bio | email

HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
In October 1980, a woman was found dead in a wooded area of Wiggins. One month later, another woman was found dead in a wooded area of Harrison County. To this day no one knows who these women are, how they died or who is responsible for their deaths.

Harrison County investigators are not giving up. They have recently taken another look at the cases and with today's technology they are hoping to get answers.

"We get new cases in everyday, and it's important to work every case and make sure you don't forget them because it's old," Harrison County Evidence Technician Kristi Johnson said.

"We have a dedication to these people just like we do our victims of today."

Thirty-three years ago the Internet was not even thought of, but now with a few clicks on the web you can look up missing people from across the country. Johnson added the two women's profiles to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to expand their search for the families of the ladies she knows only as Ms. Harrison and Ms. Wiggins.

Johnson is also getting a DNA profile of the women compiled.

"DNA takes a long time and once it gets entered into the database we are hoping to have some sort of resolution at least, at the very least, identify them and bring them home to their families."

Through her investigation, Johnson found out that the women's skeletal remains were analyzed in Oklahoma. She contacted the office and was able to get pictures of facial reconstructions made shortly after the women were found dead.

"We have been able to see in other people that have been identified that their reconstructions are pretty close likeness to what they looked like. Usually family members can recognize, or at least think, that person looks like the person or resembles their missing loved one."

Ms. Harrison was found on November 10, 1980 on Logging Road off White Plains Road north of Interstate 10. Investigators believe she was between 19 and 25-years-old and had been dead for anywhere from three to 12 months before her remains were found.

"There was nothing on her remains to indicate how she died, so we are not sure. We are working it as a homicide until we can prove otherwise."

Ms. Harrison was a Caucasian woman between 5'2" and 5'5" tall. Investigators said she had a little bit of a hunchback and believed she had some back pain. She also had some dental work done.

Ms. Wiggins was found October 5, 1980 off Highway 26 in Wiggins. She is also a Caucasian woman and is believed to have been anywhere from 34 to 46-years-old and about 5'1" to 5'7" tall.

"She was actually found in some trash bags with some twine wrapped around her remains and the bag, so we know she was a victim of a homicide."

Ms. Wiggins had medium to dark brown hair and extensive dental work including a root canal and platinum or gold bridges.

With very little information on these women, Johnson hopes the pictures or even the DNA can help them identify them and then maybe she can even track down their killers.

"It's really important to these people. They have been waiting 25 plus years to find out what happened to their family and, we want to bring that closure to them."

If you recognize these women or know anything about their disappearance you are asked to call Harrison County Sheriff's Department at 228-896-0678. If you would like to leave an anonymous tip you can do so by clicking on the link http://www.harrisoncountysheriff.com/anonymous-tip-form/.

To learn more about these women or other cold cases Harrison County investigators are working on click here http://Http://www.harrisoncountysheriff.com/depar...old-case-files/
http://www.wlox.com/story/24708496/investi...-33-years-later

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HARRISON COUNTY -- Cold case investigators were disappointed when DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of a woman found slain in 1980 didn't match any of the profiles of women reported missing nationwide.

"That means either she's not been reported missing or there is no DNA on file for the missing person that's been reported to authorities," said Kristi Johnson Harrison County sheriff's cold case and crime scene investigator. "Now, it's one of those cases where I'm going to have to research missing persons to see if I can find somebody with similar features."

In October 1980, hunters discovered the remains dumped on a dirt road off Mississippi 26 in Wiggins. The woman, referred to as Ms. Wiggins because of where her remains were found, had been stripped, bound and placed in a large green garbage bag.

She was one of two women whose remains were discovered that year.

On Nov. 10, 1980, a man found the scattered skeletal remains of an unclothed woman on an old logging road just off Lamey Bridge Road in rural Harrison County. Authorities believe the woman, referred to by authorities as Ms. Harrison, was dumped there because no clothing or personal effects such as purse, were found. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Johnson and Harrison County cold case investigator Sgt. Coley Judy are still waiting for experts to extract DNA from those remains in hopes of finding a match.

The investigation

So far, the investigators have artist's renderings of the women from experts who reconstructed their faces based on evidence found at the scenes.

They are planning to do isotope testing, which can determine the region of the country where the women resided based on the water they consumed over the years.

In 2013, the Sun Herald first reported on the two killings. Sever

al tips came in as a result, but none panned out. Investigators are hoping for more leads this time that might mean a break in the cases. Authorities believe the two slayings may be related because of the nature of the evidence at each of the crime scenes.

"There is somebody out there who is wondering what happened to their family member or their friend," Johnson said. "I'm a mother. I'm a daughter. I'm a sister. I cannot imagine not knowing where someone in my family is for a day, much less years. That's got to be heartbreaking. No matter how many years have passed, they deserve answers and closure for the victims."

Ms. Wiggins

Harrison County investigators have worked with authorities in Stone County, including sheriff's Lt. Ray Boggs, and in- and out-of-state forensic experts and others to gather leads in the case.

They have determined the woman was white, 36 to 46 years old and 5-feet-1 to 5-feet-7. She had a healed fracture of her right clavicle and had medium to dark hair.

Experts estimate she died between April and September 1980.

She had undergone extensive dental work, with four bridges, several fillings and root canals, though her dental records did not match any of the people listed so far in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, database.

Ms. Harrison

The investigators have learned from experts the woman was white, 5-feet-2 to 5-feet-5 and had a curvature of her spine that may have made her appear slightly hunchbacked.

She likely died between May 1979 and August 1980.

She had 12 fillings but no other dental work and it was unlikely she ever gave birth.

Johnson said investigations today are conducted much differently than they were in the '70s and '80s, when DNA technology, for example, was not yet available. DNA samples or dental records weren't routinely collected from relatives of missing persons so that information isn't among the evidence.

"The fact of the matter is that we may never get these girls identified, but the more people we get involved with the number of missing and unidentified persons, the more people could share information with us and possibly help identify these people," Johnson said. "We want to be able to reach out to somebody before it is too late. It's getting really hard with each passing year. Relatives of these two women may be passing away. We want to give them some closure before it's too late."

To report information, call the Harrison County Sheriff's Office at 896-0678 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898, text CSTIP plus your message to 274637 or go to mscoastcrimestoppers.com.



Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/�/6123235_dna-fails-to-advance-pro�

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USM student scans skull, attempting to solve 30-year-old cold case

Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 8:45 AM
By Michael Dumas, Press-Register The Mississippi Press

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- More than 30 years ago, a woman was found murdered near Wiggins, and not only was her killer never found -- neither was her identity.

But Ocean Springs resident Jessica Carzoli hopes to change that as part of a project she's working on through the University of Southern Mississippi.

Carzoli, 29, wasn't even born when the woman -- known to scientists in the school's anthropology department simply as "Ms. Wiggins" -- was killed. But through her course of study in anthropology and forensics, she has come to know quite a bit about her.

"They found brown hair with her, which said she was a Caucasian," said Carzoli, as she stood next to a plain cardboard box containing Ms. Wiggins' skull at Singing River Hospital on Tuesday.

Through examination of the entire skeleton, Carzoli said it was known that the victim had been between the ages of 35 and 45 at the time of death, and that she was somewhere between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-6 inches tall.

Investigators at the time also believed she had been dead approximately six months before she was discovered with her hands and feet bound in September 1980.

Through a partnership program between the hospital and USM, Carzoli, a senior, was invited to have the skull put through a CT scan to produce a 3D image that would help her created a facial reconstruction of the woman to help with identity.

She said she would also produce a computer-generated reconstruction of the woman's face; all of which will be forwarded to Stone County law enforcement for their cold-case file.

The process is called "forensic artistry," according to Carzoli.

She said she picked Wiggins' remains out of 10 or 12 other cold cases the anthropology department keeps, mainly due to "amount of information that we had on her."

"Some we only have a skull," she said, adding that Wiggins' entire body was recovered at the scene.

Thanks to professional courtesy and curiosity between USM professor of anthropology Dr. Marie Danforth and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Chris Wiggins, Singing River donated the use of its CT scanner for Carzoli's project.

"Education is a big part of the medical profession," Dr. Wiggins said. "We're glad to help out anyone that is furthering their education.

"It's a win-win situation. Singing River Hospital's donated their time and equipment, it helps Jessica get her degree and it may help solve a cold case that's been around for 30 years."

http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press...usm_studen.html

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Officials hope to put names to murdered South Mississippi women's faces

Published: November 2, 2013

Facial renderings from their remains found in 1980 may help identification

By MARGARET BAKER � mbbaker@sunherald.com


HARRISON COUNTY -- In October 1980, hunters discovered the skeletal remains of a woman who had been murdered and dumped on a dirt road off Mississippi 26 in Wiggins.

The woman, referred to by authorities as Ms. Wiggins because of where her remains were found, had been stripped, bound and placed in a large green garbage bag.

Her identity remains unknown.

She's one of two women

whose skeletal remains were discovered the same year.

On Nov. 10, 1980, a man on White Plains Road, an old logging road off Lamey Bridge Road in Harrison County, discovered the second woman's remains, later determined to be another homicide victim. Authorities refer to her as Ms. Harrison because of where her body was found. She, too, was found unclothed. She, too, remains unidentified.

Now, two Harrison County cold case investigators, Sgt. Coley Judy and crime scene investigator Kristi Johnson, are hoping that by generating facial-reconstruction renderings of the women, investigators will be able to identify them and aid the investigations into their murders.

"We just really want to know who they are," Johnson said. "We want to be able to tell their families what happened to them and where they are, and bring them back home. People deserve to know."

Ms. Wiggins

Harrison County investigators have worked with Mississippi and out-of-state forensic experts and others to gain leads. So far, they have obtained dental records on the victims and have sought through forensic examiners any type of physical details that could aid identification.

In addition, they are working with experts to have DNA extracted from the remains. After the DNA is extracted, they hope to make greater strides in their investigation.

So far, Judy and Johnson said over the last four months they have been able to determine the woman found in Wiggins was white, 36 to 46 years old and 5 feet 1 to 5 feet 7 inches tall. She had a healed fracture of her right clavicle and had medium to dark brown hair.

Experts estimate she died between April and September 1980.

She also had undergone very expensive dental work, they said. Her dental records did not match any of the thousands of people listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, database. Both women's information has been submitted to NamUs.

Judy and Johnson said they have been working with a team of cold cases investigators throughout South Mississippi, among them Pascagoula police Detective Darren Versiga and Stone County sheriff's Lt. Ray Boggs.

Ms. Harrison

A man who was squirrel hunting discovered the remains of the woman found on the logging road in Harrison County. He told investigators then he called the owner of a nearby business to report the find to authorities.

Harrison County investigators said they have learned from experts the woman was white, likely had medium-length light-brown hair, was 19 to 25 years old, 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 5 inches tall and had a curvature in her spine that may have made her appear slightly hunchbacked.

Experts believe she died between May 1979 and August 1980.

She had 12 fillings but no other dental work and it was unlikely she ever gave birth.

Judy and Johnson are working with law enforcement officers from surrounding agencies to try to solve unsolved murders such as these.

Harrison County alone has 21 unsolved murders, Judy said, and cold case investigators are sharing information in an effort to get leads in them.

As for Ms. Wiggins and Ms. Harrison, "We've checked all the missing persons in the area at the time the remains were found, but never found anybody that matched," Judy said. He said information on the two has been entered into the National Crime Information Center database.

"We're hoping to identify the victims of these homicides, and we are hoping to have closure for the families," Johnson said. "They've got families who want to know what happened to them. It's kinda sad to know they are still waiting on answers."

To report information, call the Harrison County Sheriff's Office at 896-0678 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898, text CSTIP plus your message to 274637 or go to mscoastcrimestoppers.com.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/02/508157...?#storylink=cpy

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Hunters found the victim's skeletal remains in two green trash bags in a wooded area off Highway 26 in Wiggins. Her hands and feet were bound.



MS-26, Wiggins, MS 39577


Highway 26, Wiggins, MS






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