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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:18:58 GMT -5
Woman's Decomposing Body Found At Dam In N.Y. Creek POSTED: 8:34 am EDT June 7, 2005 BEACON, N.Y. -- Police are trying to determine the identity of a woman whose body was found at a dam in Fishkill Creek in the lower Hudson Valley. The decomposed body was spotted Monday morning by a police officer on routine patrol in the city of Beacon, 60 miles north of New York City. The body was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center in nearby Poughkeepsie. An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday morning by Dutchess County Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber. Police said there are no missing persons reports of anyone fitting the woman's description, but they're checking with agencies in nearby jurisdictions. The woman was white, had brown hair and was wearing jeans and a black shirt with the name "Roxy" printed on the front. Her age was unknown. Police are seeking help from the public in identifying the body. www.wnbc.com/news/4577900/detail.html Autopsy Reveals Details About Body Found In Creek UPDATED: 11:26 am EDT June 8, 2005 BEACON, N.Y. -- The unidentified body found in a creek belonged to a woman who had at least one child and had brain surgery in the past, an autopsy revealed Tuesday. Authorities hope the new clues will help identify the woman who was found around 11 a.m. Monday in Fishkill Creek by an officer on routine patrol. The autopsy showed the woman was white, between 35 and 50 years old, had pierced ears and a tattoo of the letter "B" on her upper left arm. The autopsy suggested the woman had been in the creek for one or two weeks. Dutchess County Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber has not ruled on a cause of death. The brain surgery could have been the removal of a benign tumor or a similar surgical procedure, Reiber said. Authorities said it's unlikely the woman fell into the creek, but police were keeping all possibilities open. The woman was 5-foot-3 feet inches tall and about 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a black shirt with the word "Roxy" on the chest, size 8 jeans and a size 8.5 or 9 shoe, Beacon city police said. www.wnbc.com/news/4577900/detail.html
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:20:04 GMT -5
Unidentified Child JANE CLARK COUNTY DOE DOB: Found: Feb 1, 1980 Height: Unknown Eyes: Race: Biracial Age Now: 16 Sex: Female Weight: Unknown Hair: Found: WA, United States The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to identify the remains of a female teenager discovered in February 1980 in a wooded area of Clark County. The remains were determined to belong to a white female approximately 15-16 years old at the time of her death. A facial reconstruction has been completed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. DNA and dental charting is available. Please note she would of had well developed neck mussels. If you believe that you know who this person may be, please contact Detective Rick Buckner toll free at 1-877-274-6311 or 360- 397-2120. Reference Case MC 380 ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Clark County Sheriff’s Office (Washington) 1-877-CRIME 11 or 360- 397-2120 NCMEC POSTER Police hope to solve death of teen in 1970s Tuesday, June 7, 2005 By TERESA BELL, kgw.com Staff VANCOUVER -- The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is using facial reconstruction technology to try and figure out the identity of a teen who died more than 25 years ago. Police think the teen looked something like this composite picture when she died. They worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create a composite of the girl discovered in February of 1980 in a wooded area in Northeast Clark County. The remains were determined to belong to a white female, approximately 15 to 16 years old at the time of her death, according to Sgt. Craig Hogman with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. The girl’s estimated date of birth is 1964 to 1967 and the estimated date of death is between November 1978 and April 1979, Hogman said. Anyone with information that may help in the investigation is asked to call detective Rick Buckner toll free at 1-877-CRIME 11 or 360-397-2120. www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_....2ef852a7f.htmlPolice Hope To Solve Cold Case From 1980 By KATU Web Staff June 7, 2005 VANCOUVER, Wash. - Clark County detectives are hoping someone will be able to help them solve a mystery dating back 25 years. The story begins in 1980 with the discovery of a skull in northeastern Clark County. A father and son were mining for gold along Fly Creek, just south of Healy Road, when they stumbled across the partial remains. At the time, detectives combed the area and investigated all the missing persons cases, but came up empty. Now, 25 years later, detectives are hoping newer technologies will help them determine the identity of the girl who they believe may have been murdered. "Well, you've got 25 years since the initial investigation came out and there's a lot of technology that's improved, a lot of new information that's come about," says Sgt. Craig Hogman with the Clark County Sheriff's Office. Detectives sent the skull to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and forensic scientists were able to work up a composite of what the victim looked like. They think she was killed between November of 1978 and April of 1979 and was between the ages of 15 and 16 at the time of her death. She was white, with possibly Asian or Native American traits. She had enlarged neck muscles, indicating she was an athlete or laborer. The Clark County Sheriff's Office hopes that by putting a face to the girl, someone will come forward who recognizes her. www.katu.com/stories/77660.html
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:20:25 GMT -5
Body found in river still unidentified Posted June 06 2005 KENOVA -- West Virginia State Police still have not determined the identity of a body pulled Thursday from the Ohio River in Kenova, but investigators think the body had been in the river five to six months. The body was discovered about 5 p.m. Thursday in the area of the 1300 block of Beech Street during a riverbed-cleaning operation that included personnel from the Army Corps of Engineers. The body is of a white female about 5 feet 6 inches tall, said Trooper 1st Class Michael Simpson with the State Police detachment in Wayne. Authorities estimate the woman was between 80 and 100 pounds at the time of her death, Simpson said. No age or cause of death have been determined, he said. The Wayne County medical examiner described the body as badly decomposed, making identification difficult. The police are searching the National Crime Information Center database for missing persons, Simpson said. Simpson said the police haven’t yet uncovered any possible missing persons matching this description in the area in the past year. www.herald-dispatch.com/2005/June/07/LNlist7.htm
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:21:53 GMT -5
CASTRO VALLEY Jane Doe case weighs on investigators After 2 years of dead ends, new clues may help identify body Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, May 29, 2005 Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Scott Dudek goes to work each day and waits for the phone to ring. He hopes the call will be the one that resolves the most vexing case in his career -- the death and dumping two years ago of an adolescent girl, known only as Jane Doe, outside a Castro Valley restaurant. So far it's been a series of dead ends: The caller who said he may have talked to the killer as he was leaving the restaurant. The mothers of missing girls in Mexico who submitted DNA but none of it matched Jane Doe's. Now Dudek hopes that the latest twist, a necklace and another item left last week at the girl's grave in Hayward, may lead to a name for the girl and to her killer. "It's on my mind all the time," Dudek said Saturday. "I think the most frustrating thing, obviously, is it's a kid that got killed and we have no idea who she is." Dudek can't quite comprehend why no one has claimed Jane Doe, who died after someone stuffed a rag down her throat before wrapping her body in a green canvas bag. The cause of death was asphyxiation. Her decomposing corpse was found behind Carrows Restaurant at 2723 Castro Valley Blvd. on May 1, 2003. She was of mixed race, just over 5 feet tall and had nearly perfect teeth. She had been wearing a knockoff Tommy Hilfiger shirt. Her remains are at Lone Tree Cemetery in Hayward where her grave marker - - over which someone has left a blue-beaded necklace -- reads, "Unknown child of God. Female, 12-17 years of age found murdered in Castro Valley on May 1, 2003." The case weighs heavily on Dudek, 46, who started out as a police officer in Tolland, Conn., before joining the Alameda County sheriff's office 22 years ago. He began as a jailer at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and was a patrol officer and narcotics investigator before taking over the crimes against persons unit three years ago. Dudek and Detective Ed Chicoine have crisscrossed the country, spending more than 2,000 hours on the case. Along the way, they've checked out 300 missing-children cases and reunited some 60 children with their parents. "I couldn't ask for a better partner," said Dudek. "Ed has kids, too. We share the same values." Dudek has had plenty on his plate. He recently debunked the theory of a second killer in the stabbing death of 18-year-old Meredith Hunter at the notorious 1969 Altamont Speedway concert featuring the Rolling Stones. His unit has solved six other cold cases. But a number of other homicide cases remain open years later: Dana Lee Ramm in 1986, Jessica McHenry in 1991 and Jenny Lin in 1994, whose remains are also at Lone Tree, not far from Jane Doe's grave marker. Only Jane Doe remains nameless. Investigators have released a sketch of the girl, created a bust of her face and brought out a mannequin, which sits in his office, fitted with clothes like those found on her body. Dudek has a typical cop's stare, and his 6-foot-2 stature can be intimidating. But Dudek, who coaches youth soccer and basketball, has a reputation for gentleness, treating both suspects and crime victims with respect. "One thing about Scott that he brings to the table that I really admire is he brings a compassion," said sheriff's Lt. Dale Amaral. "Sometimes, our victims are not stellar because of their prior criminal history and so forth and so on, but Scott treats every single case with the dignity that a loved one would want an investigator to feel." Kim Petersen, executive director of the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Foundation, which offers rewards in unsolved crimes, agreed, saying, "This is more than a job to Scott." "I think as a father he realizes that if this was one of his girls, it would be his worst nightmare," Petersen said. "That's part of the reason why he takes it so personally. He will not give up until it's solved." Several leads have failed to pan out, including the identity of a letter writer who initially claimed that he saw a Latino man dumping Jane Doe's body and that the man was irritated after being asked in Spanish if he was "saving a trip to the dumps." In a third letter, the writer recanted that statement and hasn't contacted investigators since. Last year, the investigators went to El Paso, Texas, to meet with a group of women from Chihuahua whose daughters have vanished or turned up dead in that Mexican state. The women provided DNA samples but tests showed that they did not match tissue from Jane Doe. "They deserve to be kept in touch with what's going on. You're their hope, their lifeline to solving their kid's case," Dudek said. Someday Dudek hopes to meet Jane Doe's parents. "We'll bring them back into touch, where we've been going the past two years and they can make a decision on what they want to do ultimately with Jane Doe." Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at (510) 667-7721. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...BAGV7D0J7O1.DTL
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:22:20 GMT -5
Legs of adult woman found beside interstate, police say Associated Press Posted on Wed, May. 25, 2005 DIVERNON, Ill. - Two human legs were found on different days in a wooded area off Interstate 55 south of Springfield, but a search turned up no other body parts, authorities said Wednesday. Both legs appeared to belong to one adult woman, Illinois State Police Lt. Cheryl Sims said. The victim's precise age was unclear, Sims said. Investigators searched for leads in a national database of missing persons, while forensic specialists examined the body parts, Sims said. All-terrain vehicle riders found the first leg in a wooded area on Monday, police said. Investigators then canvassed the area with a cadaver dog and located the second leg Tuesday. The wooded area's proximity to the interstate means the remains could have been dumped by someone passing through, police said. State Police and the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office were conducting a joint investigation. www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/n...al/11736493.htm
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:22:49 GMT -5
Town Buries Unknown Child By Eyewitness News' Ken Rosato Queens-WABC, May 21, 2005 Today in Queens, mourners packed a local church to say goodbye to a child whose real name they didn't even know. A young boy whose life ended violently, even before his body was dumped on a Rockaway beach. Eyewitness News reporter Ken Rosato has the story. The tiny coffin contained the remains of John Valentine. That's what they called him because he was found around Valentine's day. No one knows his given name; before today, the hundreds who gathered to say farewell were just strangers. Now, they are friends. Erica Rivera, a parent: "People should really appreciate the children. They take so much for granted, they should really appreciate--it's a special life." Back on February 5th, the child's body was found in a duffel bag, on Rockaway Beach, wrapped in a Disney blanket. The happy images were in stark contrast to the suffering little John must have endured. An autopsy would reveal the toddler was around three, had several broken bones and was killed before he was placed in the water. Nurse Cecilia Davis found his body. Cecilia Davis, eyewitness: "I saw a bed sheet and I said 'oh look, Disney.' Then I saw something, and as I got closer I realized it was a human, and I called 9-1-1 right away." Police at the 100th precinct pitched in to give the child a proper burial; to restore the dignity that otherwise would have been lost. It looked as if all of Far Rockaway turned out, packing St. Rose of Lima Catholic church--on this, national Missing Children's Day. Maggie Wood, Far Rockaway resident: "The community feels terrible, everybody feels really sad" Jason Diaz, Far Rockaway boy: "He could have been really great, and now he's--gone, in heaven." In all, about 500 people turned out for this funeral of a child who so few may have known in life, but who in death so many will remember. abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_0521...ildfuneral.html
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:23:42 GMT -5
www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...A2?OpenDocumentKiller refuses to help police before execution By Bill Bryan Post-Dispatch 05/19/2005 AND R OBERT P ATRICK Of the Post-Dispatch As Vernon Brown lay on his belly in a prison cot, watching the last movie of his life, a St. Louis police homicide investigator sat just outside the death row cell and waited. Detective Tom Carroll said he hoped, prayed, that the twice-condemned killer would break silence and admit one of the city's most haunting murders - the rape and decapitation of an unidentified girl in an abandoned building in 1983. But the movie "Platoon" reached its end, and Brown was carted off to the execution chamber of the prison at Bonne Terre without revealing anything that would implicate or exonerate him. He died at 2:25 a.m. Wednesday, taking with him what police figured could be their best chance of identifying the girl and her killer. "Personally, I believe he did it," said Carroll, who has worked homicide for 10 years and combed through the case file since 1999. He acknowledges there is no hard evidence. But he said Brown was among a tiny subset of those who kill. "It was his style, tying up little girls," Carroll explained. "How many child killers are there?" Authorities say Brown was a child killer at the very least. And not only a child killer, but a killer who nearly cut off one victim's head, another grisly criminal subset. His execution was for strangling 9-year-old Janet Perkins in St. Louis in 1986. Her body was found in a trash bin behind Brown's home in the 4100 block of Enright Avenue. Brown was also under a separate death sentence for killing Synetta Ford, 19, in St. Louis in 1985. Her head was nearly severed with a large knife. In addition, Brown was charged in Indianapolis with the killing of a 9-year-old girl in 1980. She was tied, beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. Indiana also charged him with molesting several other children. "Vernon Brown is certainly capable of committing a crime like our Jane Doe case," said Capt. James Gieseke, commander of the crimes against persons division. "And if not Jane Doe, maybe there's some other unsolved killing out there he could tell us about. Every avenue needs to be explored." The body of the child, believed to be 8 to 10 years old, was discovered in the basement of an abandoned building in the 5600 block of Clemens Avenue on Feb. 28, 1983. Her head was never found. Carroll's theory is that Jane Doe was the daughter of one of Brown's girlfriends or wives (Brown told police he was married three times), and that the mother was too scared of Brown to tell anyone. Homicide Sgt. Gary Stittum visited Brown in prison about five years ago but got no cooperation. Right up to Brown's execution, he refused to talk to police or reporters. Carroll tried to interview Brown on May 5. "He was very cold. He was devoid of emotion," the detective recalled. "I've got nothing to say to you," Brown told the detective. Carroll pleaded with him to bring closure to Jane Doe's family. "He said, 'I don't give a (expletive) about them,'" Carroll recalled. "He wasn't trying to be proud or slick," Carroll said. "He wasn't trying to pull anything over on me. He just didn't want to talk. "He was almost like a robot." Carroll's vigil outside the cell Tuesday night was much the same. "I'm not talking to you. I've got nothing to say," the skinny killer with icy eyes told Carroll again. "He laid in his bed and watched all of 'Platoon,'" Carroll continued. "At 11, when the movie was over, the prison superintendent came in and read him the order of execution. "At 11:22 p.m. he was put on the gurney. He refused any kind of sedative." After nearly 2 1/2 hours of delay because of Supreme Court appeals, officials began pumping three poisons into Brown's vein. He tilted his chin up and blew a breath out his mouth, which then dropped open as the sodium pentothal took effect. Reporter Bill Bryan E-mail: bbryan@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-340-8950 Reporter Robert Patrick E-mail: rpatrick@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-621-5154
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:25:15 GMT -5
Name: WV - John Doe 0010
Classification: Unidentified Investigative Case #: 2501312 NCIC #: U-730006412 NCMA Case ID: U200500010S Dental Charts Available: Y DNA Available: Y Skeletal Remains (y/n): Y Located Date: February 5, 2005 Date of Death From: February 5, 2005 Area Found: Mineral Wells, WV Approximate Age: 16-21 Gender: Male Height: 71 inches Weight: 140 pounds Race: White Complexion: Medium Hair Color: Brown Hair (Other): Dyed red. Eye Color: Brown
Identifying Characteristics: Pierced tongue. Clothing: "U.S. Expedition" brand khaki pants (36" waist), "Levi" brand leather belt (36"), teal shirt with red horizontal stripes, hi-top athletic shoes with no laces (size 12). Jewelry: 20" sterling silver braided necklace, sterling silver post in tongue.
Circumstances: Unknown. Victim was located in a hay field on Route 1 Box 207A near Butcher Bend Rd. in Mineral Wells, WV. He was discovered burning. Victim was decapitated.
Primary Investigating Agency Investigative Agency: Wood County Sheriff's Department Phone: (304) 485-8501
NCMA
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:25:49 GMT -5
Name: NY - Jane Doe 0014
Classification: Unidentified NCIC #: U-120006559 NCMA Case ID: U200500014S Dental Charts Available: Y DNA Available: Y Skeletal Remains (y/n): Y Located Date: December 26, 2004 Date of Death From: June 1, 2004 Area Found: Rotterdam, NY Approximate Age: 20-40 Gender: Female Height: 62 to 66 inches Weight: 0 pounds Race: Other Complexion: Medium Hair Color: Brown Hair (Other): Wavy, with highlights. Eye Color: Unknown Clothing: "Akademiks Jeanius Society" T-shirt. Jewelry: Gold 1/2" hoop earrings, gold chain necklace with gold heart shaped pendent.
Circumstances: Unknown. Victim's remains were located on December 26, 2004 beneath the porch of her residence in Rotterdam, NY. Victim may have ties to New York City. She is believed to have been deceased since the spring or summer of 2004. Cause of death has not been determined.
Primary Investigating Agency Investigative Agency: New York State Police Phone: (518) 783-3211
NCMA
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:26:18 GMT -5
Name: NY - Jane Doe 0016
Classification: Unidentified NCIC #: U-340558028 NCMA Case ID: U200500016S Dental Charts Available: Y DNA Available: N Skeletal Remains (y/n): Y Located Date: July 31, 1988 Date of Death From: January 1, 1972 Area Found: NY - Jane Doe 0016 Area Found: Irondequoit, NY Approximate Age: 17-20 Gender: Female Height: 61 to 64 inches Weight: 0 pounds Race: White/Hispanic Hair Color: Unknown Eye Color: Unknown
Identifying: Gold fillings.
Circumstances: Unknown. Victim's remains were located on July 31, 1988 in a shallow grave in the vicinity of the 100 block of Bay Knoll Dr. in Irondequoit, NY. Cause of death has not been determined.
Primary Investigating Agency Investigative Agency: Monroe County Medical Examiner Phone: (716) 274-7978
NCMA
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:26:53 GMT -5
Name: NY - Jane Doe 0015
Classification: Unidentified NCIC #: U-169412041 NCMA Case ID: U200500015S Dental Charts Available: Y DNA Available: N Skeletal Remains (y/n): Y Located Date: September 23, 1985 Date of Death From: June 1, 1985 Area Found: Accord, NY Approximate Age: 35-54 Gender: Female Height: 64 inches Weight: 150 to 165 pounds Race: White Hair Color: Brown Hair (Other): Dyed blonde. Eye Color: Unknown
Identifying Characteristics: Hair color is possibly brown, pink metallic nail polish on well manicured fingernails and toenails, scoliosis, Osteoma-hard (tumor in mouth), extensive gold overlay dental work of inferior quality. Victim had given birth approximately two years prior to death. Clothing: Panties (size 8), bra (size 38).
Circumstances: Unknown. Victim's remains were located on September 23, 1985 in a wooded area near the intersection of Lucas Ave. and Route 209 in Accord, NY. Cause of death has not been determined.
Primary Investigating Agency Investigative Agency: New York State Police Department Phone: (845) 626-2800
NCMA
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:27:18 GMT -5
Police seek help in identifying body By Deanna Boyd Star-Telegram Staff Writer Posted on Tue, May. 03, 2005 FORT WORTH - Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying a man found dead two weeks ago beneath a Fort Worth bridge. A train conductor spotted the man's body underneath the Henderson Street bridge near the 400 block of South Ballinger Street on the morning of April 22. Fort Worth police homicide Detective John McCaskill said it appears that the man had either jumped or fallen from the bridge, possibly a couple of days before his body was found. On Monday, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office released an artist's sketch of the man in the hopes that someone can help identify him. The man is described as Caucasian, 35 to 55 years old, 6 foot 4 inches tall, with short gray and brown hair and a receding hairline. He had a white beard with several days' growth. The man was wearing Wrangler jeans, a yellow polo-style Dockers shirt and a reversible red/black fleece vest with the red side showing. The shirt and vest were both size XXL. The man was wearing size 13 Faded Glory brand brown sandals with black socks. Anyone with information about the man's identity is asked to call Dr. Roger Metcalf at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office at (817) 920-5700, Ext. 160. www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/11551759.htm
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:27:54 GMT -5
Sheriff's Office seeks to identify woman's body By Jose Jesus Zaragoza Published: Apr 27, 2005 SOUTH BAY - The body of a middle-aged woman was recently found just outside of the city of South Bay, without a clue as to the identity of the woman. Detectives with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office seek the help of the community in helping to solve the mysterious crime. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the possible identity of the woman, or with any information on the crime, to contact them. Beside the obvious information gleaned from the scene, of which there is little to go on, the law enforcement department has no other way of contacting family members of the deceased person or piecing together the details of her death. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Division has taken charge of the investigation. Detectives are particularly interested in finding out what exactly happened to the woman, whose remains were found alongside U.S. Highway 27 in South Bay April 18. The woman is described as a white female, approximately five-feet tall with sandy brown, grayish hair. She has, detectives say, a distinct gap between her front teeth and has gold tooth fillings. Closer investigation of the body following the death revealed that she has two scars on her lower stomach, pronounced bunions on both of her feet and had been treated for breast cancer and received radiation therapy. That is all detectives know about the woman. Anyone near that area in the days leading up to the discovery of the body, who might have seen activity that was suspicious is urged to contact the sheriff's office. Detectives are hopeful that someone could have seen possibly a vehicle or a person conducting suspicious activity and could aid detectives in their case. Detectives also hope that someone can identify the missing person based on the description they have released. Presently, the sheriff's office has not released any further information on the case. Detective John Cogburn is handling the case. He can be contacted at (561) 688-4063, or by fax at 688-3777. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crimestoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477). www.newszap.com/articles/2005/04/27...hobee/sun03.txt
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:28:24 GMT -5
Police seek answers in 30-year Burlington mystery By STEVE DeMARCO news@woburnonline.com April 08 2005 BURLINGTON — It is a grave at Chestnut Hill Cemetery that is just grass, there is no stone, but it does have a designation — Section D, No. 550. An unidentified man is buried there whose body was discovered in a wooded area off Muller Road nearly 30 years ago. The site's emptiness reflects the fruitless results of the work of some detectives in the Burlington Police Department, who have tried off-and-on for those 30 years to identify the man. According to Inspector Frank Nardone, the man was murdered (shot twice in the back of the head), and his body was buried in about two feet of dirt off Muller Road, near what was known as a "lover's lane" in 1975 (the entrance has since been blocked off with large hay bales). Since that time, "We have had several leads, and they have all come up short," said Nardone. "I figured that with all of the computers (accessibility to data) we have now, we would have identified him by now," Nardone went on to say. "But some of those missing-person sites, they can be very depressing. "We (Nardone, Inspector Gary Burdick, Sgt. Glen Mills, and State Trooper Peter Sennott) have been going at this for the last two years full-blast," said Nardone. "There has got to be an answer out there somewhere." In defining the difficulty he has had in trying to make strides in the case, Nardone said he received the autopsy on the body just two years ago. The law requires that autopsy reports only go to next-of-kin and the district attorney's office. "He has to have family, hopefully, his family is alive," Nardone said. "Sometimes, people leave, lose complete contact with their family. That could be the case here." "This is someone who lost his life, but they stole his name," Nardone went on to say. "Some people may have thought he was bad, but he started out good. "If I can do this (identify the body) before I retire," Nardone continued, "I feel I will have accomplished something." Possible military connections Reports indicate the body was discovered May 22, 1975, by two men who were in the Muller Road woods walking a dog. "He was wearing an army field jacket, dungarees, and canvas sneakers with black socks," said Nardone. "Wearing black socks in those days usually meant you were associated with the military or law enforcement." Police officials deduced at the time that the body had been buried there "anywhere between six months and a year." He had "excellent dental records" of the man, Nardone said, but "all dental records were sent to St. Louis in the late 1970s and were destroyed in a fire." The inspector added that there were several gold fillings in the man's mouth, and "the only people who had gold in their mouths in '75 were mostly military people." Nardone also said the man was wearing a belt with a unique, Garrison-style buckle, and a medallion suggestive of association with a motorcycle gang. "At that time, there were reports of motorcycle gangs in town," Nardone recalled. "There were a couple of houses where four of them, five of them would live." A witness came forward in the 1980s whom Nardone initially considered credible, he said. He led them to a motorcycle group in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., "but that trail eventually went cold," Nardone stated. Nardone said he later learned this witness "spelled his last name two different ways," which cast further doubt on his credibility. Next steps Nardone said he would like to exhume the body, and that is a daunting task, he said, "because there are a lot of hurdles you have to get through, you just can't exhume a body." That will require a court order, Nardone said, as well as permission from the local Board of Health because "we are digging up a body. I am trying to get the state (medical examiner's office) to exhume the body." If the body is exhumed (it is first sent, casket and all, to the state medical examiner's office) that could ultimately reveal a lot, Nardone said. "With all the technology and advances, we can do a lot more than we could do in 1975," he said. "I have an artist who could draw a picture of his face, and two other people I have could make a clay model of his skull." Nardone also said advances with DNA could aid in identifying the man. A local funeral home has offered to donate a new casket for the body, Nardone said, because the original casket "has likely been destroyed, or at least decayed." www.woburnonline.com/frontpage/april05/4705-4.html
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Post by ex member on Jun 13, 2005 8:28:56 GMT -5
Do you remember this woman? Skull found in 1994 still unidentified Curly haired victim was about 17 or 18 JIM WILKES STAFF REPORTER Posted: Jan. 28, 2005. Who is she? For more than a decade, it's a question that has dogged York Region homicide detectives. So far they've been unable to identify the teenage girl who was slain, crammed into a suitcase and then set afire behind a Vaughan industrial building back in September 1994. But Det. Tim Gore hopes a newly crafted clay bust — built upon the young victim's skull — may trigger someone's memory and help police give her a name. Until then, she'll remain simply Case File 94-96781 — a carton of unidentified human remains. "This case is probably one of the hardest to solve," Gore conceded yesterday. "You really have nowhere to start. Generally, in a homicide investigation, you start with a victim and work outward. In this case we have nowhere to go because we don't know who she is. ... This was somebody's daughter ... this was somebody who didn't deserve to die in this fashion." Gore knows what killed her, but he's keeping that information secret for now because it's something only detectives and the killer are likely to know. The new clay bust, recently fashioned by forensic sculptor Michelle Humphries, may prompt tips from the public that could help identify her, he said. So, too, might injuries to the girl's skeleton only recently identified by forensic anthropologist Dr. Kathy Gruspier, who determined she had suffered many broken bones in a car accident or fall in the weeks or months before she was killed. Gore said her pelvis had been broken in four places and she had suffered bone breaks to her ribs, vertebrae, left knee and right ankle — injuries he said appeared like those of "somebody jumping over a balcony trying to get away from somebody." Because she'd received no medical attention, the girl was probably immobile and in excruciating pain in the weeks before her death, he said. The girl is believed to have been 17 to 18 years old, about 5-foot-5, and 85 to 100 pounds. She was probably of North African descent and may have been of mixed race. She had dark, curly hair, which may have been dyed red. A DNA profile is expected soon. She may have been in the country illegally, or abused. "It could be that, for whatever reason, someone doesn't want us to know who she is," Gore said. "We can only speculate at this point." But he knows for sure that the fire, spurred by a flammable liquid ignited around the suitcase and old tires, was designed to destroy evidence and prevent anyone from identifying her. Gore is trying to keep warm 30 cold cases dating back to 1956. A link can be found at www.yrp.ca. www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...id=970599119419
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