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Jefferson County making new effort to identify 1993 murder victim

By Bruce Kropp Jan 20, 2022 | 8:15 PM
New forensic art prepared by Carl Koppelman to reflect updated findings on unknown murder victim.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is renewing its efforts to identify a 1993 murder victim.

The decapitated head of a presumed white female was discovered on the side of a wooded roadway within Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park on January 27th, 1993. The victim, estimated to have been 30-50 years old at the time of her death, had likely died 2-3 days prior to discovery. She had long, reddish hair and a pin-shaped mole in her left ear. She’d had extensive dental work, including a silverpoint filling, and she had possibly worn braces at some point. The victim had skeletal asymmetry that, in life, may have been visible in her facial features. Additionally, she may have experienced issues with her neck.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has investigated the victim’s homicide and worked to identify her for nearly three decades. Recently, new avenues of identification for “Ina Jane Doe,” have been pursued, including anthropological re-analysis from University of New Hampshire assistant professor Dr. Amy Michael, DNA extraction and sequencing by Astrea Labs, and forensic genetic genealogy by Redgrave Research Forensic Services.

New forensic art has been prepared by Carl Koppelman to reflect updated findings. One image is without eye makeup and the other with.

Anyone with information about this female’s identification and/or this investigation please contact Detective Captain Bobby Wallace at the Sheriff’s Office (618)244-8004 or Crimestoppers at (618)242-TIPS (8477).