ID sought in 1981 Jane Doe cold case murder

PHOTOS: Ohio police are once more appealing for help in IDing a slain Jane Doe teen and finally bringing her killer to justice.

Dubbed also the "Buckskin Girl" for the distinctive overcoat she wore at the time of her death, remains of the unknown victim below were found on April 24, 1981 -- approximately two days after she'd been killed.

 

Ohio's Jane Doe is estimated to have been in her late teens or early twenties when she brutally died.

In addition to the buckskin leather jacket, she was also wearing bell-bottom slacks and a brown turtleneck.

Investigators believe the young woman might have been hitchhiking when she was picked up by her killer then bludgeoned to death and dumped dead in a ditch near Troy Ohio.

A recent forensic breakthrough has revived interest again in actively pursuing, and ideally solving, her 35-year-old cold case murder, which many people have speculated could be the work of a serial killer still at large.

The ominous theory is supported by the fact that several Ohio women were similarly murdered during the 1980s and 90s, and their bodies (or body parts) deposited throughout the region.

Although most of these other victims reportedly have long ago been identified, their murders also remain unsolved.

For decades in the Jane Doe homicide case, however, authorities had no idea even where the victim originally hailed from, let alone her name.

But at least this aspect of the tragic mystery appears to have been partially solved now: Pollens, native only to the American northeast, and a substantial amount of soot particles, have been recovered from the Buckskin Girl's outer clothing.

Both residues have helped narrow down the likely U.S. states and urban industrial locales where she could have lived in or been visiting for some time, before coming to Ohio in the spring of 1981.

Therefore officials are especially appealing for the public's help in IDing Jane Doe in such states as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

A bit of "southwest pollen" was also detected on the Buckskin Girl's coat, which could indicate she briefly traveled through that section of America en route to Ohio, or even that the garment itself was borrowed.

The Miami County Sheriff’s Office is heading up the renewed investigation into her wrongful death and has distributed the above composite images of what the slain teen probably looked like, including alternate hairstyles.

Anyone who thinks they recognize her, or who has other information relevant to her cold case, should call the MCSO at (937) 440-3865.

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Can You ID Drowned John Doe By His Tattoo?

A John Doe victim was found drowned in the Kanawha River on April 19th with the below tattoo on his left arm.

West Virginia police have released the image, noting it's not the actual one but practically identical in hopes someone may recognize this and ID the dead man.

They say the large Virgin Mary tat is specifically 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' and done with black ink. It extends from John Doe's shoulder to his elbow.

A crucifix was also found in one of his pants pockets.

No other form of identification was found on the body of a "6-foot tall" unknown male of indeterminate age pulled from the water on Thursday.

His remains were retrieved in the vicinity of River Avenue and McDonald Street in South Charleston.

Anyone who thinks they can identify the John Doe found drowned this week by his distinctive tattoo is asked to call the South Charleston Police Department at (304) 744-5951.

Updates to this case will be posted in the comment section.

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Body of College Soccer Star Luke Gabbert Found in Creek (and more)

Police are probing the apparent drowning of Luke Gabbert, one of a handful of young men found dead in outdoor bodies of water this weekend...

The 19-year-old Wesleyan University soccer player's immersed corpse was discovered in Ohio's Delaware Run Creek on Saturday morning.

Investigators still don't know how the 5-foot-9, 155-pound athlete ended up dead in the water and said that, at this time, a cause of death for Luke Gabbert also remains unknown.

Meanwhile, police in the UK confirmed that a body found floating near Spurn Point of Humberside late yesterday afternoon is that of 21-year-old Liam Pullen.

Pullen went missing Friday evening, following an argument with one of his mates at a Cleesthorpes address.

According to that individual, Pullen allegedly left his house during their disagreement wearing sweats and a navy coat with a hoodie underneath, and, perhaps, "no shoes."

Investigators have told reporters that the youth's subsequent drowning death "did not appear suspicious" to them.

That's roughly the same view held by authorities in Queens New York where a dead man washed ashore of the East River on Saturday afternoon.

That victim's identity and other particulars haven't been released, pending notification of family, but his death also doesn't seem suspicious, cops there are saying.

Boston has likewise been afflicted with yet another Charles River water fatality this winter, although the identity of the deceased young male retrieved on Thursday continues to remain a riddle today, due to extensive decomposition.

“The water can kind of obscure and bloat the face," a law professor at Boston University vaguely explained to the press yesterday; additionally noting that, if the hands and feet were degloved too, it would prevent IDing the victim via his prints. 

She also suggested a police composite sketch was underway this week, in hopes that a member of the public might recognize John Doe and finally give him a name.

A jogger noticed the unidentified young man's corpse floating under the Longfellow Bridge, and a marine unit of the Massachusetts State Police came and recovered it soon after.

Foul play hasn't been ruled out at this stage in the inquiry because a cause and manner of death hasn't been determined.

Because the public was understandably alarmed by the latest discovery, Massachusetts police and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office released a written statement about the incident.

In it they confirmed they're jointly "investigating this matter," but "no additional information is available at this time,” they added.

Missing young men "accidentally" drowning in lakes, rivers, creeks and ponds -- fully clothed and in cold weather -- is a relatively recent crime trend.

However, only in the past few years have some of these dubious mishaps been fully investigated, and a few even reclassified as *possible* murders.

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Smiley Face Murder Mystery: masonic eye tattoo key to IDing John Doe

Can you solve this Smiley Face Murder mystery?

Man with all-seeing mystic eye tattoo found drowned in Harlem's river

 

 

Detectives from New York  City's police department won't say exactly how they happened to stumble upon the partially clad and decomposing body of an adult male floating near the Bronx shore of the Harlem River early this May.

 

But they are asking for assistance from the public in identifying him. Something which, for those who knew the deceased man well, should be pretty easy to do -- he's got a very distinct eye and accompanying phrase tattooed in black ink on his shoulder.

 

Police say they've found no outward indication of any trauma on the cadaver, although they're still mystified as to how the mystic-eyed gent ended up dead in the water.

 

The meaning of his compelling tattoo has them a bit stumped, too.

 

Is it emblematic of membership with the secret order of the Masons? Is it an icon borrowed from the back of a dollar bill that the man merely found intriguing?  Or is he an assassinated Illuminati?

 

No one but the Smiley Face Killers can say, at the moment. But for anybody else who may recognize this graphic image, the NYPD asks that you call their anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS.

 

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