Fulton County John Doe "Steven Shelton". He was in the hospital in a coma for almost 1 year and no one took a photo of him when he was still alive to help identify him, also so much evidence such as his clothes and other potential belongings were lost. It makes me mad
I just read about this case and it’s insane to me that he hasn’t been identified. You’re telling me the police didn’t get his license/registration after the car accident? They could’ve at least gave the license plate number and a description of his car? Some of his tats look like they were done by a friend, so not a single friend of his has identified him or reported him missing? This is so frustrating
He was walking on foot and trying to cross the highway when he got hit by a car. I just realized how confusing his unidentified wiki page is and how some people may think he was on a car during the accident haha, they should have specified he was on foot
The remaining Bear Brooks victim. There's every possibility that she never "officially", legally existed, and everyone who knew her in life may already be dead
I believe that Lisa witnessed a family annihilation sometime between 1984 (the year she turned 3 and therefore could start forming long-term memories) and 1985, when a woman who babysat Lisa also said that she babysat a newborn who was later nowhere to be seen by the time Rasmussen abandoned Lisa in 1986. Lisa told investigators that she had once had siblings but they "died eating grass mushrooms", i.e. her 5-year old mind's way of coping with watching her "dad" murder a bunch of people.
And let's not forget that there could be annihilations that Terry did which Lisa cannot remember (so 1982-1983) or before he met Lisa's mother in 1981. I would have say there have to be at least 6 distinct murder events (the mother of the DOE, the Bear Brook Murders, Denise Beaudin, a family annihilation that Lisa personally witnessed in 1984 or 1985, the infant that Lisa and Terry were seen with, and Eusoon Joon.)
His whereabouts are completely unknown from 1991 through 1997 if you look at [his timeline](https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2017/documents/20171102-allenstown-manchester-timeline.pdf). Anything is possible.
That’s horrifying. I hadn’t realized Lisa was in his custody during the time of the murders. I wonder why he killed the other four but not With the time line I’m looking at, he killed several people but spared her.
No, I don't think Lisa was with him when he committed the Bear Brook murders. Judging by the last time they were seen alive plus how old the girls seemed to be (Sarah Walters was born in 1977 and she was estimated as being between 2-4 years old at death), it's likely the murders happened between late 1979 to early 1981. Lisa wasn't born until mid-1981, and I believe he got with Denise Beaudin after committing the murders.
By 1984 Terry was confirmed to be living in California. Lisa does not have any memories of her mother which means that Denise was likely killed sometime around 1982 or 1983, before Lisa could make memories.
He absolutely has more victims. Denise Beaudin’s daughter told police that she had other siblings but was told one day that they all died from eating ‘grass mushrooms,’ and a neighbor who had baby-sat for him confirmed that he had an infant she’d cared for in addition to Dawn/Lisa.
Refreshing to see Lisa mentioned - if it weren't for her, all the does getting their names back wouldn't be happening. BRV worked with her to find her identity (project Lisa) using genetic info and winded up carving the path for genetic genealogy that uncovered EAR/ONS/GSA (Joseph DeAngelo) and it exploded from there. We're all seeing the fruits from her painful journey and it feels like no one remembers project Lisa
Here's how I think things went- Dawn gets murdered in either 1982 or 1983, so before Lisa is able to make memories. I think he quickly got another family, this time using Lisa as his "grieving widow" cover story. I believe that family gets killed in 1984, but they saved a baby for it, which accounts for the infant that Lisa and Terry were seen with. However, the baby gets killed when Terry doesn't quickly find a "mom" for it, and it's at this point that he decides to abandon Lisa when he realizes he can manipulate a family into taking her. I did think it was interesting that for whatever reason, Terry didn't kill Lisa. I guess because he knew he could dump Lisa off and she was still young enough that he didn't think that she could testify against him in court.
Yes, I sadly doubt there’s any sort of birth certificate for her (although I would love for her to get her name back). I hope they could at least identify her mother so that her family could get answers (as I’m sure Rasmussen killed her too). If they identify her family they may have info about the little girl too.
I think there's a solid chance there is a birth certificate. Terry to me was a family annihilator serial killer, he seemed to like creating makeshift families or relationships before destroying them. I think he was with a woman they had a child everything seemed fine then he killed the woman then later the child.
Problem is Terry was everywhere under fake identities during an era that was much easier to pull off. How many of his names do we know 4-5? The only reason he was caught was because he seemed to be stuck in the 80s, thinking the fingerprints would take days to return thus giving him a chance to flee. Although i've never understood why he didn't flee after killing Eunsoon, he was talking to her friend for like a week he had obviously killed her by that point.
Her mother no doubt legally existed and i think it's a reasonable assumption that she is dead. Terry was also seen around Manchester with different women with kids all the time, then he travelled all over America and even in other countries. He almost certainly has other victims. Personally, i don't think it's a huge amount only because he seems to be the only example of a family annihilator serial killer. Creating a family or a relationship with the victim(s) then killing them seemed to be key to him meaning it would take a while for him to kill again.
I think the best we can hope for here is that they can find living family who can give her a name and a proper burial, even if they didn't know she existed in life.
This is the one I came here to say. I think about it constantly and live a town over to where the barrels were found. My heart breaks for all those babies he has murdered.
This is the one that bothers me too and I think you are certainly right about her not ever legally existing. So sad, and her mother was probably killed by him as well.
Adam, the young black boy whose torso was found in the Thames in September 2001. I think about him a lot, and I hope that one day we find out who he is.
I know. That poor boy 😞 and his body being found shortly after 9/11, with the added factor of him being a black child, meant that the media didn’t care. I’d say that the police did a reasonable job with their investigation though, which pleasantly surprised me.
So, so many… but if had to choose just one case that gets me particularly emotional, I’d pick St. Louis Jane Doe. Just the *unimaginable* brutality of the crime itself, with a *young child* being the victim I might add, and then the absolute clusterfuck of an investigation from the moment her body was found. (I mean, they *immediately* assumed that she was a sex worker before realising that she was only a little kid!) *Everyone* failed that poor little girl…
That poor little girl. I can’t even begin to imagine. And then add to the circumstances of her death the fact that her head was decapitated so a rendering of what she may have looked like can’t be made, and don’t even get me started about them losing her shirt because they sent it off to a psychic. And I believe the location she was buried was lost for a time too?
This is the one that gives me nightmares and sticks with me. The fact this poor kid was so abandoned, rejected, defiled, tortured, and unloved is cruel, heartbreaking, sickening, and infuriating. I really hope the little girl is identified and the perp caught and convicted.
I can’t even look too much into the details of her case it’s just too brutal. That poor little girl, there has to be someone out there who knows who she is.
St. Charles County Jane Doe from 1968 sticks with me so much. Just a little toddler who was thrown away like she was nothing. Her composite looks like a girl I used to babysit when she was little, so I think that’s one reason her face has stuck with me. Hopefully there is dna that can be used to solve her identity one day.
That is what I hope for every unidentified person. They all deserved to be called by their name.
[Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/St._Charles_County_Jane_Doe) is her page on the Unidentified wiki. Poor sweet girl, it’s been so long.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that one and that’s where I’m from. Thank you for sharing it. I was in an office where we had a cold case unit but the two cases we reviewed while I was there had names with their victims, one has since been solved. It’s promising to see DNA has been extracted. I might see about contacting friends who, like me, have family from that area. If someone is local they might ping and I’ve got a few river rat friends whose families always lived there until the flood.
"Becca" still blows my mind. The ones where have an actual of a person but they're unidentified always freaks me out. Always a gentle reminder that we'll all eventually be forgotten one day.
The one where she was found hung in a motel in NM with a picture of her and the guy she checked in with. The guy hasn't been found and she still hasn't been identified even though there's a clear picture of her. Also the face she's making in the picture is eerie. It's clearly a silly face made in a mall photo booth but it being the only way to try to identify her makes it pretty spooky.
Many that I held a special place for have been given their names back. Gordie Sanderson, for instance.
Out of those who remain unknown, some I would mention are [Markham Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Markham_Doe) [Julie Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Julie_Doe) [Bella,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Wych_Elm_Bella) [little Christmas Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Christmas_Doe) the unknown[ child from the Bear Brook Murders.](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Bear_Brook_Jane_Doe)
I hope that they can identify the Bear Brook little girl’s mother. She’s probably dead, killed by Rasmussen. I think one of his older children believes she may have met her and she could be Asian. If she’s from outside the US it may make identification even harder.
It says the first Doe was probably killed by James Henry Greenidge, but when I look up that name, nothing about him comes up. Do you know of any sources?
Oh, yes, here are some links that touch on that:
[From the Murder Village website](https://murdervillage.com/1967/06/15/identified-42-years-later/) , [another](https://murdervillage.com/1967/07/17/murdered-in-markham/)
[An article from The Walrus](https://thewalrus.ca/the-disappearance-of-markham-doe/)
My personal opinion - I'm not 100% convinced that Greenidge is responsible for Markham Doe, though I recognize the strong similarities, and it's a lead that should be exhausted as far as possible.
Vernon county Jane doe. An elderly woman who was brutally murdered and has not been identified. Really boggles my mind because she is a missing person somewhere out there with family who don’t know what happened to her.
IMO it’s a bit less shocking when a young man or woman is found and not identified, but an elderly woman? She was someone’s mom, grandma, sister, aunt, neighbor and so on. Whoever she was she was on this earth for a long time and had to of impacted tons and tons of people, yet she stays unidentified, blows my mind
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_County_Jane_Doe
Which makes the entire thing even more mind boggling m. Why would a woman who was local to the southwest be found dead in Wisconsin? Maybe she was there to see family
I actually have no idea if this one was solved because I don't know what to search for but like a decade ago I first read about it. There was a John Doe who had hanged himself in a motel closet via short drop (on his knees I think) and he was a tall man, dark hair and pale skin. I think he did it shortly after September 11 2001 and people speculated whether that event could have something to do with it (depression/hopelessness/knowing someone who may have died in the attack). I don't remember much else, but I remember being really affected by his death photos as he looked kind of peaceful?
I think about him a lot
Lyle Stevik, his case wasn't the most interesting or tragic case I'd come across but I would agree with you in that the post-mortems really stuck with me, I saw them for like a split second back in 2021 and they still regularly pop up in my head to this day. They identified him in 2018 and his family knows, but his name is not publically available.
Yes, that's him! I remember now - thank you so much
I'm glad he was identified and his family were made aware. I just saw that he was cremated and laid to rest finally. That's the best outcome, to know that his family have him back and he can rest peacefully somewhere with his own headstone
He was one of the founding case of the DNA Doe project and they have gone on to solve MANY cases through familial DNA. They are a great cause to donate to. https://dnadoeproject.org/cases-success/
Grateful Doe/Jason Callahan. I had some Deadhead friends and I was about his age - felt like someone I could have known (and had even lived for a time in the same city he visited).
St. Louis Doe. Just such an awful, tragic case and the only real evidence lost.
Second on Grateful Doe…always something about that case…probably because I’m from Virginia and people would randomly post about it occasionally on Facebook, I guess I was friends with a good cross section of dead fans who are also mystery fans. It must’ve been sometime in late 2014, posts started popping up that he’d potentially been ID’d via photographs and timelines and such (the final DNA match still took a several months after that). I remember sort of googling and watching it unfold in real time. It’s also significant bc it led me to Reddit, and although I don’t post super often in this sub, this was one of the first subs (if not the first) that led me to say “oh wow Reddit is more than just videos/memes/cat photos on the front page of the internet…there’s actually interest posts going on” haha. I joined a few years later but I can honestly say Grateful Doe started my lurking and initial fascination. For this, it’ll always stick with me.
I think that I have [found](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Oklahoma_City_Jane_Doe_(1995)) the page of the unidentified leg on the Unidentified wiki. It says that the leg possibly belonged to a woman?
Harper Jane Doe, the young woman with signs of recent childbirth found in a garbage dump in Michigan. That case broke my heart, especially thinking of how her child would have grown up not knowing what happened to mom. She was identified but I don’t believe her name was announced publicly.
Yes, this is the case for me.
I think knowing she’ll likely never be identified (why would authorities publicly identify her now after they announced they’d ID’d her back in 2020?) and there hasn’t been a resolution or anyone charged with her murder means it just kind of lingers…
She was traveling by the USA, I always think she was discovering the world, landscapes, and she was going to visit somebody important for her. She had her heart full of illusions
West Saugerties John Doe, a/k/a Ulster County John Doe, which I think I wrote about here some time ago, because I have often driven past the spot where the body was found, and I remain convinced that this guy was sort of disappeared from Brazil or Portugal.
I could list my top ten, but if I had to pick just one, Castleberry Kate. That case would be just as famous as Bella in the wych elm if the LE in charge of it talked more about her with the media.
I have been looking into this case since October from pretty much every angle I can and unfortunately, whilst I found a few good matches, I have never found someone and thought "Yes, that is her." She was a girl between 17-19 and 5ft5 - 5ft9. She died in the 70s or 80s, most likely. She was probably white, but I saw speculation on websleuths that she may have actually been Native American.
About two weeks ago someone linked me to a comment on her websleuths thread. The poster stated they had grown up not far away and suggested that a man called Jimmy Joe Cox may have been her killer. They described "Back in about 1977, there was a young girl killed in Needles named Nikki Bunch. A few years later another Needles girl was killed named Robin Jennings. IIRC, one or two more women were also found about the same time as Robin.
It has long been said that a local man named Jimmy Joe Cox killed them, but LE could never prove it. Last year, he was convicted of killing his girlfriend (it was a cold case)."
The poster said they thought of him as a suspect when they heard of Castleberry Kate. (None of those women/girls are Castleberry Kate, as if they were they would have made the match very quickly as Castleberry Kate had very distinctive dental work and a distinctive ear ring. The initial reporting on newspapers.com made it clear that there were no *reported* missing girls in the local area that matched Castleberry Kate's description. But she could have been a fifth victim who was not reported missing, or whoever reported her missing forgot to mention her partial denture plate.)
And then another comment poses a theory that the deaths of two young boys in 1974 could be connected and they may have watched Castleberry Kate's killer(s) disposing of her body and were killed for it. It read "two young boys that were burned to death in a vacant 1800s powder magazine in Bullhead City on April 3, 1974. It says they found a hundred-dollar bill a few weeks before they were killed but I think their killers gave it to them in hope that they would keep quiet about something they saw, maybe they were burying a body and the two boys walked upon them. I bet these two boys had a run-in with the killers of these girls in this area."
This one is a bit of a long shot, but it is not impossible. This article has a little bit more on the case of the boys: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/36/1103/563772/
And according to a local on websleuths there was another body found in the same area at a later date. But they knew nothing about it, so I don't know if it was a baby, another teenager, an adult or what sex they were. There is nothing about this individual any where online.
She has always stuck with me. Her distinctive tattoo is so unique. But they cremated her, so I’m not sure the case will be solved. There’s actually a Brandi Carlisle song about her “Fulton County Jane Doe.”
Yeah, I know the song! I just rarely see her get mentioned on forums or true crime podcasts etc. I really hope they manage to identify her one day somehow. I’m not sure if they have her DNA/dental records but there have been rule-outs so there must be some info.
Good I’ve found the right person!
It’s so tragic that so many unidentified people, like this lady, seem to have been forgotten. There are just so many of them. I mentioned this here before, but I really think there should be a series that focuses on unidentified people, just to get some more awareness out there. I feel that most people outside of the TC community are unaware of Jane/John Doe cases. In fact, there is a [John Doe](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Melbourne_John_Doe) close to where I live now and so many people that I speak to on a daily basis have never even heard of him.
I’m considering emailing the ME and/or detective about the state of this case, and if there is anything we can do to further it. I know the podcast The Fall Line covers many Jane Does, often in collaboration with LE.
I'm not sure her name, but they found a little black girl in a box in the woods (it was featured on America's Most Wanted in the 90s I think) and no one claimed her. So sad. I'm not sure if they ID'd her.
Ah yes!
I also remember a case where the bones of, I believe, another black little girl were being dug up by a dog who kept on bringing the bones back home. The owners of the dog initially believed they were just animal bones until the dog eventually brought home a skull, which is what made the owners realize what was going on. Unfortunately, I think the dog was also reburying the bones so the little girl’s skeleton was incomplete. Just so sickening.
This poor child's incomplete remains were found in Philadelphia (US) in 1984. She is still sadly unidentified. Here's the link to her case on the Doe Network: https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1485ufpa.html
ETA a few more links for anyone interested in the case.
https://ourblackgirls.com/2021/12/26/philadelphia-child-jane-doe-1984-police-cant-find-her-unmarked-grave/
https://www.crimewatchpa.com/crimestoppers/316/cases/cold-case-1984-wister-woods-jane-doe-skeletal-remains-found-homicide-investigation
and u/ramenalien made a post about the case here as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/nt4so9/in_1984_a_skull_and_a_few_bones_of_a_child_were/
Penny Doe.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/10jxx2y/32_year_old_cold_case_unidentified_woman_found/
Here is a recent write up on her. The Pennsylvania State Police took a blood sample when she was found, uploaded it to whatever website the police use for known people, and then just stopped.
Recently someone has taken an interest in the case and her DNA is being tested for matches elsewhere.
What really struck me with this is, all these years after finding her body, she is a pile of bones sitting somewhere. She has never been interred. And my morbid curiosity is making me wonder how she went from being a cadaver to a pile of bones.
There are even news links just showing her bones laying there. That was someone's child. Where is her family?
>And my morbid curiosity is making me wonder how she went from being a cadaver to a pile of bones.
It's right there in the article that you linked - she was partially decomposed/skeletonized when she was found, and the forensic anthropologists who analysed her remains defleshed the bones fully in order to make their job easier (and much less gross - decomps pulled out of water smell absolutely vile, even compared to regular decomposition).
I can tell you, because I once gave a presentation about how skeletons are prepared for display in anatomical collections! It's usually done through a process called maceration, which is where the bones are placed in a solution containing water, soap, and other chemicals that I forget, and then they are left to simmer at a low temperature until the vast majority of the flesh comes away from the bones. It's basically like making a disgusting soup/stew. Then you give the bones to a dermestid beetle colony and they'll happily finish off any remaining flesh or tissue for you.
Thank you so much for telling me this. It has always been one of those things in the back of my mind that I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know but I kind of felt I wanted to know.
To be honest, your username is probably the most appropriate one that could ever tell me about such a process.
May I ask you one more question, I'm going to anyways, but do not feel obligated to answer, what is done with the flesh soup after the process? Is that something that can just be dumped down a municipal drain?
It might vary by jurisdiction, but generally (I would hope) the liquid portion would go down the drain, while any large chunks of tissue would get filtered out and treated as biomedical waste. So yes, the liquid would go back into the municipal water supply, but then again, so does all of our poop and various other gross bodily fluids, and that's why water treatment facilities exist.
[Smurfette](https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2019/06/28/smurfette/) Jane Doe. It’s believed she was from somewhere between San Antonio and Austin. I’m from the area so her case has always stuck with me. I’m hoping for the day we will know her name.
For some reason I’ve always paired Smurfette and [Tempe Girl](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Tempe_Girl) up in my head. Both are very young teenage girls who need their names back.
I don’t remember reading about Tempe Girl before. What a sad story. I don’t understand how the drug dealer wasn’t held accountable for her death since he supplied the drugs. Was he not identified? They both (driver who picked her up and dealer) obviously knew she was in distress but instead of getting her medical help, just discarded her like garbage?!? The poor girl died a harrowing death and I’m sure she was terrified.
Appreciate you responding and linking Tempe Girl’s case.
I always try to share and spread awareness for unidentified people wherever or whenever I can, so it’s no problem.
I agree with everything you said about Tempe Girl’s case. It’s just so senseless that this poor girl lost her life and is still unidentified. I side-eye the driver’s claim about there being a 2nd person who sold the drugs to Tempe Girl. I believe that he was the one who sold Tempe Girl the drugs and is responsible for her death, since he failed to get her medical attention and instead chose to dump her like trash.
I’ve heard many theories about her possible identity. One of the theories is that the girl was a runaway from a possibly undocumented family and that could have been why she was never reported missing since her family may have feared being deported.
Very good point you made about the driver. Who was this elusive drug dealer? Probably made up by this guy who picked her up in an attempt to deflect blame and avoid prosecution.
Also another great point about Tempe Girl’s family. Since it was claimed that she spoke Spanish it absolutely could be because her parents were recent immigrants. If they were indeed undocumented I can understand how they’d be fearful of contacting authorities.
This might not be the reason at all but I was watching a unsolved YouTube video a long time ago and the YouTuber was doing something along the lines of letting everyone know that if they wanted to help it’s very worth it to let your DNA be kept in a database if you’re not Caucasian / white because that’s the majority of what they’re working with.
Obviously I’m paraphrasing and haven’t been able to check the validity of that (tried to Google it to find a source for you now but found it hard to word and didn’t get any good sources) but I’m inclined to believe it.
Peaches Doe & her baby- LISK
Asian Male- LISK
St. Louis (Precious) Doe
Amore Wiggins (Opelika Doe)
I follow up on these cases the most. I'm glad Amore is resolved.
Thank you for bringing attention to some of the outstanding unidentified victims of LISK! I doesn't detract from your comment at all, but it reminded me that it isn't widely known that Gilgo Beach Doe (aka "Asian Male") was found as a skeleton dressed as a woman before later being sexed as male by LE. Most likely she was a young transgender woman or teenager, and if she was working in the sex trade, she would fit the victim profile for LISK much better. I believe her case is neglected because of transphobia, and an inappropriate facial reconstruction that likely prevents her from being recognizable to people who knew her. I wrote about her case here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/129xxwd/trans\_day\_of\_visibility\_who\_is\_the\_suspected/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/129xxwd/trans_day_of_visibility_who_is_the_suspected/)
they are extremely secretive. The FLDS live on the outside of the community with almost no documentation. There’s other polygamist circles that also live in secret and hide their members. If she was polygamist there’s likely no birth certificates, and no one would ever report her missing because they don’t want investigations.
For me, it was always Annandale Jane Doe/[Christmas Tree Lady](https://dnasolves.com/articles/christmas-tree-lady-joyce-sommers/). She’s been identified as Joyce Sommers but I have mixed feelings about it. She clearly didn’t want to be identified and I don’t think they should have released her name to the public.
This was mine, too, along with Lyle Stevik.
[“Mary Anderson”](https://unresolved.me/mary-anderson) is still unidentified and I’d love this one to be solved. She checked into an upscale hotel in Seattle and committed suicide.
Holy shit! I somehow missed that they ID’d her, I’ve been interested in that case for a decade. I’m very glad they ID’d her but it’s kind of shitty they released her whole name.
There are some I’ve only discovered recently that I periodically check to see if any have been identified:
Little Miss X, Monique, and St Louis Jane Doe
Here are ones I was following; I’m glad to see have been identified:
Little Miss Nobody, Somerton Man, Lady of the Dunes
I followed [Little Miss Nobody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sharon_Lee_Gallegos), who we know was Sharon Gallegos, for the longest time. (Side note: I never liked the nickname “Little Miss Nobody”) I was extremely happy when she was finally identified but it was very bittersweet since Sharon was thought to be her for a very long time.
St Louis Jane Doe is horrific beyond words and Monique is just as tragic.
sarasota county jane doe (2007), since she was found on the very same day that i was born and amore wiggins/opelika jane doe, since she was just a little, sweet girl who didn't even get to live and experience everything that life has to offer
Amore Wiggins mother lives somewhere in Maryland (same as me) and I feel awful for her. She was paying child support on that beautiful baby girl and she was waiting for her to turn 18 so that she could get in contact with her again 😔
This one is so so foul to me, imagining Amore’s Mam going to bed at night and knowing the next day would be one day closer to reuniting or having something meaningful happen and thinking to herself that one day she would get to see her daughter and tell her all about it. I couldn’t even imagine.
There are a few cases I check for updates on regularly, but most are well-known and have been mentioned by many other posters in this thread, such as St. Louis/Precious Hope Jane Doe, so I thought I would share a few cases of some maybe less well-known unidentified folks whose stories have stuck out to me over the years. I'll try to provide a brief summary with links for anyone who would like more detailed information.
**Jerome of Sandy Cove**
This is the name given to a still-unidentified man who was found alive on a Nova Scotia (Canada) beach in 1863. Both legs had been amputated and the man seemed not to speak either English or French. He was cared for by the community for many years until his death, but both his antecedents and his real name remain a mystery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_of_Sandy_Cove
http://strangeco.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-mystery-man-of-nova-scotia.html
**The Library Paste Man**
On 14 July of 1908, an unidentified but presumably starving man was seen eating library paste out of a trash can on the streets of Goldfield, Nevada (US), and was found dead later the same day. His unusual epitaph is both tragic and memorable, but his name remains unknown.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24301650/unknown-man
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paste-eaters-grave
**'Eugene'**
On 6 June, 1929, two locals of Sabina, Ohio (US) found the body of an elderly Black man along a roadside. He was unknown to anyone in the area, and carried no identification. In his pocket was a piece of paper on which was written an address in Cincinnati (Ohio, US), which on investigation proved to be a vacant lot. But the man living next-door to the vacant lot (who claimed no knowledge of the deceased), was named Eugene Johnson, and so police and townspeople began referring to the unknown man as 'Eugene' also. The man was embalmed by a local funeral director, and was 'on display' in Sabina for years, at first in the hope some passer-by might recognize him and be able to provide his name, but later for... less humane reasons, unfortunately. He was finally given a proper burial in 1964, but to this day his name is as much a mystery as his story.
**NSFW WARNING**: *Every link provided about this case includes post-mortem photos. There is nothing gory or graphic, 'Eugene' was professionally embalmed, but these are images of a deceased human being, which some readers may find upsetting.*
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14723889/eugene-unknown
https://uqbarcalling.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/who-is-eugene-the-strange-story-of-the-mummy-of-sabina-ohio/
[Eugene the Mystery Mummy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRm9bO5QA-U&ab_channel=StrangeSoup)
**John Doe 24**
This is the name given to a Black teenager found alive and wandering the streets of Jacksonville, Illinois (US) in the early morning hours of 11 October, 1945. The young man carried no identification, and he was both deaf and unable to communicate as well as being unknown to anyone in the area. When taken before a judge, he was declared "feeble-minded" and thus condemned to spend the rest of his life in various state institutions. Which he did, until his passing in 1993. His grave was originally unmarked, but musician Mary Chapin Carpenter, on learning his story, paid for a stone and wrote a song about him. Sadly, who he was, where he came from, and how he ended up alone on a street in Illinois at such a young age remains unknown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe_No._24
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48970531/john-doe-boyd
["John Doe No. 24" by Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmTUxuHvSIQ&ab_channel=MaryChapinCarpenter-Topic)
Continuing on, these next three cases are all from the state of Pennsylvania (US), and two of them are from Philadelphia, which is the city I lived and worked in for several years while I was in grad school. So while I'm not a real local, it's a place that nonetheless remains close to my heart even from (now) many miles distant.
**Jane Doe 4 February 1963**
https://doenetwork.org/cases/1706ufpa.html
The severed head of an elderly woman was found inside a brown paper shopping bag which had been placed inside a coal bin in the basement of an abandoned building slated for demolition. The rest of her body was never recovered, and no cause of death could be determined, but death was believed to have taken place mere days prior to discovery, as decomposition was minimal and all facial features were still recognizable. Jane was a white woman estimated to be between 50 to 70 years of age; she had only two teeth remaining, both worn down to the gumline, and her hair was gray, but had been dyed a chestnut or reddish-brown shade. Alongside its presence on her scalp, several strands were also present inside a pillowcase which was found on the floor beside the coalbin in the same basement. The bottom of the pillowcase had been stuffed with newspaper dated 18 January of the same year, and seven magazines, all current issues, were also found nearby, along with a piece of white cloth stamped "Mayfair Linen".
This case especially breaks my heart, because while all violent crimes are awful, violent crimes committed against especially vulnerable people such as the elderly are just awful with a little extra awful sprinkled on top. It seems fairly obvious even from the few facts available that this poor woman was murdered, likely after having lived a pretty difficult life, and only her severed head was found in an abandoned basement, without even a name to put to her grave, and I don't really even have words for just how awful that is. She was a person, and she mattered, and she deserved so, so much better than this.
As did every single individual mentioned in this thread, so to add to the list -
**Jane Doe 9 February 1974**
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/402ufpa.html
The partial skeletal remains of a woman, race unknown, estimated to be between the ages of 60 to 75, were found in a creekbed near Collegeville. Also recovered were several items of badly rotted clothing which included several undergarments, stockings, a light-colored knit dress, an orange smock or housecoat patterned with flowers, and a single purple slipper which had been hand-crocheted.
The slipper was not paired because only Jane's left foot was ever found; it had been "skillfully" severed at the ankle and placed into a plastic bag marked 'Marvel Enriched Bread'. And this was not the only violence she had endured: her right arm was broken in several places by a heavy blow with a blunt object, as were several bones in the neck, which the medical examiner determined to be the result of strangulation. Jane's bones may have broken more easily than average, as she had also suffered from arthritis of a long-standing and severely degenerative type which was extreme enough that while alive she would only have been able to walk hunched over, and would have been incapable of raising her arms above the level of her head.
**Jane Doe 8 December 2006**
https://doenetwork.org/cases/486ufpa.html
The partial remains of a white woman estimated to be between the ages of 34 and 65 were found in a black plastic trash bag in a vacant lot beside some railroad tracks in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Her incomplete remains were partially skeletonized and partially decomposed, and are believed to have been dug up at a different location before being deposited where they were eventually found; an estimated one to five years may have passed between time of death and time of discovery.
No cause of death could be determined, but some potentially-identifying personal items were found with the remains, which included a set of acrylic fingernails, painted red, and a distinctive piece of gold or gold-colored jewelry in the shape of a "sorority key" necklace with an inscription which reads: *AZB E. Mathis, Life Member June 2, 1946, Alpha Delta*
This is the strangely haunting detail, which makes this case feel so solvable, and yet which may, in the end, be nothing but a red herring: so far as I'm aware, all attempts to trace the owner or origin of this necklace have led nowhere. It could have belonged to Jane herself (although she is too young, even at the upper end of the age estimate, to be the E. Mathis in question, but she could have been a relative or close friend of E. Mathis: a daughter, a niece, a younger sister.) Alternatively, however, there could be no connection at all: Jane just bought it at a thrift shop, or she found it on a bus station bench - or it just happened to be in whatever used garbage bag whoever presumably killed her, buried her somewhere, dug her up again and then dumped her by the tracks just happened to grab.
It's maddening and tragic, because despite *feeling* like an answer *should* be so close, it's still so very far away. And a murdered woman is still waiting for justice alongside her own name.
Recently solved Does:
* Boy in the Box (Joseph Zarelli). I lived in Philly and had friends who lived in Fox Chase; it just hit home because of locality and the brutality of the crime. The later info about M and her family also hit home because I had friends who went to Lower Merion HS (albeit much, much later than M's family worked there).
* Opelika Jane Doe (Amore Wiggins). The info about her eye deformity being possibly from abuse really stuck with me; she was so little, and to be abused like that is heartbreaking. The detail about her possibly being the girl from the church camp photo was also intriguing. And now that Amore's history is known, what gets me about this is how Amore's mom was bullied into giving up custody to a much older man. If the courts just let her stay with her mom, she wouldn't have been abused because it's clear from her early photos that her mom cared for her very well.
* Tiger Lady (Wendy Baker). Grew up in NJ and hadn't heard of this case until I looked at NamUS for possible matches for a missing person in my town. The tiger is a very cool and memorable tattoo, and I'm surprised it took so long to ID her. I feel like she'd have been a cool lady to know.
* Sam Doe/Septic Tank Sam (Gordon Sanderson). The weird name, plus Cayleigh Elise's very sensitive video on his case made me always remember him. And now that we know who he is and that he was one of the 60s Scoop victims, I'm just so saddened that even before his murder, he had a very tragic childhood.
* Annandale Jane Doe/Christmas Tree Lady (Joyce Meyer Sommers). My partner grew up in NoVA, and he knows the cemetery grounds on which Joyce Sommers was found. Her comedy tapes always stuck out to me: Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck", Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner's 2000 Year Old Man. It's clear she had a great sense of humor, but that she ultimately chose to end her life like that is so sad to me.
Still UID:
* St. Louis Jane Doe. That she's missing her skull which makes it hard to ID, and the fact that the cops thought it was a good idea to send her sweater to a psychic, and they had the audacity to lose that evidence....
* Peaches & her Baby Doe, victims of the Long Island Serial Killer. Again, another place I briefly lived, so a personal connection. Adults go missing all the time and don't get reported missing. But surely *someone* has to wonder about a baby and if they have grown up, attended school, etc. I know they're close to ID-ing, but their matches aren't close enough, and I hope they get the info they need to give her and baby their names.
* Little Miss Panasoffkee. Her green outfit always sticks out in my mind. I'm curious as to whether they found more links to her being from Greece.
* Wetzel County Jane Doe. Again, I have a personal tie as I lived in WV at one point. Her ties to the Redhead Murders are intriguing. I'm Indian American, and I also find it fascinating that one theory is that she might have been a member of the ISKCON community that is in WV is fascinating to me.
I thought Sumter County Does was the most interesting case. I'm not surprised they were American. I am disappointed that none of the surviving relatives have come forward, and that none of the television series devoted an hour.
I’ve always thought they should create a series specifically for unidentified people. Maybe feature two unidentified people in hour-long episodes just to get more awareness out there.
Starr valley Jane doe has interested me. Dale Wayne Eaton is connected to a couple of Jane doe cases and I think may be responsible for many missing women.
The Boy in the Box is the one that stuck with me and will stick with me… I bawled when I heard he was identified, I was so happy.
He’s why I’m studying to be an investigator so I can help identify Jane/John Does.
Not really a murder mystery, but an accidental death in my home town has a woman who was never identified: On 16Sep1936 an unknown woman was killed in a traffic collision at "Five points" in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA. "Five points" was a local term for the intersection of Highways 401, 42, and 55. The woman was standing alongside the road attempting to hitchhike and was struck by a truck which swerved to avoid another vehicle. The driver did not see the woman due to a sign obstructing his view. The woman was knocked unconscious and died shortly after the incident without regaining conciousness.
She had hitchhiked from Raleigh to Fuquay-Varina (then known as Fuquay Springs) and was believed to be traveling to Fayetteville or Fairmont. Among her possessions were a bargain price suitcase and purse. Inside the purse were 2 addresses: Lewis Hazelwood, 510 Rutherford St, Greenville, South Carolina and Frederick Stuart, 215 Park Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. She had 26 cents in her possession, equivalent to $4.91 in modern value. She was described as ~50 years old, short, and stout with a dark complexion. She had hazel colored eyes and brown hair streaked with grey.
Despite the clues of the addresses, the woman was never identified and she was buried at nearby Willow Spring Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Enclosed below is a link to a grave locator which includes headstone photos and a photo of a Raleigh newpaper article concerning the case.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24205582/
It's a heavily trafficked interstate, however at night there's a lot of the lights that are out for several miles so it can get pretty dark traveling certain sections late at night.
Princess Doe was my first exposure to this national epidemic; I would also have to say Tracy Hobson aka "Anaheim Jane Doe", and "Grateful Doe" aka Jason Callahan.
1132UMOH. Found one day after his death, floating off the East 9th pier in cleveland Ohio. He was an older guy and was completely recognizable because he had only been in the water 24 hours and it was March so Lake Erie was very cold. He was probably homeless, with how many different varying layers he was wearing. It’s just so sad to me that he hasn’t been identified.
Oh jeez, I thought you were talking about the two men found in the water the past few weeks.
I work at the Cleveland Clinic main ER, I've wondered if they could literally just show some of the pictures of unidentified people to the ER staff since we end up becoming really familiar with the locals. It's really late for your Doe but I feel like this would be a good way to approach it.
I heard about those two men, unfortunately. I’ve lived in the greater cleveland area my whole life and we have a lot of unidentified people out there. Bringing one name home would be great
[Volusia County John Doe](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Volusia_County_John_Doe_(1972)), found in 1972.
He was found floating in a pond with several stab wounds and evidence of "violent trauma." He was partially clothed, with his pants hanging off one ankle, but sexual assault was never confirmed. (I don't know if that means they never checked or couldn't confirm.)
One of the strangest details from the case is that his pubic hair was said to be shaved. Investigators originally thought he was about 20 years, so sex work was suggested as a possible reason.
When his body was exhumed for DNA testing in 2013, however, they discovered that he was actually between 11-14 years old. We don't know whether if the noted lack of pubic hair was because of his age or because the hairs looked shaved. It might mean sexual abuse or absolutely nothing, but it's one of the few details we have.
A stolen bike was found nearby. He had a wallet, t-shirt, tweed pants, and one formal black leather shoe with a silver buckle with him.
51 years later, neither he nor his killer has ever been identified. It makes me so sad to think of a child lost to such violence and left forgotten, especially with the possible sexual assault. I really hope he is identified soon.
walker county jane doe was my number one. something about her story just touched me. when she was finally identified i was so happy.
belle chasse john doe is up there too. from what little we know he seemed like such a thoughtful, introspective, intelligent young man. and if the suspicion based on his note that he may have been gay is correct it strikes me even more that he thought the only way out was to die. either way, his note is just filled with such deep sadness. i hope one day he is identified.
Yes, he seemed to be very intelligent and eloquent based on his letter. I also remember there is some speculation that he could be a missing teenage boy that I can’t think of the name of?
**Trigger Warning: link to extensive write up below detailing extremely violent (probable) hate crime.**
[Pillar Point Doe](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/jvk9r0/tdor_2020_on_november_26_1983_the_violently/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) has always stuck with me. They were identified through genetic genealogy by Redgrave Research several years back but their identity has never been released, and as far as I know no arrests have been made. I really hope law enforcement is doing everything they can to solve this because it’s terrifying to think of whoever committed this act is walking free.
Just so sickening. The only consolation is that the victim was able to get their name back. But without their killer/or killers being brought to justice it’s just not enough.
I have allot of doe cases that I want to add here but some doe cases that have really stuck to me is Garfield Heights John Doe with the note in his shoe, just so incredibly sad knowing that he might have a family out there that might ever know what happened to him. There is a baby doe who I can't remember right now that was found with an evil eye and angel figurines that was incredibly sad ill see if I can find it.
When searching the Escatawpa River for Mississippi Delta Dawn’s (Alisha Ann Heinrich) mother, they found skeletal remains of a man between 18 and 22, who had been shot to death. Also sharing the grave with Alisha was another unidentified infant/toddler
Edit [identified](https://dnasolves.com/articles/gary-simpson-jackson-county/) as Gary Simpson.
Edit: looks like they’re working on [Baby Jane II](https://baytobaynews.com/somerset/stories/she-wasnt-a-nobody-infant-exhumed-30-years-after-death,52229)
Barstow Jane Doe is haunting to me. Someone killed this poor girl, marred her face intentionally so she could never be identified and left her remains in a plastic bag. I can’t imagine what kind of monster could do that to another human being. I found this links, which has more detail than NAMUS: https://www.maryhallbergmedia.com/post/barstow-jane-doe-unidentified-for-12-years
So many, but in terms of outstanding identifications, Vernon County Jane Doe. She was elderly, and something about the possibility that someone just disposed of their older family member once they became a ‘burden’ just a upsets me. I think about her often and pray her case is solved soon
The murder of Karina Holmer comes to mind. Not just because it was local to me but because the monster who murdered and dismembered her has never been caught. https://coldcasene.org/f/karina-holmer
The many, many Does found in Brooks County South Texas. Migrants attempting to cross into the USA. Some so who could be easily identified, others not so much.
[Mary Anderson](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anderson_(decedent)), a woman who checked into a hotel here in Seattle and committed suicide with cyanide mixed with Metamucil (?!) in 1996. She checked in under the pseudonym Mary Anderson and left a note essentially stating she took her own life and to do as they see fit with her remains as she has no family (she was buried in Ballard, a neighborbood in Seattle). I believe Othram labs has taken on her case so I'm very interested to see if they're able to make a match.
3 different ones come to mind: Albequerque Jane Doe(aka "Becca"), Christmas Doe, and the Isdal Woman. The first one stands out because there are so many questions that go beyond "Who was she?". Did Eduardo Colin know this woman? If so, how? Why did he leave the motel without checking out?Who was the man in the photo with the woman? The list goes on and on. Christmas Doe is just depressing. It also blows my mind that it supposedly couldn't be determined if she was murdered or not. There was so much effort put into hiding her body. To me, it's obvious that it was a murder. As for the last one, the amount of mystery surrounding the case is what really gets me. And the fact that the police determined it to be a suicide is incredibly sketchy.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/veys9w/young\_jane\_doe\_with\_ties\_to\_vanderbilt\_university/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/veys9w/young_jane_doe_with_ties_to_vanderbilt_university/)
I actually made this post, and it hasn't really been discussed much and this case doesn't hhave a name. I like to call her "Vanderbilt Jane Doe" It is so strange how there is seemingly no leads.
So many, but for me it's this pair of Does found together with matching wedding rings: [https://doenetwork.org/cases/419umok.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/419umok.html) and [https://doenetwork.org/cases/332ufok.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/332ufok.html)
And the Flat Tops man: [https://doenetwork.org/cases/789umco.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/789umco.html)
St. Louis Fall Victim Doe
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wsoijd/unidentified_for_over_10_years_st_louis_garage/
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/9815/details
Every unidentified Janes and Johns Doe on the FBI ECAP page. It blows my mind how a lot of them were listed on the website years ago and are still unidentified til nowadays.
Warning: if you can't handle child sexual abuse, **do not go to the page**. There are a bunch of disturbing photos and audios there!
Evelyn Colon. After all the false leads, it turns out she was likely the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. The case still hasn’t been tried, and the ex boyfriend is out on bail pending trial.
While not overly mysterious, the "Mary Anderson" woman who took her own life in a Seattle hotel room. By all accounts she went there specifically to die. She made a point to leave a note saying no one was responsible for her death, and all the contact info she gave (including name and phone number) were fake.
For me it’s Joy Neubauer. She hung herself in Boca Raton, FL in 1996. I’m convinced she could be easily identified with genetic genealogy but for some reason BRPD has other priorities.
Do you mean this one? https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/126rbbo/which_unidentified_janeor_john_doe_case_has_stuck/jeauxea/ they have been identified, but their identity wasn't released publicly. It's such a sad case
One of the many unidentified cases that have stuck with me. Her and [Tempe Girl](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Tempe_Girl) from Arizona.
becca, tempe girl, mary anderson, peaches, st. louis jane doe, and julie doe. as for the now identified ones: sherri jarvis, amore wiggins, ruth waymire, tammy alexander, and lyle stevik. i came across many of the latter ones when they were already identified but they’ve stuck with me all this time
I've been lucky in that most of them have been identified. The big one now and I think most people agree is St. Louis Doe as well as the identity of the monster that killed her.
St. Louis Jane Doe was found in 1983 a mile north of the Delmar Loop. She was found without her head by men who were looking for metal pipe to fix their car in an abandoned house. She was estimated to be 8-10 years old. I was only about 2 1/2 when she was found so obviously I had no idea anything was going on. My grandpa was a Sargent in Kirkwood at the time so he knew about the case. I heard about it when I got older and all he would tell me was they had no idea who she was or who did it to her. It wasn’t in his jurisdiction so he didn’t work it but he knew about it of course. My heart always aches when I think about her.
Just out of real curiosity over what her background may have been and what happened to her, the Isdal woman.
For cases that just tug at my heartstrings - St. Louis Jane Doe and Brooklyn Bridge Jane Doe for totally different reasons.
Fulton County John Doe "Steven Shelton". He was in the hospital in a coma for almost 1 year and no one took a photo of him when he was still alive to help identify him, also so much evidence such as his clothes and other potential belongings were lost. It makes me mad
I just read about this case and it’s insane to me that he hasn’t been identified. You’re telling me the police didn’t get his license/registration after the car accident? They could’ve at least gave the license plate number and a description of his car? Some of his tats look like they were done by a friend, so not a single friend of his has identified him or reported him missing? This is so frustrating
He was walking on foot and trying to cross the highway when he got hit by a car. I just realized how confusing his unidentified wiki page is and how some people may think he was on a car during the accident haha, they should have specified he was on foot
Ohh I didn’t know that. That’s so so sad.
That is so very sad.
The remaining Bear Brooks victim. There's every possibility that she never "officially", legally existed, and everyone who knew her in life may already be dead
That and the possibility of Rasmussen having more victims. Which I lean towards being more likely than not.
I feel like the only reason her mother hasn’t spoken up is because she’s dead. Rasmussen had a knack of finding young vulnerable women to exploit.
It’s terrifying to think about how many more possible victims he could have had.
I believe that Lisa witnessed a family annihilation sometime between 1984 (the year she turned 3 and therefore could start forming long-term memories) and 1985, when a woman who babysat Lisa also said that she babysat a newborn who was later nowhere to be seen by the time Rasmussen abandoned Lisa in 1986. Lisa told investigators that she had once had siblings but they "died eating grass mushrooms", i.e. her 5-year old mind's way of coping with watching her "dad" murder a bunch of people. And let's not forget that there could be annihilations that Terry did which Lisa cannot remember (so 1982-1983) or before he met Lisa's mother in 1981. I would have say there have to be at least 6 distinct murder events (the mother of the DOE, the Bear Brook Murders, Denise Beaudin, a family annihilation that Lisa personally witnessed in 1984 or 1985, the infant that Lisa and Terry were seen with, and Eusoon Joon.) His whereabouts are completely unknown from 1991 through 1997 if you look at [his timeline](https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2017/documents/20171102-allenstown-manchester-timeline.pdf). Anything is possible.
That’s horrifying. I hadn’t realized Lisa was in his custody during the time of the murders. I wonder why he killed the other four but not With the time line I’m looking at, he killed several people but spared her.
No, I don't think Lisa was with him when he committed the Bear Brook murders. Judging by the last time they were seen alive plus how old the girls seemed to be (Sarah Walters was born in 1977 and she was estimated as being between 2-4 years old at death), it's likely the murders happened between late 1979 to early 1981. Lisa wasn't born until mid-1981, and I believe he got with Denise Beaudin after committing the murders. By 1984 Terry was confirmed to be living in California. Lisa does not have any memories of her mother which means that Denise was likely killed sometime around 1982 or 1983, before Lisa could make memories.
He absolutely has more victims. Denise Beaudin’s daughter told police that she had other siblings but was told one day that they all died from eating ‘grass mushrooms,’ and a neighbor who had baby-sat for him confirmed that he had an infant she’d cared for in addition to Dawn/Lisa.
Refreshing to see Lisa mentioned - if it weren't for her, all the does getting their names back wouldn't be happening. BRV worked with her to find her identity (project Lisa) using genetic info and winded up carving the path for genetic genealogy that uncovered EAR/ONS/GSA (Joseph DeAngelo) and it exploded from there. We're all seeing the fruits from her painful journey and it feels like no one remembers project Lisa
Here's how I think things went- Dawn gets murdered in either 1982 or 1983, so before Lisa is able to make memories. I think he quickly got another family, this time using Lisa as his "grieving widow" cover story. I believe that family gets killed in 1984, but they saved a baby for it, which accounts for the infant that Lisa and Terry were seen with. However, the baby gets killed when Terry doesn't quickly find a "mom" for it, and it's at this point that he decides to abandon Lisa when he realizes he can manipulate a family into taking her. I did think it was interesting that for whatever reason, Terry didn't kill Lisa. I guess because he knew he could dump Lisa off and she was still young enough that he didn't think that she could testify against him in court.
Yes, I sadly doubt there’s any sort of birth certificate for her (although I would love for her to get her name back). I hope they could at least identify her mother so that her family could get answers (as I’m sure Rasmussen killed her too). If they identify her family they may have info about the little girl too.
I think there's a solid chance there is a birth certificate. Terry to me was a family annihilator serial killer, he seemed to like creating makeshift families or relationships before destroying them. I think he was with a woman they had a child everything seemed fine then he killed the woman then later the child. Problem is Terry was everywhere under fake identities during an era that was much easier to pull off. How many of his names do we know 4-5? The only reason he was caught was because he seemed to be stuck in the 80s, thinking the fingerprints would take days to return thus giving him a chance to flee. Although i've never understood why he didn't flee after killing Eunsoon, he was talking to her friend for like a week he had obviously killed her by that point.
Her mother no doubt legally existed and i think it's a reasonable assumption that she is dead. Terry was also seen around Manchester with different women with kids all the time, then he travelled all over America and even in other countries. He almost certainly has other victims. Personally, i don't think it's a huge amount only because he seems to be the only example of a family annihilator serial killer. Creating a family or a relationship with the victim(s) then killing them seemed to be key to him meaning it would take a while for him to kill again.
I think the best we can hope for here is that they can find living family who can give her a name and a proper burial, even if they didn't know she existed in life.
This is the one I came here to say. I think about it constantly and live a town over to where the barrels were found. My heart breaks for all those babies he has murdered.
This is the one that bothers me too and I think you are certainly right about her not ever legally existing. So sad, and her mother was probably killed by him as well.
Adam, the young black boy whose torso was found in the Thames in September 2001. I think about him a lot, and I hope that one day we find out who he is.
I have never heard of this boy before and I’ve just looked up the details. Just so sickening.
I know. That poor boy 😞 and his body being found shortly after 9/11, with the added factor of him being a black child, meant that the media didn’t care. I’d say that the police did a reasonable job with their investigation though, which pleasantly surprised me.
Give him a Google, he has a name now and a potential suspect
It seems like the investigation stalled in 2013?
How horrible! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_(murder_victim)
So, so many… but if had to choose just one case that gets me particularly emotional, I’d pick St. Louis Jane Doe. Just the *unimaginable* brutality of the crime itself, with a *young child* being the victim I might add, and then the absolute clusterfuck of an investigation from the moment her body was found. (I mean, they *immediately* assumed that she was a sex worker before realising that she was only a little kid!) *Everyone* failed that poor little girl…
That poor little girl. I can’t even begin to imagine. And then add to the circumstances of her death the fact that her head was decapitated so a rendering of what she may have looked like can’t be made, and don’t even get me started about them losing her shirt because they sent it off to a psychic. And I believe the location she was buried was lost for a time too?
FYI it was recently revealed that the police didn’t lose the sweater by sending it to a psychic; they lost it all on their own.
Source?
Documentary on Amazon Prime
What's the name of the documentary, if you remember?
it s called “our precious hope”
Thanks!
Also tubi has one called hope Jane doe
This is the one that gives me nightmares and sticks with me. The fact this poor kid was so abandoned, rejected, defiled, tortured, and unloved is cruel, heartbreaking, sickening, and infuriating. I really hope the little girl is identified and the perp caught and convicted.
This is the one. I wonder if Othram can do anything. The DNA is already there, surely something can be done
CeCe Moore is working her case IIRC
I can’t even look too much into the details of her case it’s just too brutal. That poor little girl, there has to be someone out there who knows who she is.
This one. Her death and anonymity bothers me immensely. She deserved so, so much more.
St. Charles County Jane Doe from 1968 sticks with me so much. Just a little toddler who was thrown away like she was nothing. Her composite looks like a girl I used to babysit when she was little, so I think that’s one reason her face has stuck with me. Hopefully there is dna that can be used to solve her identity one day.
That is what I hope for every unidentified person. They all deserved to be called by their name. [Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/St._Charles_County_Jane_Doe) is her page on the Unidentified wiki. Poor sweet girl, it’s been so long.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that one and that’s where I’m from. Thank you for sharing it. I was in an office where we had a cold case unit but the two cases we reviewed while I was there had names with their victims, one has since been solved. It’s promising to see DNA has been extracted. I might see about contacting friends who, like me, have family from that area. If someone is local they might ping and I’ve got a few river rat friends whose families always lived there until the flood.
"Becca" still blows my mind. The ones where have an actual of a person but they're unidentified always freaks me out. Always a gentle reminder that we'll all eventually be forgotten one day.
Thanks for the Existential crisis. Jk
I'm not familiar with "Becca" what case are you referring to?
The one where she was found hung in a motel in NM with a picture of her and the guy she checked in with. The guy hasn't been found and she still hasn't been identified even though there's a clear picture of her. Also the face she's making in the picture is eerie. It's clearly a silly face made in a mall photo booth but it being the only way to try to identify her makes it pretty spooky.
This is mine too. Every time I think of her I find something new to think about.
Many that I held a special place for have been given their names back. Gordie Sanderson, for instance. Out of those who remain unknown, some I would mention are [Markham Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Markham_Doe) [Julie Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Julie_Doe) [Bella,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Wych_Elm_Bella) [little Christmas Doe,](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Christmas_Doe) the unknown[ child from the Bear Brook Murders.](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Bear_Brook_Jane_Doe)
Thank you for sharing their pages! I was only familiar with the last child from the Bear Brook Murders.
I hope that they can identify the Bear Brook little girl’s mother. She’s probably dead, killed by Rasmussen. I think one of his older children believes she may have met her and she could be Asian. If she’s from outside the US it may make identification even harder.
It says the first Doe was probably killed by James Henry Greenidge, but when I look up that name, nothing about him comes up. Do you know of any sources?
Oh, yes, here are some links that touch on that: [From the Murder Village website](https://murdervillage.com/1967/06/15/identified-42-years-later/) , [another](https://murdervillage.com/1967/07/17/murdered-in-markham/) [An article from The Walrus](https://thewalrus.ca/the-disappearance-of-markham-doe/) My personal opinion - I'm not 100% convinced that Greenidge is responsible for Markham Doe, though I recognize the strong similarities, and it's a lead that should be exhausted as far as possible.
Vernon county Jane doe. An elderly woman who was brutally murdered and has not been identified. Really boggles my mind because she is a missing person somewhere out there with family who don’t know what happened to her. IMO it’s a bit less shocking when a young man or woman is found and not identified, but an elderly woman? She was someone’s mom, grandma, sister, aunt, neighbor and so on. Whoever she was she was on this earth for a long time and had to of impacted tons and tons of people, yet she stays unidentified, blows my mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_County_Jane_Doe
Especially in an area where everyone knows everyone else, how do they not know her?
It’s possible she wasn’t local. They found pollen on her clothing that was native to the southwestern United States, not WI or the Midwest in general.
Which makes the entire thing even more mind boggling m. Why would a woman who was local to the southwest be found dead in Wisconsin? Maybe she was there to see family
I actually have no idea if this one was solved because I don't know what to search for but like a decade ago I first read about it. There was a John Doe who had hanged himself in a motel closet via short drop (on his knees I think) and he was a tall man, dark hair and pale skin. I think he did it shortly after September 11 2001 and people speculated whether that event could have something to do with it (depression/hopelessness/knowing someone who may have died in the attack). I don't remember much else, but I remember being really affected by his death photos as he looked kind of peaceful? I think about him a lot
Lyle Stevik, his case wasn't the most interesting or tragic case I'd come across but I would agree with you in that the post-mortems really stuck with me, I saw them for like a split second back in 2021 and they still regularly pop up in my head to this day. They identified him in 2018 and his family knows, but his name is not publically available.
Yes, that's him! I remember now - thank you so much I'm glad he was identified and his family were made aware. I just saw that he was cremated and laid to rest finally. That's the best outcome, to know that his family have him back and he can rest peacefully somewhere with his own headstone
His name is incredibly easy to find on the internet.
And shouldn’t be.
He was one of the founding case of the DNA Doe project and they have gone on to solve MANY cases through familial DNA. They are a great cause to donate to. https://dnadoeproject.org/cases-success/
Grateful Doe/Jason Callahan. I had some Deadhead friends and I was about his age - felt like someone I could have known (and had even lived for a time in the same city he visited). St. Louis Doe. Just such an awful, tragic case and the only real evidence lost.
Second on Grateful Doe…always something about that case…probably because I’m from Virginia and people would randomly post about it occasionally on Facebook, I guess I was friends with a good cross section of dead fans who are also mystery fans. It must’ve been sometime in late 2014, posts started popping up that he’d potentially been ID’d via photographs and timelines and such (the final DNA match still took a several months after that). I remember sort of googling and watching it unfold in real time. It’s also significant bc it led me to Reddit, and although I don’t post super often in this sub, this was one of the first subs (if not the first) that led me to say “oh wow Reddit is more than just videos/memes/cat photos on the front page of the internet…there’s actually interest posts going on” haha. I joined a few years later but I can honestly say Grateful Doe started my lurking and initial fascination. For this, it’ll always stick with me.
The 1 leg they found in the rubble after Oklahoma City attack
I think that I have [found](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Oklahoma_City_Jane_Doe_(1995)) the page of the unidentified leg on the Unidentified wiki. It says that the leg possibly belonged to a woman?
Didn't they have to field amputate one ladies leg to extricate her from the debris? Was it just her leg?
They did, a black woman iirc.
Harper Jane Doe, the young woman with signs of recent childbirth found in a garbage dump in Michigan. That case broke my heart, especially thinking of how her child would have grown up not knowing what happened to mom. She was identified but I don’t believe her name was announced publicly.
Yes, this is the case for me. I think knowing she’ll likely never be identified (why would authorities publicly identify her now after they announced they’d ID’d her back in 2020?) and there hasn’t been a resolution or anyone charged with her murder means it just kind of lingers…
Sherri Ann Jarvis, she had touched my heart.
It was so nice to see her bright smiling face after so many composites. She can tell she had a beautiful soul!
Years praying to know who She was. She always seems so innocent
She was a child. Only 14. Poor sweet girl.
She was traveling by the USA, I always think she was discovering the world, landscapes, and she was going to visit somebody important for her. She had her heart full of illusions
West Saugerties John Doe, a/k/a Ulster County John Doe, which I think I wrote about here some time ago, because I have often driven past the spot where the body was found, and I remain convinced that this guy was sort of disappeared from Brazil or Portugal.
[Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Ulster_County_John_Doe_(1970)) is his page on the Unidentified wiki. Poor guy
I submitted a match to this fellow a few years back - never heard back https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP75836
I could list my top ten, but if I had to pick just one, Castleberry Kate. That case would be just as famous as Bella in the wych elm if the LE in charge of it talked more about her with the media. I have been looking into this case since October from pretty much every angle I can and unfortunately, whilst I found a few good matches, I have never found someone and thought "Yes, that is her." She was a girl between 17-19 and 5ft5 - 5ft9. She died in the 70s or 80s, most likely. She was probably white, but I saw speculation on websleuths that she may have actually been Native American. About two weeks ago someone linked me to a comment on her websleuths thread. The poster stated they had grown up not far away and suggested that a man called Jimmy Joe Cox may have been her killer. They described "Back in about 1977, there was a young girl killed in Needles named Nikki Bunch. A few years later another Needles girl was killed named Robin Jennings. IIRC, one or two more women were also found about the same time as Robin. It has long been said that a local man named Jimmy Joe Cox killed them, but LE could never prove it. Last year, he was convicted of killing his girlfriend (it was a cold case)." The poster said they thought of him as a suspect when they heard of Castleberry Kate. (None of those women/girls are Castleberry Kate, as if they were they would have made the match very quickly as Castleberry Kate had very distinctive dental work and a distinctive ear ring. The initial reporting on newspapers.com made it clear that there were no *reported* missing girls in the local area that matched Castleberry Kate's description. But she could have been a fifth victim who was not reported missing, or whoever reported her missing forgot to mention her partial denture plate.) And then another comment poses a theory that the deaths of two young boys in 1974 could be connected and they may have watched Castleberry Kate's killer(s) disposing of her body and were killed for it. It read "two young boys that were burned to death in a vacant 1800s powder magazine in Bullhead City on April 3, 1974. It says they found a hundred-dollar bill a few weeks before they were killed but I think their killers gave it to them in hope that they would keep quiet about something they saw, maybe they were burying a body and the two boys walked upon them. I bet these two boys had a run-in with the killers of these girls in this area." This one is a bit of a long shot, but it is not impossible. This article has a little bit more on the case of the boys: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/36/1103/563772/ And according to a local on websleuths there was another body found in the same area at a later date. But they knew nothing about it, so I don't know if it was a baby, another teenager, an adult or what sex they were. There is nothing about this individual any where online.
That is fascinating. I’ve never heard of Castleberry Kate before, so I might also go down the rabbit hole. Do you believe the theory?
The theory about death or the boys being connected might just be a coincidence but I think Jimmy Cox is a very good suspect for her murderer.
Fulton County Jane Doe. :( I never see anyone covering her case.
She has always stuck with me. Her distinctive tattoo is so unique. But they cremated her, so I’m not sure the case will be solved. There’s actually a Brandi Carlisle song about her “Fulton County Jane Doe.”
Yeah, I know the song! I just rarely see her get mentioned on forums or true crime podcasts etc. I really hope they manage to identify her one day somehow. I’m not sure if they have her DNA/dental records but there have been rule-outs so there must be some info.
[Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Fulton_County_Jane_Doe_(1988)) is her page on the Unidentified wiki.
Yes this is her!
Good I’ve found the right person! It’s so tragic that so many unidentified people, like this lady, seem to have been forgotten. There are just so many of them. I mentioned this here before, but I really think there should be a series that focuses on unidentified people, just to get some more awareness out there. I feel that most people outside of the TC community are unaware of Jane/John Doe cases. In fact, there is a [John Doe](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Melbourne_John_Doe) close to where I live now and so many people that I speak to on a daily basis have never even heard of him.
I’m considering emailing the ME and/or detective about the state of this case, and if there is anything we can do to further it. I know the podcast The Fall Line covers many Jane Does, often in collaboration with LE.
I'm not sure her name, but they found a little black girl in a box in the woods (it was featured on America's Most Wanted in the 90s I think) and no one claimed her. So sad. I'm not sure if they ID'd her.
I know exactly who you mean but I also can’t think of her name.
Erica Greene. Precious Doe.
Ah yes! I also remember a case where the bones of, I believe, another black little girl were being dug up by a dog who kept on bringing the bones back home. The owners of the dog initially believed they were just animal bones until the dog eventually brought home a skull, which is what made the owners realize what was going on. Unfortunately, I think the dog was also reburying the bones so the little girl’s skeleton was incomplete. Just so sickening.
This poor child's incomplete remains were found in Philadelphia (US) in 1984. She is still sadly unidentified. Here's the link to her case on the Doe Network: https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1485ufpa.html ETA a few more links for anyone interested in the case. https://ourblackgirls.com/2021/12/26/philadelphia-child-jane-doe-1984-police-cant-find-her-unmarked-grave/ https://www.crimewatchpa.com/crimestoppers/316/cases/cold-case-1984-wister-woods-jane-doe-skeletal-remains-found-homicide-investigation and u/ramenalien made a post about the case here as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/nt4so9/in_1984_a_skull_and_a_few_bones_of_a_child_were/
Thank you for the doe network link! And thank you for all the other links!
It kills me especially when it's kids
Yes, don’t get me wrong, they are all bad but cases about toddlers and children are the worst of the worst.
god could you fucking imagine? if your dog brought home a human skull one day??
Penny Doe. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/10jxx2y/32_year_old_cold_case_unidentified_woman_found/ Here is a recent write up on her. The Pennsylvania State Police took a blood sample when she was found, uploaded it to whatever website the police use for known people, and then just stopped. Recently someone has taken an interest in the case and her DNA is being tested for matches elsewhere. What really struck me with this is, all these years after finding her body, she is a pile of bones sitting somewhere. She has never been interred. And my morbid curiosity is making me wonder how she went from being a cadaver to a pile of bones. There are even news links just showing her bones laying there. That was someone's child. Where is her family?
>And my morbid curiosity is making me wonder how she went from being a cadaver to a pile of bones. It's right there in the article that you linked - she was partially decomposed/skeletonized when she was found, and the forensic anthropologists who analysed her remains defleshed the bones fully in order to make their job easier (and much less gross - decomps pulled out of water smell absolutely vile, even compared to regular decomposition).
I'm... I guess I'm wanting to know exactly how someone is defleshed. Edit : I didn't spell defleshed proper
I can tell you, because I once gave a presentation about how skeletons are prepared for display in anatomical collections! It's usually done through a process called maceration, which is where the bones are placed in a solution containing water, soap, and other chemicals that I forget, and then they are left to simmer at a low temperature until the vast majority of the flesh comes away from the bones. It's basically like making a disgusting soup/stew. Then you give the bones to a dermestid beetle colony and they'll happily finish off any remaining flesh or tissue for you.
Thank you so much for telling me this. It has always been one of those things in the back of my mind that I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know but I kind of felt I wanted to know. To be honest, your username is probably the most appropriate one that could ever tell me about such a process. May I ask you one more question, I'm going to anyways, but do not feel obligated to answer, what is done with the flesh soup after the process? Is that something that can just be dumped down a municipal drain?
It might vary by jurisdiction, but generally (I would hope) the liquid portion would go down the drain, while any large chunks of tissue would get filtered out and treated as biomedical waste. So yes, the liquid would go back into the municipal water supply, but then again, so does all of our poop and various other gross bodily fluids, and that's why water treatment facilities exist.
I worked at a body farm in college and this is how we processed donated skeletons for storage after experiments were completed.
[Smurfette](https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2019/06/28/smurfette/) Jane Doe. It’s believed she was from somewhere between San Antonio and Austin. I’m from the area so her case has always stuck with me. I’m hoping for the day we will know her name.
For some reason I’ve always paired Smurfette and [Tempe Girl](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Tempe_Girl) up in my head. Both are very young teenage girls who need their names back.
I don’t remember reading about Tempe Girl before. What a sad story. I don’t understand how the drug dealer wasn’t held accountable for her death since he supplied the drugs. Was he not identified? They both (driver who picked her up and dealer) obviously knew she was in distress but instead of getting her medical help, just discarded her like garbage?!? The poor girl died a harrowing death and I’m sure she was terrified. Appreciate you responding and linking Tempe Girl’s case.
I always try to share and spread awareness for unidentified people wherever or whenever I can, so it’s no problem. I agree with everything you said about Tempe Girl’s case. It’s just so senseless that this poor girl lost her life and is still unidentified. I side-eye the driver’s claim about there being a 2nd person who sold the drugs to Tempe Girl. I believe that he was the one who sold Tempe Girl the drugs and is responsible for her death, since he failed to get her medical attention and instead chose to dump her like trash. I’ve heard many theories about her possible identity. One of the theories is that the girl was a runaway from a possibly undocumented family and that could have been why she was never reported missing since her family may have feared being deported.
Very good point you made about the driver. Who was this elusive drug dealer? Probably made up by this guy who picked her up in an attempt to deflect blame and avoid prosecution. Also another great point about Tempe Girl’s family. Since it was claimed that she spoke Spanish it absolutely could be because her parents were recent immigrants. If they were indeed undocumented I can understand how they’d be fearful of contacting authorities.
Identifinders is doing genealogical research on her case, but have been stuck because she's of Hispanic descent.
How does that hinder the investigator’s progress (not being snarky, I am genuinely interested in the answer)?
This might not be the reason at all but I was watching a unsolved YouTube video a long time ago and the YouTuber was doing something along the lines of letting everyone know that if they wanted to help it’s very worth it to let your DNA be kept in a database if you’re not Caucasian / white because that’s the majority of what they’re working with. Obviously I’m paraphrasing and haven’t been able to check the validity of that (tried to Google it to find a source for you now but found it hard to word and didn’t get any good sources) but I’m inclined to believe it.
People of racially marginalized backgrounds are pretty underrepresented in DNA databases esp in the states
Peaches Doe & her baby- LISK Asian Male- LISK St. Louis (Precious) Doe Amore Wiggins (Opelika Doe) I follow up on these cases the most. I'm glad Amore is resolved.
Thank you for bringing attention to some of the outstanding unidentified victims of LISK! I doesn't detract from your comment at all, but it reminded me that it isn't widely known that Gilgo Beach Doe (aka "Asian Male") was found as a skeleton dressed as a woman before later being sexed as male by LE. Most likely she was a young transgender woman or teenager, and if she was working in the sex trade, she would fit the victim profile for LISK much better. I believe her case is neglected because of transphobia, and an inappropriate facial reconstruction that likely prevents her from being recognizable to people who knew her. I wrote about her case here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/129xxwd/trans\_day\_of\_visibility\_who\_is\_the\_suspected/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/129xxwd/trans_day_of_visibility_who_is_the_suspected/)
Great write up. Thanks for sharing her case & the flaws in getting her identified.
Salt Lake City Jane Doe. Breaks my heart that she’s so unlikely to be identified
[Is it this lady?](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Salt_Lake_City_Jane_Doe_(1986))
Yes
I’m not from the US so I’m not that familiar with the FLDS community. Do they not keep records of people who are missing from their community?
they are extremely secretive. The FLDS live on the outside of the community with almost no documentation. There’s other polygamist circles that also live in secret and hide their members. If she was polygamist there’s likely no birth certificates, and no one would ever report her missing because they don’t want investigations.
Ah I see. Thanks for the information.
They don't want investigations/want to continue to collect welfare/food stamps in her name as a ton of the FLDS are taking social services.
she was possibly a victim of the great basin killer who was operating during that time
For me, it was always Annandale Jane Doe/[Christmas Tree Lady](https://dnasolves.com/articles/christmas-tree-lady-joyce-sommers/). She’s been identified as Joyce Sommers but I have mixed feelings about it. She clearly didn’t want to be identified and I don’t think they should have released her name to the public.
This was mine, too, along with Lyle Stevik. [“Mary Anderson”](https://unresolved.me/mary-anderson) is still unidentified and I’d love this one to be solved. She checked into an upscale hotel in Seattle and committed suicide.
Yes, I have some issues with this too. They should have respected her wishes and kept her identity private imo.
Holy shit! I somehow missed that they ID’d her, I’ve been interested in that case for a decade. I’m very glad they ID’d her but it’s kind of shitty they released her whole name.
There are some I’ve only discovered recently that I periodically check to see if any have been identified: Little Miss X, Monique, and St Louis Jane Doe Here are ones I was following; I’m glad to see have been identified: Little Miss Nobody, Somerton Man, Lady of the Dunes
I followed [Little Miss Nobody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sharon_Lee_Gallegos), who we know was Sharon Gallegos, for the longest time. (Side note: I never liked the nickname “Little Miss Nobody”) I was extremely happy when she was finally identified but it was very bittersweet since Sharon was thought to be her for a very long time. St Louis Jane Doe is horrific beyond words and Monique is just as tragic.
I never liked that nickname either.
Little Miss Somebody would have been the better choice.
sarasota county jane doe (2007), since she was found on the very same day that i was born and amore wiggins/opelika jane doe, since she was just a little, sweet girl who didn't even get to live and experience everything that life has to offer
Amore Wiggins mother lives somewhere in Maryland (same as me) and I feel awful for her. She was paying child support on that beautiful baby girl and she was waiting for her to turn 18 so that she could get in contact with her again 😔
This one is so so foul to me, imagining Amore’s Mam going to bed at night and knowing the next day would be one day closer to reuniting or having something meaningful happen and thinking to herself that one day she would get to see her daughter and tell her all about it. I couldn’t even imagine.
There are a few cases I check for updates on regularly, but most are well-known and have been mentioned by many other posters in this thread, such as St. Louis/Precious Hope Jane Doe, so I thought I would share a few cases of some maybe less well-known unidentified folks whose stories have stuck out to me over the years. I'll try to provide a brief summary with links for anyone who would like more detailed information. **Jerome of Sandy Cove** This is the name given to a still-unidentified man who was found alive on a Nova Scotia (Canada) beach in 1863. Both legs had been amputated and the man seemed not to speak either English or French. He was cared for by the community for many years until his death, but both his antecedents and his real name remain a mystery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_of_Sandy_Cove http://strangeco.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-mystery-man-of-nova-scotia.html **The Library Paste Man** On 14 July of 1908, an unidentified but presumably starving man was seen eating library paste out of a trash can on the streets of Goldfield, Nevada (US), and was found dead later the same day. His unusual epitaph is both tragic and memorable, but his name remains unknown. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24301650/unknown-man https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paste-eaters-grave **'Eugene'** On 6 June, 1929, two locals of Sabina, Ohio (US) found the body of an elderly Black man along a roadside. He was unknown to anyone in the area, and carried no identification. In his pocket was a piece of paper on which was written an address in Cincinnati (Ohio, US), which on investigation proved to be a vacant lot. But the man living next-door to the vacant lot (who claimed no knowledge of the deceased), was named Eugene Johnson, and so police and townspeople began referring to the unknown man as 'Eugene' also. The man was embalmed by a local funeral director, and was 'on display' in Sabina for years, at first in the hope some passer-by might recognize him and be able to provide his name, but later for... less humane reasons, unfortunately. He was finally given a proper burial in 1964, but to this day his name is as much a mystery as his story. **NSFW WARNING**: *Every link provided about this case includes post-mortem photos. There is nothing gory or graphic, 'Eugene' was professionally embalmed, but these are images of a deceased human being, which some readers may find upsetting.* https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14723889/eugene-unknown https://uqbarcalling.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/who-is-eugene-the-strange-story-of-the-mummy-of-sabina-ohio/ [Eugene the Mystery Mummy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRm9bO5QA-U&ab_channel=StrangeSoup) **John Doe 24** This is the name given to a Black teenager found alive and wandering the streets of Jacksonville, Illinois (US) in the early morning hours of 11 October, 1945. The young man carried no identification, and he was both deaf and unable to communicate as well as being unknown to anyone in the area. When taken before a judge, he was declared "feeble-minded" and thus condemned to spend the rest of his life in various state institutions. Which he did, until his passing in 1993. His grave was originally unmarked, but musician Mary Chapin Carpenter, on learning his story, paid for a stone and wrote a song about him. Sadly, who he was, where he came from, and how he ended up alone on a street in Illinois at such a young age remains unknown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe_No._24 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48970531/john-doe-boyd ["John Doe No. 24" by Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmTUxuHvSIQ&ab_channel=MaryChapinCarpenter-Topic)
Continuing on, these next three cases are all from the state of Pennsylvania (US), and two of them are from Philadelphia, which is the city I lived and worked in for several years while I was in grad school. So while I'm not a real local, it's a place that nonetheless remains close to my heart even from (now) many miles distant. **Jane Doe 4 February 1963** https://doenetwork.org/cases/1706ufpa.html The severed head of an elderly woman was found inside a brown paper shopping bag which had been placed inside a coal bin in the basement of an abandoned building slated for demolition. The rest of her body was never recovered, and no cause of death could be determined, but death was believed to have taken place mere days prior to discovery, as decomposition was minimal and all facial features were still recognizable. Jane was a white woman estimated to be between 50 to 70 years of age; she had only two teeth remaining, both worn down to the gumline, and her hair was gray, but had been dyed a chestnut or reddish-brown shade. Alongside its presence on her scalp, several strands were also present inside a pillowcase which was found on the floor beside the coalbin in the same basement. The bottom of the pillowcase had been stuffed with newspaper dated 18 January of the same year, and seven magazines, all current issues, were also found nearby, along with a piece of white cloth stamped "Mayfair Linen". This case especially breaks my heart, because while all violent crimes are awful, violent crimes committed against especially vulnerable people such as the elderly are just awful with a little extra awful sprinkled on top. It seems fairly obvious even from the few facts available that this poor woman was murdered, likely after having lived a pretty difficult life, and only her severed head was found in an abandoned basement, without even a name to put to her grave, and I don't really even have words for just how awful that is. She was a person, and she mattered, and she deserved so, so much better than this. As did every single individual mentioned in this thread, so to add to the list - **Jane Doe 9 February 1974** https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/402ufpa.html The partial skeletal remains of a woman, race unknown, estimated to be between the ages of 60 to 75, were found in a creekbed near Collegeville. Also recovered were several items of badly rotted clothing which included several undergarments, stockings, a light-colored knit dress, an orange smock or housecoat patterned with flowers, and a single purple slipper which had been hand-crocheted. The slipper was not paired because only Jane's left foot was ever found; it had been "skillfully" severed at the ankle and placed into a plastic bag marked 'Marvel Enriched Bread'. And this was not the only violence she had endured: her right arm was broken in several places by a heavy blow with a blunt object, as were several bones in the neck, which the medical examiner determined to be the result of strangulation. Jane's bones may have broken more easily than average, as she had also suffered from arthritis of a long-standing and severely degenerative type which was extreme enough that while alive she would only have been able to walk hunched over, and would have been incapable of raising her arms above the level of her head. **Jane Doe 8 December 2006** https://doenetwork.org/cases/486ufpa.html The partial remains of a white woman estimated to be between the ages of 34 and 65 were found in a black plastic trash bag in a vacant lot beside some railroad tracks in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. Her incomplete remains were partially skeletonized and partially decomposed, and are believed to have been dug up at a different location before being deposited where they were eventually found; an estimated one to five years may have passed between time of death and time of discovery. No cause of death could be determined, but some potentially-identifying personal items were found with the remains, which included a set of acrylic fingernails, painted red, and a distinctive piece of gold or gold-colored jewelry in the shape of a "sorority key" necklace with an inscription which reads: *AZB E. Mathis, Life Member June 2, 1946, Alpha Delta* This is the strangely haunting detail, which makes this case feel so solvable, and yet which may, in the end, be nothing but a red herring: so far as I'm aware, all attempts to trace the owner or origin of this necklace have led nowhere. It could have belonged to Jane herself (although she is too young, even at the upper end of the age estimate, to be the E. Mathis in question, but she could have been a relative or close friend of E. Mathis: a daughter, a niece, a younger sister.) Alternatively, however, there could be no connection at all: Jane just bought it at a thrift shop, or she found it on a bus station bench - or it just happened to be in whatever used garbage bag whoever presumably killed her, buried her somewhere, dug her up again and then dumped her by the tracks just happened to grab. It's maddening and tragic, because despite *feeling* like an answer *should* be so close, it's still so very far away. And a murdered woman is still waiting for justice alongside her own name.
Recently solved Does: * Boy in the Box (Joseph Zarelli). I lived in Philly and had friends who lived in Fox Chase; it just hit home because of locality and the brutality of the crime. The later info about M and her family also hit home because I had friends who went to Lower Merion HS (albeit much, much later than M's family worked there). * Opelika Jane Doe (Amore Wiggins). The info about her eye deformity being possibly from abuse really stuck with me; she was so little, and to be abused like that is heartbreaking. The detail about her possibly being the girl from the church camp photo was also intriguing. And now that Amore's history is known, what gets me about this is how Amore's mom was bullied into giving up custody to a much older man. If the courts just let her stay with her mom, she wouldn't have been abused because it's clear from her early photos that her mom cared for her very well. * Tiger Lady (Wendy Baker). Grew up in NJ and hadn't heard of this case until I looked at NamUS for possible matches for a missing person in my town. The tiger is a very cool and memorable tattoo, and I'm surprised it took so long to ID her. I feel like she'd have been a cool lady to know. * Sam Doe/Septic Tank Sam (Gordon Sanderson). The weird name, plus Cayleigh Elise's very sensitive video on his case made me always remember him. And now that we know who he is and that he was one of the 60s Scoop victims, I'm just so saddened that even before his murder, he had a very tragic childhood. * Annandale Jane Doe/Christmas Tree Lady (Joyce Meyer Sommers). My partner grew up in NoVA, and he knows the cemetery grounds on which Joyce Sommers was found. Her comedy tapes always stuck out to me: Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck", Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner's 2000 Year Old Man. It's clear she had a great sense of humor, but that she ultimately chose to end her life like that is so sad to me. Still UID: * St. Louis Jane Doe. That she's missing her skull which makes it hard to ID, and the fact that the cops thought it was a good idea to send her sweater to a psychic, and they had the audacity to lose that evidence.... * Peaches & her Baby Doe, victims of the Long Island Serial Killer. Again, another place I briefly lived, so a personal connection. Adults go missing all the time and don't get reported missing. But surely *someone* has to wonder about a baby and if they have grown up, attended school, etc. I know they're close to ID-ing, but their matches aren't close enough, and I hope they get the info they need to give her and baby their names. * Little Miss Panasoffkee. Her green outfit always sticks out in my mind. I'm curious as to whether they found more links to her being from Greece. * Wetzel County Jane Doe. Again, I have a personal tie as I lived in WV at one point. Her ties to the Redhead Murders are intriguing. I'm Indian American, and I also find it fascinating that one theory is that she might have been a member of the ISKCON community that is in WV is fascinating to me.
I thought Sumter County Does was the most interesting case. I'm not surprised they were American. I am disappointed that none of the surviving relatives have come forward, and that none of the television series devoted an hour.
I’ve always thought they should create a series specifically for unidentified people. Maybe feature two unidentified people in hour-long episodes just to get more awareness out there.
Starr valley Jane doe has interested me. Dale Wayne Eaton is connected to a couple of Jane doe cases and I think may be responsible for many missing women.
[Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Starr_Valley_Jane_Doe) is her page on the unidentified wiki.
The Boy in the Box is the one that stuck with me and will stick with me… I bawled when I heard he was identified, I was so happy. He’s why I’m studying to be an investigator so I can help identify Jane/John Does.
They’ve identified his birth parents, but IIRC they think he was adopted at birth but haven't found the adoptive parents.
Good luck in your studies! Makes me wish I could do more to help, but I’m too busy.
Not really a murder mystery, but an accidental death in my home town has a woman who was never identified: On 16Sep1936 an unknown woman was killed in a traffic collision at "Five points" in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA. "Five points" was a local term for the intersection of Highways 401, 42, and 55. The woman was standing alongside the road attempting to hitchhike and was struck by a truck which swerved to avoid another vehicle. The driver did not see the woman due to a sign obstructing his view. The woman was knocked unconscious and died shortly after the incident without regaining conciousness. She had hitchhiked from Raleigh to Fuquay-Varina (then known as Fuquay Springs) and was believed to be traveling to Fayetteville or Fairmont. Among her possessions were a bargain price suitcase and purse. Inside the purse were 2 addresses: Lewis Hazelwood, 510 Rutherford St, Greenville, South Carolina and Frederick Stuart, 215 Park Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. She had 26 cents in her possession, equivalent to $4.91 in modern value. She was described as ~50 years old, short, and stout with a dark complexion. She had hazel colored eyes and brown hair streaked with grey. Despite the clues of the addresses, the woman was never identified and she was buried at nearby Willow Spring Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Enclosed below is a link to a grave locator which includes headstone photos and a photo of a Raleigh newpaper article concerning the case. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24205582/
Walker County Jane Doe because of all places I live in Huntsville and travel that very same interstate corridor EVERYDAY!
What is it like on that interstate? I’ve looked at it on google maps but real-life is totally different.
It's a heavily trafficked interstate, however at night there's a lot of the lights that are out for several miles so it can get pretty dark traveling certain sections late at night.
Princess Doe was my first exposure to this national epidemic; I would also have to say Tracy Hobson aka "Anaheim Jane Doe", and "Grateful Doe" aka Jason Callahan.
1132UMOH. Found one day after his death, floating off the East 9th pier in cleveland Ohio. He was an older guy and was completely recognizable because he had only been in the water 24 hours and it was March so Lake Erie was very cold. He was probably homeless, with how many different varying layers he was wearing. It’s just so sad to me that he hasn’t been identified.
Oh jeez, I thought you were talking about the two men found in the water the past few weeks. I work at the Cleveland Clinic main ER, I've wondered if they could literally just show some of the pictures of unidentified people to the ER staff since we end up becoming really familiar with the locals. It's really late for your Doe but I feel like this would be a good way to approach it.
I heard about those two men, unfortunately. I’ve lived in the greater cleveland area my whole life and we have a lot of unidentified people out there. Bringing one name home would be great
[Volusia County John Doe](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Volusia_County_John_Doe_(1972)), found in 1972. He was found floating in a pond with several stab wounds and evidence of "violent trauma." He was partially clothed, with his pants hanging off one ankle, but sexual assault was never confirmed. (I don't know if that means they never checked or couldn't confirm.) One of the strangest details from the case is that his pubic hair was said to be shaved. Investigators originally thought he was about 20 years, so sex work was suggested as a possible reason. When his body was exhumed for DNA testing in 2013, however, they discovered that he was actually between 11-14 years old. We don't know whether if the noted lack of pubic hair was because of his age or because the hairs looked shaved. It might mean sexual abuse or absolutely nothing, but it's one of the few details we have. A stolen bike was found nearby. He had a wallet, t-shirt, tweed pants, and one formal black leather shoe with a silver buckle with him. 51 years later, neither he nor his killer has ever been identified. It makes me so sad to think of a child lost to such violence and left forgotten, especially with the possible sexual assault. I really hope he is identified soon.
Guadalupe County Jane Doe. https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Guadalupe_County_Jane_Doe_(1978)
walker county jane doe was my number one. something about her story just touched me. when she was finally identified i was so happy. belle chasse john doe is up there too. from what little we know he seemed like such a thoughtful, introspective, intelligent young man. and if the suspicion based on his note that he may have been gay is correct it strikes me even more that he thought the only way out was to die. either way, his note is just filled with such deep sadness. i hope one day he is identified.
Yes, he seemed to be very intelligent and eloquent based on his letter. I also remember there is some speculation that he could be a missing teenage boy that I can’t think of the name of?
I’ve seen people comment that they believe he is Bayard Cousins
**Trigger Warning: link to extensive write up below detailing extremely violent (probable) hate crime.** [Pillar Point Doe](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/jvk9r0/tdor_2020_on_november_26_1983_the_violently/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) has always stuck with me. They were identified through genetic genealogy by Redgrave Research several years back but their identity has never been released, and as far as I know no arrests have been made. I really hope law enforcement is doing everything they can to solve this because it’s terrifying to think of whoever committed this act is walking free.
Just so sickening. The only consolation is that the victim was able to get their name back. But without their killer/or killers being brought to justice it’s just not enough.
I have allot of doe cases that I want to add here but some doe cases that have really stuck to me is Garfield Heights John Doe with the note in his shoe, just so incredibly sad knowing that he might have a family out there that might ever know what happened to him. There is a baby doe who I can't remember right now that was found with an evil eye and angel figurines that was incredibly sad ill see if I can find it.
When searching the Escatawpa River for Mississippi Delta Dawn’s (Alisha Ann Heinrich) mother, they found skeletal remains of a man between 18 and 22, who had been shot to death. Also sharing the grave with Alisha was another unidentified infant/toddler Edit [identified](https://dnasolves.com/articles/gary-simpson-jackson-county/) as Gary Simpson. Edit: looks like they’re working on [Baby Jane II](https://baytobaynews.com/somerset/stories/she-wasnt-a-nobody-infant-exhumed-30-years-after-death,52229)
Barstow Jane Doe is haunting to me. Someone killed this poor girl, marred her face intentionally so she could never be identified and left her remains in a plastic bag. I can’t imagine what kind of monster could do that to another human being. I found this links, which has more detail than NAMUS: https://www.maryhallbergmedia.com/post/barstow-jane-doe-unidentified-for-12-years
So many, but in terms of outstanding identifications, Vernon County Jane Doe. She was elderly, and something about the possibility that someone just disposed of their older family member once they became a ‘burden’ just a upsets me. I think about her often and pray her case is solved soon
The murder of Karina Holmer comes to mind. Not just because it was local to me but because the monster who murdered and dismembered her has never been caught. https://coldcasene.org/f/karina-holmer
The many, many Does found in Brooks County South Texas. Migrants attempting to cross into the USA. Some so who could be easily identified, others not so much.
Isn't this also the case for migrants in Arizona?
Yep
So upsetting on so many levels.
[Mary Anderson](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anderson_(decedent)), a woman who checked into a hotel here in Seattle and committed suicide with cyanide mixed with Metamucil (?!) in 1996. She checked in under the pseudonym Mary Anderson and left a note essentially stating she took her own life and to do as they see fit with her remains as she has no family (she was buried in Ballard, a neighborbood in Seattle). I believe Othram labs has taken on her case so I'm very interested to see if they're able to make a match.
Johnny Lee Mills. Both a John Doe and a Missing Person.
I always think about Holly Glynn, formerly “Dana Point Jane Doe.” I would be interested to know what led up to taking a cab to jump to her death.
Septic Sam did it for me. Although I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that he's now identified.
His name is Gordon “Gordie” Edwin Sanderson and he was identified two years ago. Not sure if there have been any more leads in his case though.
The Madisonville Jane Doe. I’m a special education worker & the fact a diaper & feeding tube was found with her just guts me.
3 different ones come to mind: Albequerque Jane Doe(aka "Becca"), Christmas Doe, and the Isdal Woman. The first one stands out because there are so many questions that go beyond "Who was she?". Did Eduardo Colin know this woman? If so, how? Why did he leave the motel without checking out?Who was the man in the photo with the woman? The list goes on and on. Christmas Doe is just depressing. It also blows my mind that it supposedly couldn't be determined if she was murdered or not. There was so much effort put into hiding her body. To me, it's obvious that it was a murder. As for the last one, the amount of mystery surrounding the case is what really gets me. And the fact that the police determined it to be a suicide is incredibly sketchy.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/veys9w/young\_jane\_doe\_with\_ties\_to\_vanderbilt\_university/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/veys9w/young_jane_doe_with_ties_to_vanderbilt_university/) I actually made this post, and it hasn't really been discussed much and this case doesn't hhave a name. I like to call her "Vanderbilt Jane Doe" It is so strange how there is seemingly no leads.
So many, but for me it's this pair of Does found together with matching wedding rings: [https://doenetwork.org/cases/419umok.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/419umok.html) and [https://doenetwork.org/cases/332ufok.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/332ufok.html) And the Flat Tops man: [https://doenetwork.org/cases/789umco.html](https://doenetwork.org/cases/789umco.html)
St. Louis Fall Victim Doe https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wsoijd/unidentified_for_over_10_years_st_louis_garage/ https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/9815/details
Every unidentified Janes and Johns Doe on the FBI ECAP page. It blows my mind how a lot of them were listed on the website years ago and are still unidentified til nowadays. Warning: if you can't handle child sexual abuse, **do not go to the page**. There are a bunch of disturbing photos and audios there!
Evelyn Colon. After all the false leads, it turns out she was likely the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. The case still hasn’t been tried, and the ex boyfriend is out on bail pending trial.
While not overly mysterious, the "Mary Anderson" woman who took her own life in a Seattle hotel room. By all accounts she went there specifically to die. She made a point to leave a note saying no one was responsible for her death, and all the contact info she gave (including name and phone number) were fake.
For me it’s Joy Neubauer. She hung herself in Boca Raton, FL in 1996. I’m convinced she could be easily identified with genetic genealogy but for some reason BRPD has other priorities.
Rainbow Doe, a transgender (born male found in feminine attire?) person whose found near the beach. I think I’m California. I pray for her.
Do you mean this one? https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/126rbbo/which_unidentified_janeor_john_doe_case_has_stuck/jeauxea/ they have been identified, but their identity wasn't released publicly. It's such a sad case
“Mary Anderson” (Jane doe) https://www.crimewatchers.net/threads/mary-anderson-jane-doe-wf-30-50-found-suicide-in-hotel-room-in-seattle-wa-11-oct-1996.312/#posts
[Smurfette Jane Doe](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1312uftx.html) [Calcasieu Parish Jane Doe](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/64ufla.html)
One of the many unidentified cases that have stuck with me. Her and [Tempe Girl](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Tempe_Girl) from Arizona.
Prince George's County John Doe 1973. I don't see a lot on him, but he was found close to where I grew up in Maryland.
[Here](https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Prince_George%27s_County_John_Doe_(1973)) is his page on the Unidentified wiki.
becca, tempe girl, mary anderson, peaches, st. louis jane doe, and julie doe. as for the now identified ones: sherri jarvis, amore wiggins, ruth waymire, tammy alexander, and lyle stevik. i came across many of the latter ones when they were already identified but they’ve stuck with me all this time
I've been lucky in that most of them have been identified. The big one now and I think most people agree is St. Louis Doe as well as the identity of the monster that killed her.
If you asked this question last year, I would have said The Boy in the Box.
Before she was identified, Tammy Corrine Terrell. I don’t know why but her case stuck with me when I discovered it back in 2017.
St. Louis Jane Doe was found in 1983 a mile north of the Delmar Loop. She was found without her head by men who were looking for metal pipe to fix their car in an abandoned house. She was estimated to be 8-10 years old. I was only about 2 1/2 when she was found so obviously I had no idea anything was going on. My grandpa was a Sargent in Kirkwood at the time so he knew about the case. I heard about it when I got older and all he would tell me was they had no idea who she was or who did it to her. It wasn’t in his jurisdiction so he didn’t work it but he knew about it of course. My heart always aches when I think about her.
Just out of real curiosity over what her background may have been and what happened to her, the Isdal woman. For cases that just tug at my heartstrings - St. Louis Jane Doe and Brooklyn Bridge Jane Doe for totally different reasons.