Author Topic: BITTER CREEK BETTY: HF, 24-32, found in Sweetwater, WY - 1 March 1992  (Read 290 times)

Akoya

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Bitter Creek Betty was located at the bottom of a slope on an Interstate 80 turnout known as "Bitter Creek". She was found lying face-down in the snow, and her body may have been dumped from a truck 1-5 months prior to discovery. Jane Doe is described as "white with predominately Hispanic characteristics or Hispanic with Native characteristics".

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Akoya

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https://identifyus.org/en/cases/8894

NamUs UP # 8894

ME/C Case Number: 92-0763
Sweetwater County, Wyoming
24 to 32 year old White Hispanic/Latino Female

Case Report - NamUs UP # 8894
Case Information

Status Unidentified
Case number 92-0763
Date found March 01, 1992 00:00
Date created June 30, 2011 16:17
Date last modified December 21, 2015 11:42
Investigating agency
date QA reviewed July 02, 2011 07:05

Local Contact (ME/C or Other)
Agency Sweetwater Cnty Coroners Ofc
Phone 307-352-6608
Case Manager
Name Sandra Erickson
Phone 307-777-8246

Demographics
Estimated age Adult - Pre 40
Minimum age 24 years
Maximum age 32 years
Race White
Ethnicity Hispanic/Latino
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 125, Estimated
Height (inches) 68, Estimated
Body Parts Inventory (Check all that apply)
All parts recovered
Head not recovered
Torso not recovered
One or more limbs not recovered
One or both hands not recovered
Body conditions
Recognizable face
Probable year of death 1991 to 1992
Estimated postmortem interval 1 Months

Circumstances

Location Found
GPS coordinates
Address 1 Interstate 80 turnout known as "Bitter Creek"
Address 2
City
State Wyoming
Zip code
County Sweetwater
Circumstances
Victim was located at the bottom of a slope on an Interstate 80 turnout known as "Bitter Creek". She was found lying face-down in the snow, and her body may have been dumped from a truck 1-5 months prior to discovery. Victim is described as "white with predominately Hispanic characteristics or Hispanic with Native characteristics".

Physical
Hair color Brown
Head hair
Hair was dark brown or black in color.

Left eye color Brown
Right eye color Brown
Eye description
Eye color is described as dark brown or black.

Deformities
Scars and marks
Victim had a one-inch scar on her left calf and a Cesarean section (C-section) scar on her abdomen.
Tattoos
Victim had a tattoo of a rose on her right breast

Prior surgery
Scar on abdomen from prior Cesarean section (C-section).

Clothing on body

Clothing with body
A pair of pink panties and a pair of sweatpants were found in proximity to the body.

Jewelry
Victim wore a gold colored necklace and a plain gold colored ring similar in style to a wedding band on her left ring finger.

Dental
Status: Dental information / charting is available and entered

DNA
Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

Akoya

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/213ufwy.html

213UFWY - Unidentified Female





Date of Discovery: March 1, 1992
Location of Discovery: Sweetwater, Sweetwater County, Wyoming
Estimated Date of Death: 1-5 months prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 24-32 years old
Race: Hispanic or Native American
Gender: Female
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 125-130 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown or black, collar-length.
Eye Color: Dark brown or black.
Distinguishing Marks/Features: A vertical Cesarean scar on her abdomen and a one-inch scar on her left calf. She had a distinctive tattoo of a rose on the right breast. Investigation has determined the tattoo was “inked” in Tucson, Arizona, at a tattoo shop near the Triple T Truck Stop.

Identifiers
Dentals
: Available. Previous dental work noted.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: A pair of pink panties and a pair of sweat pants were found nearby.
Jewelry: A gold-colored necklace and a plain gold-colored wedding-type ring, worn on her left ring finger.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery
A truck driver pausing at an Interstate 80 turnout, known as Bitter Creek, spotted the victim's **** body lying face down in the snow. The body appeared as if it had been dropped out of a truck and came to rest at the bottom of a slope.

Investigators theorize the victim was probably killed elsewhere and dumped near the westbound side of the highway between October 1991 and February 1992.

The cause of death was listed as an ice pick or similar object inserted in the victim's left nostril, penetrating her sphenoid bone. Examiners also found signs of strangulation, beating trauma to the face and jaw, as well as anal and vaginal sexual assault.

The sophistication of the killing points to the possible involvement of a serial offender. Detectives have determined the killer's blood is type O.

The victim, known as "Bitter Creek Betty" is buried in Rest Haven Memorial Gardens.

DNA evidence obtained from the victim matches DNA evidence from 390UFWY.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Sweetwater County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 307-352-6608
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 92-0763

Agency Name: Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Detective Mark Ferman
Agency Phone Number: 307-352-6720
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: U549593815
NamUs Case Number: 8894

Information Source(s)
NamUs
ViCap
Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office
APB News Archive

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 1/8/17

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https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/unidentified-persons/jane-doe-41




Details:
On March 1, 1992, the victim was discovered off the westbound lane of I-80, 40 miles east of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The victim was found totally ****. It is estimated the victim died in early February 1992. The victim has a rose tattoo on her right breast. Investigation has determined the tattoo was "inked" in Tucson, Arizona, at a tattoo shop near the Triple T Truck Stop.

DNA evidence obtained from this victim has been analyzed and matches DNA evidence from a different victim, also a "body dump," alongside I-90 in northern Wyoming (see ViCAP Alert 2014-03-02).

Submit a Tip:
If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Akoya

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unidentified_murder_victims_in_the_United_States#Wyoming

"Bitter Creek Betty"



Artist's impression of what Bitter Creek Betty looked like during life
In Sweetwater County, Wyoming, the unclothed body of a white female, also known as "Rose Doe" with Hispanic or Native American traits was found on March 1, 1992. The body was disposed of 1 month prior to discovery but due to cold weather, the body was well preserved. She was between twenty-four to thirty-two, ranging between five feet six and five feet eight inches tall. Because of the amount of time the remains were outside, it took twenty-four hours for examination to take place. She had a scar from a Caesarean section on her abdomen as well as a rose tattoo under one of her breasts. She had died from being stabbed through one of the nostrils and was also strangled and beaten, likely at another location. She had been sexually assaulted both anally and vaginally. At the scene, a golden-appearing necklace and ring, sweatpants and pink underwear were found. After images of the tattoo were published throughout the United States, a man came forward claiming that he had performed the tattoo on the woman. Further interviews with the man uncovered that she was a Hispanic woman, lacking an accent, and was likely a drifter who hitchhiked frequently around the country. Multiple missing people have been ruled out as possible identities of Bitter Creek Betty. Apart from this victim, two other people remain unidentified in the area. DNA from the scene also matched to another, indicating she was murdered by a serial killer.

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

Bitter Creek Betty

Bitter Creek Betty, also known as "Rose Doe" was a woman found murdered in Wyoming in 1992. Her case was linked through DNA to another victim that was found in 1992 in the same state.

The body was found unclothed an face-down after it appeared to have been dumped from a vehicle at the top of a hill. The victim's body was completely frozen. She died between October 1991 and February 1992.

She had been stabbed through the nose with an ice pick, which is listed as the official cause of death. She may have also been strangled and beaten.

She was sexually assaulted in both lower body cavities.

The victim had dark brown hair and eyes.
she had a tattoo of a rose on her right breast, which was traced to a business in Tucson, Arizona.
She had evidence of dental work.
The victim had a vertical Cesarean section scar.
She had another scar on her left calf.
A pair of pink underwear was found near the body.
A pair of sweatpants was also found near the body.
The victim wore a gold ring on her left ring finger.
She also wore a gold necklace.

Bitter Creek Betty



Sex Female
Race Hispanic/Native American
Location Sweetwater, Wyoming
Found March 1, 1992
Unidentified for 25 years
Postmortem interval 1 - 5 months
Body condition Recognizable face/Mummified
Age approximation 24 - 32
Height approximation 5'8
Weight approximation 125 - 130 pounds
Cause of death Stabbing

Akoya

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On March 1, 1992, the victim was discovered off the westbound lane of I-80, 40 miles east of Rock Springs, Wyoming.



I-80, Rock Springs, WY

Akoya

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Rawlins, Wyoming to Bitter Creek, Wyoming rest area Interstate 80



Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Green River continues to follow the Bitter Creek as the creek flows toward the Green River.


Akoya

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The victim has a rose tattoo on her right breast. Investigation has determined the tattoo was "inked" in Tucson, Arizona, at a tattoo shop near the Triple T Truck Stop.


TTT. Tucson Truck Terminal



"Triple T.T.T. Truck Stop. ...Interstate 10 & U. S. 80 at Craycroft Road, Tucson, Arizona.


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Scorpio

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An arrest has been made in Bitter Creek Betty's case.

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/authorities-arrest-iowa-man-in-connection-to-wyoming-cold-case-murders/article_454199a1-d42b-548b-8008-043fe0e2e477.html

Former truck driver from Iowa charged with Wyoming cold case murders

SHANE SANDERSON Casper Star-Tribune May 6, 2020

Law enforcement used DNA taken from a Walmart in Iowa to identify a former truck driver suspected of killing two women and abandoning their bodies near Wyoming highways decades ago, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.

Authorities on Wednesday morning arrested the former trucker, Clark Perry Baldwin, 59, at his home in Waterloo, Iowa. He faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of "I-90 Jane Doe" and "Bitter Creek Betty." Although the women's bodies were found in 1992, they have never been identified.

In addition to the Wyoming prosecutions — which will be held in Sheridan and Sweetwater counties — Baldwin faces another two murder charges in Tennessee that allege he killed a pregnant woman in 1991. He will be tried there before answering to the allegations in Wyoming.

"I don't know what the Webster's Dictionary definition of a serial killer is," Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Commander Matt Waldock said by phone Wednesday. "But that's what I'd call him."

The death of the woman now known as Bitter Creek Betty has been public since her body was found by another trucker on March 1, 1992, when she stopped at the Bitter Creek truck turnout on Interstate 80 in Sweetwater County. The female trucker informed law enforcement of the corpse, and an autopsy determined that the woman was strangled before being killed by a puncture wound in the face consistent with an ice-pick attack. Snow was found packed under her body, which authorities have said could have been left at the side of the highway for months before it was discovered.

Authorities recovered fingerprints from the scene, but they couldn’t find a match. An Arizona tattoo artist said he thought she was a Hispanic woman who had hitchhiked around the country, but couldn’t otherwise identify her.

In April of the same year, state transportation workers workers found a body in Sheridan County. That victim was also not identified, and investigators called her "I-90 Jane Doe."
The investigation

Court documents filed earlier this year in Sheridan County Circuit Court and made public following Baldwin's arrest lay out details of the investigations conducted by Wyoming DCI and the Tennessee 22nd District Attorney General's Office that led to investigators' arrest of Baldwin in the cold cases. Shortly after the discovery of I-90 Jane Doe, an autopsy determined that the victim was a white woman who was about 2-˝ months pregnant when she was killed, the documents state.

The forensic pathologist found that she had likely sustained a blow to the head but did not determine a cause or manner of death. Semen was found on her genitals, the documents state. That yielded a partial DNA profile.

Long-ago Bad Route rest stop murder still puzzles Dawson County law enforcement

In 2006, DCI asked a research scientist at the University of Wyoming to examine evidence from the Interstate 90 crime scene. The body of I-90 Jane Doe, the researcher determined, was placed at the crime scene about two months before the transportation workers' discovery.

A year later, DNA swabs taken from Bitter Creek Betty's genitals and an ice sample from the crime scene brought back a complete DNA profile, the documents state. That did not, however, match any information in state and federal DNA databases, according to the documents.

In 2012, the Wyoming State Crime Lab found that the DNA taken from Bitter Creek Betty's body matched the DNA found on I-90 Jane Doe's body, the documents state.
The role of DNA

Then, in May of last year, DCI agents spoke with a Tennessee investigator who had reopened the 1991 investigation, the documents state. The DNA in that case — when uploaded to a national database — matched the DNA in the Wyoming cases. The victim in that case — who is referred to as Pamela McCall in Wyoming documents but as Rose McCall in a Tennessee press release — was 20 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. She, like the two women in Wyoming, was found near the side of a road. According to the court documents, near her corpse were skid marks left by a tractor trailer. She had been strangled to death.

45-year-old Billings Heights double-homicide solved, sheriff says

In June of last year, DCI agents met with investigators for the Tennessee prosecutor's office. Those investigators turned over clothing taken from the body of McCall, according to the documents. When Wyoming lab workers examined the clothing, DNA found there matched the DNA taken from the Wyoming crime scenes, confirming the database result. That DNA sample was submitted to a private lab and, when compared with a "publicly accessible DNA database," brought back a list of people potentially related to the suspect.

The nature of the database is not fully made clear in the documents, and Waldock said early Wednesday evening that he couldn't immediately describe the DNA matching process.

The description of the investigation in the court documents, though, is similar to the process that was used in the arrest of a California man two years ago on suspicion of being the Golden State Killer, whom authorities think killed a dozen people in California over the course of more than a decade.

Baldwin, according to the court document filed in Sheridan County, is linked to other cases: In 1991 he had been investigated in Texas on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman there. He admitted to the crime and was released the same day. It is not clear if the alleged assault in Texas was ever prosecuted. As part of an Iowa homicide investigation dating to 1992, Baldwin's ex-wife told law enforcement that he had bragged about "killing a girl out west by strangulation and throwing her out of his truck," according to the documents.

In April of this year, investigators on an FBI task force took trash that they saw Baldwin throw in a dumpster, the documents state. They collected the trash.

The FBI investigators also — after watching Baldwin handle merchandise while shopping at Walmart — then took the items and swabbed for DNA the handles of a shopping cart he used, the documents state. The Wyoming State Crime Lab found the DNA taken from the trash and the Walmart trip matched the DNA found at the cold case crime scenes.

On Wednesday morning, FBI agents and Tennessee investigators arrested Baldwin in Iowa, according to the DCI statement. He will be transported first to Tennessee to face two counts of first-degree murder. In that state, authorities can charge a person for murder of an unborn child, in addition to the charge alleging he murdered the expectant mother.

It is only after those charges have been resolved that Baldwin will come to Wyoming to face the cases here, Waldock, the DCI commander, said. Waldock added that because the woman in Tennessee had been identified by name, law enforcement thought it better for surviving family members to charge the case there first.

Waldock declined to say whether law enforcement thought that Baldwin could be linked to other homicides. He said, though, that he hopes the arrest will lead other agencies to examine their unsolved cases.

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 https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/authorities-arrest-waterloo-man-in-connection-to-wyoming-cold-case-murders/article_3a0049bc-677e-54bf-b7a3-a07b1248a400.html

UPDATE: Waterloo trucker charged in 1990s slayings of 3 women, fetus
RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press


SUSPECT: Clark Perry Baldwin

ATERLOO — Investigators Wednesday arrested a long-haul trucker from Waterloo who they say is linked by DNA evidence to the killings of three women whose bodies were dumped in Wyoming and Tennessee in the early 1990s.

Police arrested Clark Perry Baldwin, 58, at his home in Waterloo on murder charges filed in Wyoming and Tennessee in the deaths of the women, including two who were pregnant. Investigators said they were looking into whether Baldwin could be responsible for other unsolved slayings.

Baldwin was arrested after investigators used semen and other material recovered from the victims to develop DNA profiles of their perpetrators, according to court documents in Wyoming. Last year, they learned the same profile matched all three cases.

Investigators zeroed in on Baldwin after finding DNA in commercial genealogy databases of someone related to the suspect’s profile, court documents say. Last month in Waterloo, the FBI secretly collected DNA from Baldwin’s trash and a shopping cart he used at Walmart and it matched the profile.

In Wyoming, Baldwin is charged in the deaths of two unidentified women whose bodies were found in 1992 roughly 400 miles apart.

A female trucker discovered the **** body of the first victim in March 1992 near the Bitter Creek Truck turnout on Interstate 80 in southwestern Wyoming. An autopsy determined the woman suffered head trauma consistent with strangulation and her body had likely been in the snow for weeks.

A month later, Wyoming Department of Transportation workers found the partially mummified body of a pregnant woman in a ditch off of Interstate 90, near Sheridan in northern Wyoming.

An autopsy didn’t determine the cause of death but found the victim had an injury potentially consistent with suffering a blow to the head.

Investigators never identified the women and referred to them as “Bitter Creek Betty” and “I-90 Jane Doe.” Both were believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Cmdr. Matt Waldock said.

In Tennessee, Baldwin is charged with two counts of murder in the 1991 killing of a 32-year-old pregnant woman from Virginia, Pamela McCall, and her fetus.

McCall was found in woods off Interstate 65 in Spring Hill, Tennessee, in March 1991. An autopsy determined McCall had neck injuries and died of strangulation. Sperm was recovered from pantyhose worn by McCall, who was last seen at a Tennessee truck stop days earlier.

Court documents say Baldwin allegedly **** a female hitchhiker in Wheeler County, Texas, at gunpoint in his truck in 1991. The 21-year-old woman told police Baldwin struck her on the head, bound her hands and mouth and tried to choke her to death. He allegedly admitted to the assault but was released after the victim refused to return to Texas to testify.

Baldwin, who has previously lived in Nashua, Iowa, and Springfield, Missouri, was a cross-country truck driver for Marten Transport at the time.

Baldwin’s name also surfaced during a 1992 homicide investigation in Iowa. His ex-wife told police then that Baldwin once bragged about “killing a girl out west by strangulation and throwing her out of his truck,” court documents say.

Waldock said investigators were “hopeful” to solve other cases with Baldwin’s arrest.

One case of interest is the 1992 death of Tammy Jo Zywicki, 21, an Iowa college student who was last seen after her car broke down on an Illinois highway. A white man who was driving a semi-trailer was seen near her vehicle. Zywicki’s body was found in rural Missouri, stabbed to death.

Another is the 1992 killing of Rhonda Knutson, 22, a truck stop convenience store clerk in northern Iowa who was bludgeoned to death during an overnight shift. Investigators have released sketches of two men who were in the store, including one trucker. Baldwin lived in nearby Nashua then.

In 1997, Secret Service agents raided Baldwin’s apartment in Springfield, Missouri, after learning he was making counterfeit U.S. currency on a personal computer. He and two female associates were indicted on counterfeiting charges. Baldwin was sentenced to 18 months in prison and released in 1999.

In 2008, a fire destroyed a Nashua building where Baldwin operated a candle business and damaged two adjacent buildings, including one that housed the town’s newspaper. The cause of the fire was never determined.

Baldwin is being held at the Black Hawk County jail pending extradition proceedings to Tennessee.

The charges stunned Jazz Baldwin, 32, of New Hampton, who said she learned two years ago that Baldwin was her father after he purchased a DNA test kit. The two had been in contact over Facebook since then, she said.

“I heard rumors about his ‘possible crimes’ but always thought they were bogus,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “Murder was NOT on the list of things we thought he had done and gotten away with.”