The Lost and the Found

The skeletal remains of Luzerne County Jane Doe were found near a remote Sugarloaf Township mine. Her cause of death was never determined but is presumed to have been homicide. Her remains had been left on the surface of the ground, and were estimated to have been at the location for up to two years. She was between 34 and 47 years old. A yellow shirt, reading "kiss my ass, I'm on vacation," women's underwear, sweatpants and boy's shoes were found. She had borne at least one child, and likely suffered from back pain and may have walked with a limp when alive. She had a significant number of missing teeth, and a fragment of metal unrelated to dental work was found in her jaw.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/8919

NamUs UP # 8919

ME/C Case Number: N01-0379761
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
34 to 47 year old White Female

Case Report - NamUs UP # 8919
Case Information
Status Unidentified
Case number N01-0379761
Date found December 20, 1994 14:00
Date created July 12, 2011 08:57
Date last modified July 15, 2011 03:34
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed July 13, 2011 04:17

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Luzerne Cnty Coroners Ofc
Phone 570-825-1664
Case Manager
Name Thomas McAndrew
Phone 570-459-3890

Demographics
Estimated age Adult - Pre 50
Minimum age 34 years
Maximum age 47 years
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) , Cannot Estimate
Height (inches) 63, Estimated
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
Body conditions
Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Probable year of death 1992 to 1994

Circumstances
Location Found
GPS coordinates 40.96719 -76.08118
Address 1 .72 miles north of Village of Tomhicken
Address 2
City Sugarloaf Township
State Pennsylvania
Zip code
County Luzerne
Circumstances
Skeletal remains found in a remote area

Physical
Hair color Brown

Other distinctive
physical characteristics
Issue with left knee - possibly caused a limp and/or physical distress including back pain

Foreign objects
Small metallic fragment in lower jaw

Fingerprints
Status: Fingerprint information is currently not available

Clothing with body
Sweatpants and a T-shirt with the words "Kiss my Ass I'm on Vacation" printed on front. Also, a pair of women's underwear.
Footwear
Two "British Knights" sneakers, white in color, size 6, found near body

Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

http://unidentified.wikia.com/wiki/Luzerne_County_Jane_Doe_(1994)

Luzerne County Jane Doe (1994)

Luzerne County Jane Doe was a woman found dead near a mine in 1994. Her cause of death was never determined but is presumed to have been homicide.





Luzerne County Jane Doe



Sex Female
Race White
Location Sugarloaf Township, Pennsylvania
Found December 20, 1994
Unidentified for 21 years
Postmortem interval 6 months - 2 years
Body condition Skeletal
Age approximation 34 - 47
Height approximation 5'1 - 5'4
Weight approximation N/A
Cause of death Presumed homicide

http://www.missinginamerica.us/apps/blog/categories/show/1561822-pa

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Jane Doe

ME/C Case Number: P04-0744558

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

20 to 55 year old White Female

Skull and 1st cervical vertebra recovered.

Skull and 1st cervical vertebra was the only body parts recovered.

Dental radiographs, postmortem dental chart, photographs and NCIC dental record / worksheet are available in Images section. Mandible not recovered.

DNA

Guidelines for Collection of DNA

Sample is currently not available (Explain in comments box below)

Sample available - Not yet submitted

Samples submitted - Tests not complete

Complete - Insufficient DNA for profiling

Complete and entered below

Type mtDNA nucDNA Y-STR

Location
Describe location

Reference #

Lab ORI

Comments Skull & C1-vertebra will be submitted to UNT.

Reports
Case Report
Contacts
Local Contact
Agency Luzerne Cnty Coroners Ofc
Phone 570-825-1664
Case Manager
First Name Christopher
Last Name King
Phone 570-697-2000
Regional Administrator
First Name Emily
Last Name Craig
Email Emily.Craig@unthsc.edu
Phone 817-666-5425
Changes to Case
There are no changes for this case.
Compare to Duplicates
There are no cases to compare.


Exclusions

The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent: First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Danielle Imbo 1970 Pennsylvania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ctims_in_Pennsylvania#Luzerne_County_Jane_Doe

A female skeleton was found at the edge of a strip mine on December 20, 1994, near Sugarloaf, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The remains had been left on the surface of the ground, and were estimated to have been at the location for up to two years. Despite the cause of death not being apparent upon examination, the case is being investigated as a homicide. The woman was between 34 and 47 years old at the time of death, and between at 5 feet 1 to 5 feet 4 inches in height. With the body, a yellow shirt, reading "kiss my ass, I'm on vacation," women's underwear, sweatpants and boy's shoes were found. She had borne at least one child, and likely suffered from back pain and may have walked with a limp when alive. She also had a significant number of missing teeth, and a fragment of metal unrelated to dental work was found in her jaw.

Sugarloaf Township

Tomhicken Road

On December 20, 1994, workers doing a mine reclamation project discovered a human skull in a wooded area in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County.



This is an abandoned anthracite coal mine in Luzerne County. Some of these old mines are still burning underground.

Jane Doe's body was found at the edge of an old strip mine by workers who were doing mining reclamation work in the area. This reclamation work is being down to repair damage previously done to the area from the former mines. Many of these mines still have fires burning underground and there are explosions and sinkholes. The damage to this area is an environmental nightmare. Someone passing through wouldn't know the location of the old strip mines. Whoever left Jane Doe next to the strip mine knew that she wouldn't be found for a very long time. The coroner estimated that she had been there for at least two years.


Underground fires





Sinkholes