Author Topic: CALHOUN COUNTY JANE DOE: HF, 25-40, found near St. Matthews, SC - 27 September 2008  (Read 295 times)

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The victim was located in a wooded area in the northwestern part of the county, near St. Matthews. There was no obvious trauma to the skeletal remains. The cause of death is not known, but authorities are treating the case as a homicide.

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/719ufsc.html

The Doe Network:
Case File 719UFSC




Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified Hispanic Female
The victim was discovered on September 27, 2008 in Calhoun County, South Carolina
Estimated Date of Death: 2000-2008
Skeletal Remains
Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 25-40 years old
Approximate Height and Weight: 5'4-5'9"
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blondish, brown hair. Average build. Had likely had at least one child.
Clothing: A black cotton nightshirt with a bear design on it with the words "Beary Heavenly." She was wearing a brown leather bracelet embossed with the name "MARIA."
Dentals: Available. Incomplete teeth inventory. Molars are intact and in good condition. No fillings.
DNA: Available



Nightshirt & Bracelet

Case History
The victim was located in a wooded area in the northwestern part of the county, near St. Matthews.
There was no obvious trauma to the skeletal remains.
The cause of death is not known, but authorities are treating the case as a homicide.

Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Calhoun County Sheriff's Office
803-874-2741
--
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
S/A Natalie Crosland
803-896-2605
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number:
1897; L08-14701

NCIC Number:
U-910021203
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
WIS TV
AMW
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

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She was wearing a brown leather bracelet embossed with the name "MARIA."



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http://canyouidentifyme.blogspot.com/2010/12/maria-doe-not-so-heavenly.html

Maria Doe – Not So Heavenly

Forensic Artist: Deborah Goff



Aye caramba! My shirt may have read ‘Beary Heavenly’, but being dead without anyone knowing who I am is not heavenly at all! On September 27, 2008, my skeletal remains were found in the woods, in a remote section of western Calhoun County, South Carolina. I was wearing a black cotton nightgown with a teddy bear pictured on the front, along with the words ‘Beary Heavenly’. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?



What else do they know about me, you ask? Well, they know that I was a Hispanic female between the ages of 25 and 40. I stood between 5’4” and 5’9” tall and it’s unclear how much I weighed. All my molars were intact. They believe my name might be Maria. When I was found, I was wearing a leather cuff-type bracelet with ‘Maria’ embossed on it. Of course, I was also wearing the nightgown, which told the investigators that whatever happened to me very likely happened at home or in a very private setting - not out in public. The investigators believe that I was murdered. They said I was probably in the place where I was found for at least 18 months (or longer), as my remains were covered with several layers of pine straw.
The investigators also believe that I may have had at least one child. Shouldn’t that mean that someone out there is missing me, looking for me? Forensic artists have been able to create a reconstruction of my face. Please look at it carefully. Do I look like someone you used to know…someone who may have just suddenly stopped coming into your place of business or was no longer seen on the street where you live? Maybe you can tell investigators who I am, and once they know that, they are one step closer to figuring out exactly what happened to me - and who killed me. For me, what would be ’beary heavenly’ now would simply be to have my name back. Are you the one who can help me?

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact
SLED Cold Case Squad at
1.800.414.2862
Or
SC Crime Stoppers 1.888.CRIMESC
Agency Case Number:
1897; L08-14701
NCIC Number:
U-910021203

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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t37993.htm

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=9086221


Skeletal remains found in Calhoun County

Posted: Sep 27, 2008 11:01 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 29, 2008 07:22 PM EDT


ST. MATTHEWS, SC (WIS) - Officials in Calhoun County say they have found the remains of a human body.
Deputies say the skeleton was found Saturday in the woods in the northwest portion of the county. Sheriff Thomas Summers refuses to specify an exact location.

"According to some of the things that we can't disclose at this point due to the investigation, we're treating it as a homicide. So, yeah, in my opinion there is a crime that occurred there," Summers said.

The remains found are those of a female, possibly between 30 and 50 years of age, about 5'3" to 5'7" tall. Summers says the woman might have had blonde hair. He says investigators found "very little" clothing and not enough to help identify the victim.

Authorities believe the remains have been there for more than a year. Coroner Donnie Porth says the remains might have been disturbed by animals.

They say there are no obvious signs of trauma but the case is being treated as a homicide. Summers says he can't disclose why he believes that.

Summers does say this was a case of foul play.

"We do not have a cause of death yet. We're still waiting on some additional test results, to see if that can even be determined at this point. We're also waiting on some possible DNA results," Summers said.

Dental records will be checked to try to determine an identity. Authorities along with SLED are still investigating.

No indications yet how the woman died, or whether that can even be determined.

As for any missing persons matching the description, Summers said he couldn't think of any, but it's also very possible the victim was not from Calhoun County.

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Quest to determine identity of 'Jane Doe' continues
By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff WriterTuesday, October 14, 2008

ST. MATTHEWS � For now, she remains a number � the case number she was assigned by authorities.

But investigators still hold out hope that the identity of human female skeletal remains found last month in Calhoun County can be identified, giving some closure to a family awaiting word on a missing loved one.

�I�m waiting on a call from another state today,� Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said. �We�ve already disproved several (missing persons). You could imagine the number of times these families have gotten calls just like the one I�m making.�

Porth said investigators will keep on making those calls until the young woman is given her name again.

She was found Sept. 27, when a concerned resident located what appeared to be human remains in a wooded area about 100 yards from a roadway in northwestern Calhoun County.

Sheriff Thomas Summers said the exact location is being withheld since the investigation is being treated as an ongoing homicide investigation.

Along with the skeletal remains, a few remnants of clothing material and some strands of what police say is blonde hair were all that remained. A forensic autopsy showed the remains were that of a woman.

That same autopsy conducted on Calhoun County�s Jane Doe revealed her to be a Caucasian female between the ages of 30 and 50. She stood between 5 feet 3 inches tall to 5 feet 7 inches tall.

According to the National Crime Information Center, there are 105,229 active missing person entries as of Dec. 31, 2007, nationwide. Of those, 48 percent are of adult age.

Porth said investigators know they may be looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Detectives started their search with St. Matthews area missing persons cases and have now moved beyond the county�s boundaries.

�We�re just going through them systematically,� the coroner said.

At least five missing women from the South Carolina Lowcountry to North Carolina have been eliminated, Porth said. Some of those cases examined have been on file for years.

After the forensic autopsy last month, Summers said it appeared the remains had been in the wooded area for a year or more. The sheriff said the remains were �covered with a couple of layers of pine straw.�

DNA and dental records are being compared with records of missing women around the Southeast. But Porth said investigators could request a facial reconstruction be performed on the woman.

�It is definitely a possibility. We can only imagine the families that are going through this; they want closure over this,� Porth said.

�We�re going the DNA and dental route right now. But that is definitely a possibility down the road.�

Detectives say the search for the woman�s identity is ongoing for not only the woman�s sake but for her family�s as well.

But for now, the missing woman is known simply as case number 1897.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2...76556575024.txt

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News 2
Published: March 6, 2009

The Calhoun County Sheriff�s Office and The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) released a 3-D facial reconstruction Friday of what an apparent female murder victim may have looked like before she died.

Investigators didn�t know the exact cause of death but they�re treating the case as a homicide.

The woman�s partial, skeletal remains were found on September 27, 2008 in a wooded area of Calhoun County, near Saint Matthews.

A forensic pathologist determined they may have been there between one and five years.

Investigators believe she was white, 40 to 44 years old with blondish/brown hai approximately 5�6� tall.

They found other evidence at the scene, including a black, cotton nightshirt with a bear design on it containing the words �Beary Heavenly.�

Authorities are asking for the public�s help in identifying the woman.

If someone recognizes the face in the clay rendering, they are urged to call the Calhoun County Sheriff�s Office at (803) 874-2741 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/state_reg...matthews/21697/

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Authorities hope clay model ID's victim

Posted: March 6, 2009 11:10 AM EST

Updated: March 6, 2009 05:54 PM EST


CALHOUN COUNTY, SC (WIS) - On September 27, 2008, partial skeletal remains were found in a wooded area of northwest Calhoun County near St. Matthews.

The remains had been there between one and five years, according to a forensic pathologist.

The cause of death is not known, but authorities are treating the case as a homicide.

According to Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers, a 3-D facial reconstruction of the victim was constructed using clay. The images are to the right.

"It's just a sad thing that this person was out there like this," said Summers.

Investigators believe she was white, between the ages of 40 to 44 with blondish/brown hair and stood approximately 5'6" tall.

Investigators recovered a black, cotton nightshirt at the scene with a bear design on it containing the words "Beary Heavenly."

Some clues already erased by time and nature.

"There's absolutely no tissue. So there's no way that we can indicate a cause of death. Even the pathologists just didn't have enough to work with," said Summers.

Authorities are asking for the public's help to ID victim.

According to Summers, there are no missing persons in the area they are aware of.

For months, the sheriff has refused to say exactly where the body was found or why he believes the woman's death was no accident. He'll only say there were indicators that the woman was the victim of foul play.

Investigators found no bullets, no signs of a stabbing or beating.

They can't say whether she died at the scene or elsewhere.

"Obviously this person was brought to this location and left there. Really that's all that I know," said Summers.

Summers says investigators did recover some of the woman's teeth, but haven't been able to match them to dental records so far.

If someone recognizes the face in the clay rendering or the design on the nightshirt, they are urged to call the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at (803) 874-2741 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

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Authorities still seeking identity of dead woman
By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff Writer Monday, April 13, 2009


ST. MATTHEWS - The search for a Jane Doe's identity is continuing in Calhoun County a month after law enforcement officials released the facial reconstruction of a woman whose skeletal remains were found in a remote wooded area last year.

After following leads locally, Calhoun County investigators have opened up their search.

"Obviously, you got to start somewhere, so we started locally and then worked statewide, then throughout the Southeast," Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said. "We've been looking nationally, but our focus has been more local, in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic."

On Sept. 27, 2008, a concerned resident notified deputies after discovering the skeletal remains of a woman believed to have been the victim of a homicide. However, no identification was found with the remains.

Officials have not disclosed the reasons they believe the woman was murdered.

Since the facial reconstruction taken from the skeletal remains was released March 6, investigators say thousands of missing persons reports have been researched and phone tips followed.

But the dead woman remains a Jane Doe.

The woman's physical characters and possible hair color have been used to search a national data base. The result of that search has been more than 300 names of women who have been reported missing in the Southeast over the past seven years. Some "hits" came from as far away as Ohio and Michigan. Those have since been ruled out.

Summers said each name they've looked at takes about a week to be eliminated. The records for each have to be obtained from the agency reporting a missing person and then compared with the Calhoun County Jane Doe.

So far, 20 women locally and in the Southeast have been removed from the list of potential identities.

Calhoun County authorities are continuing the effort to find out who Jane Doe is with the help of the State Law Enforcement Division and the FBI.

"And we've contacted 'America's Most Wanted' to see if they could run it on that program," Summers said. "We're doing everything possible to ascertain her identity."

Summers said his investigators have not run out of leads but want to keep the woman in the public's mind in the event anyone may have known her or have any clue as to who she was.

"We're not going to stop until we find out who she is," he said.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at 803-874-2741.
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2009/04/1...ws/13655691.txt

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http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2009/05/2...a1528039015.txt

Still no identity on Jane Doe
By T&D Staff Thursday, May 21, 2009

ST. MATTHEWS � The discovery of a body on the side of a road in Calhoun County Wednesday morning is the second such grisly find in the county within the past year.

But Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers says the skeletal remains of the still-unidentified woman found in a remote wooded area on Sept. 27 last year is in no way connected with the body of a woman discovered on the side of the road near Interstate 26 Wednesday.

Both bodies were found in relatively remote locations about 15 to 18 miles apart.

�Absolutely not,� Summers said. �I think this (the body discovered Wednesday) is just an act of violence probably committed by someone I think we will catch very shortly.�

On Sept. 27, 2008, a concerned resident notified deputies after discovering the skeletal remains of a woman believed to have been the victim of a homicide. However, no identification was found with the remains. Officials have not disclosed the reasons they believe the woman was murdered.

�We are just following up on leads as they come in, but we have not gotten anything,� Summers said Wednesday.

The search for the Jane Doe�s identity is continuing two months after law enforcement released the facial reconstruction of the woman. Since the facial reconstruction taken from the skeletal remains was released March 6, investigators say thousands of missing-persons reports have been researched and phone tips followed.

But the dead woman remains a Jane Doe.

The woman�s physical characteristics and possible hair color have been used to search a national data base. The result has been more than 300 names of women reported missing in the Southeast over the past seven years. The records for each have to be obtained from the agency reporting a missing person and then compared with the Calhoun County Jane Doe.

The State Law Enforcement Division and the FBI have assisted Calhoun County with the search.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Calhoun County Sheriff�s Office at 803-874-2741.

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Human skull found when nature calls
Posted: Sep 16, 2009 10:40 PM EDT

By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

CALHOUN COUNTY, SC (WIS) - It was a bit of an odd find for Bernard Singletary. It was clean and clear outside the day he made the curious discovery.

After all, the Calhoun County man likes to get his exercise. He says it helps out with his arthritis. "First, I walk a little, then jog a little," he said.

But that day, he veered off his usual path. Nature was calling.

"I decided to use the restroom," explained Singletary. "I had no choice."

That's when he noticed something by a tree. It was a skull.

"I just picked it up, looked at it, thought it was a human," said Singletary. "Got my brother in law, he said, 'Bernard, this is a human.'"

And it was. Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers says it was a human skull.

The State Law Enforcement Division got the skull, analyzed it, and came up with a bust of what ended up being a woman.

SLED says they believe the woman was in her 40s and likely had at least one child. Her body had been decomposing for anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

"It's so important to find out who killed her and put that person in jail," said Summers.

The sheriff says although he's got some strong ideas on how the woman was killed, he won't share the gruesome details yet, in hopes he can use the info to one day question a suspect. Despite that, he will say it was a bizarre crime.

"It was surprising and unusual for Calhoun County," said Summers. "I would say both."

Summers says they are lucky to even be investigating this case and that if it weren't for Singletary, it's likely the body would have never been found.

"I feel better to have reported it," said Singletary. "It's a child -- although it's really a grown-up -- it's still somebody's loved one."

Sheriff Summers says he's had several agencies call him with missing persons. So far, dental records and DNA have not matched up. He is convinced that his woman is listed as missing person somewhere. He just needs tips to find out where.

If you have any information about this case, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or or text the word TIPSC and your message to CRIMES (274637).
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11146042

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http://www.thetandd.com/news/article_6996a...1cc4c03286.html

Facial reconstruction of mystery woman updated

By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff Writer The Times and Democrat | Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 1:51 pm

RICHARD WALTER/T&D Authorities have updated their reconstruction of the face of a woman whose remains were discovered in Calhoun County two years ago. They're asking for help identifying her.

ST. MATTHEWS - The Jane Doe found in Calhoun County two years ago has been given a tentative name -- "Maria."

An updated facial reconstruction of the skeletal remains found in a remote wooded area in Calhoun County was released Monday.

"The experts analyzed and measured the skull and compared it to Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic females. They determined that the cranium is the most similar to the Hispanic populations," Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said. "Based on this new information, an updated facial reconstruction has been created."

A leather bracelet bearing the name of Maria was found with the remains when they were discovered. Authorities can't be certain yet if the name refers to the victim or a loved one.

The bracelet letters are English but officials are leaning toward the victim being a 25- to 40-year-old Hispanic female.

The woman's skeletal remains were found in a remote area of western Calhoun County Sept. 27, 2008.

If anyone has any information on the woman's identity, they are asked to contact the CCSO at 803-874-2741 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC.

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http://thetandd.com/news/quest-to-d...cle_81046f77-c8a7-57a5-b9cb-abf6363316d3.html

Quest to determine identity of 'Jane Doe' continues

By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff Writer
Oct 14, 2008
ST. MATTHEWS – For now, she remains a number – the case number she was assigned by authorities.

But investigators still hold out hope that the identity of human female skeletal remains found last month in Calhoun County can be identified, giving some closure to a family awaiting word on a missing loved one.

“I’m waiting on a call from another state today,” Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth said. “We’ve already disproved several (missing persons). You could imagine the number of times these families have gotten calls just like the one I’m making.”


Porth said investigators will keep on making those calls until the young woman is given her name again.

She was found Sept. 27, when a concerned resident located what appeared to be human remains in a wooded area about 100 yards from a roadway in northwestern Calhoun County.

Sheriff Thomas Summers said the exact location is being withheld since the investigation is being treated as an ongoing homicide investigation.

Along with the skeletal remains, a few remnants of clothing material and some strands of what police say is blonde hair were all that remained. A forensic autopsy showed the remains were that of a woman.

That same autopsy conducted on Calhoun County’s Jane Doe revealed her to be a Caucasian female between the ages of 30 and 50. She stood between 5 feet 3 inches tall to 5 feet 7 inches tall.

According to the National Crime Information Center, there are 105,229 active missing person entries as of Dec. 31, 2007, nationwide. Of those, 48 percent are of adult age.

Porth said investigators know they may be looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Detectives started their search with St. Matthews area missing persons cases and have now moved beyond the county’s boundaries.


“We’re just going through them systematically,” the coroner said.

At least five missing women from the South Carolina Lowcountry to North Carolina have been eliminated, Porth said. Some of those cases examined have been on file for years.


After the forensic autopsy last month, Summers said it appeared the remains had been in the wooded area for a year or more. The sheriff said the remains were “covered with a couple of layers of pine straw.”

DNA and dental records are being compared with records of missing women around the Southeast. But Porth said investigators could request a facial reconstruction be performed on the woman.

“It is definitely a possibility. We can only imagine the families that are going through this; they want closure over this,” Porth said.

“We’re going the DNA and dental route right now. But that is definitely a possibility down the road.”

Detectives say the search for the woman’s identity is ongoing for not only the woman’s sake but for her family’s as well.

But for now, the missing woman is known simply as case number 1897.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

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The small town of St. Matthews, SC sits along State Highway 6




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St Matthews, Calhoun County, SC



Interstate 26 East at Exit 136: SC 6 - North / St Matthews




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