Hot on the trail of "Baby Doe"

UPDATE: Baby Doe was identified on September 18, 2015 as Bella Nevaeh Amoroso Bond, aged 2. Her mother and her mother's boyfriend (not Bella's father) are currently in custody.  

Reconstruction of "Baby Doe"

The body of a little girl was found on Deer Island, Massachusetts on June 25, 2015. Her little body along with polka-dotted leggings and a zebra-print blanked was concealed in a garbage bag and abandoned alongside the rocky shore of the island, days before a woman walking her dog made the gruesome discovery.

The child was likely white with possible Hispanic/Latino ethnicity and was at a mere three-to-five years old when she died. Nobody knows how, since all examinations and toxicology tests have been fruitless to finding the reason why this healthy-appearing girl died at such a young age. Some speculate murder. Others ponder the possibility that it was an accident. We might never know.

Nobody knows who she was or who abandoned her body, yet new forensic testing has uncovered a strong lead as to where she came from. Speculation that she could be from anywhere in the world were soon narrowed down to one area - Boston.

Forensic palynology tests indicated that the girl, nicknamed as "Baby Doe," was from the area she was found in. Traces of pollen from trees found in Boston as well as soot led to this conclusion. Such a big break could mean that the wild goose chase to finding her identity could end soon, as authorities have a much smaller area to look.

"Baby Doe" may have been seen alive at various times and places in Massachusetts, as witnesses have claimed to see a child matching her description in parks, stores and laundromats. On each occasion, a different adult has been accompanying the potential match, one was a woman in a burka, indicating links to the Middle East, and a white, overweight woman with sandy-blond hair.

Riley Sawyers remained unidentified for a month after her body was found in 2007.

This is not the first high-profile case of an unidentified child to break the hearts of this country. This, by far, is arguably the biggest, as social media continues to surge about this little girl, but many other cases have occurred in the past. There's Riley Sawyers, also known as "Baby Grace," whose remains were unidentified for a month after they were found in a bin in the Galveston Bay in 2007. Anjelica Castillo, previously nicknamed as "Baby Hope," was discovered in 1991 and identified in 2013 as the daughter of a pair of illegal immigrants. In these two cases, family members were responsible for the deaths and concealment of the bodies. They represent how quickly -- and slowly -- a child could remain unidentified.

The case of "Baby Doe" could go either way, yet I remain optimistic, as new technology has since made seemingly unsolvable cases open-and-shut.

If you have any information about this case, please contact:

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST

Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit: (617) 727-8817

Massachusetts State Police: (508) 820-2121

Winthrop Police Department: (617) 539-5806

The Hunt With John Walsh 1-886-THEHUNT 

Text GIRL to 67383 or call this hotline (617) 396 - 5655

Dean Corll's Unidentified Victim

This post contains material that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is strongly advised. 

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John Doe's clothes

Composite by FACES

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay in any way. What is wrong is if you kidnap unwilling children and murder them. That's what Dean Corll did during the 1970s. Currently, one of his twenty-some victims remains unidentified, a teenage boy whose skeletal remains were found buried in 1973.

The boy likely died in 1972 in his mid to late teens. He was between five feet two and five feet seven at an unknown weight. He may have had Hispanic heritage and wore cowboy boots and swim trunks along with a shirt with a peace sign. He had no evidence of dental care and had spinal bifida.

A clay reconstruction

In the past few years, two of Corll's victims have been identified with the help of the FACES lab in Louisiana, which specializes in reconstructing the faces of unidentified people. Unfortunately, for this John Doe, it has come to no avail. Dean Corll was killed before he could be tried for his heinous crimes although some of his accomplices were apprehended and showed authorities where the rest of the bodies were. In the past few years, two unidentified  boys got their names back. Michael Baulch, 15 was identified in 2010 and Randell Lee Harvey in 2008.

I previously confused this case with that of Micheal Baulch, whose reconstruction resembled the John Doe's. Michael's brother, Billy, was also a victim of Corll.  I almost wonder if this John Doe may actually have been Billy, who was identified decades ago with less precise methods than Michael's DNA match.

If you have any information about this John Doe, please contact:

Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences:

Phone: 713-796-6774
Mail: 1885 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, TX 77054

Milwaukee County Jane Doe

In early 1982, the unidentified body of an attractive African-American female was located, floating in a river in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was well-dressed and between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.

Foul play is not suspected in this case, as the cause of this young woman's death is unknown. I believe she may have accidentally fallen into the river and drowned. She was five feet four inches with kinky hair and had a large amount of dental work. She may have died between one week to three months, although her body was well-preserved due to the cold water.

The girl had some sort of surgery done on her abdomen, although some reports claim that there were no organs missing. Nobody knows why this mystery surgery was performed, although she may have had an appendectomy. Her nails were well cared for and her ears were pierced, although she did not wear earrings at the time of her death. Other scars found on the body were on her ankle and on her arm.

If you have information about this person, please contact the Milwaukee Medical Examiner at 414-223-1200 or send an email to jenni.penn@milwcnty.com

You may remain anonymous when submitting information

Ghosts of Green River

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One of the most haunting cases of serial killings is that of the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, who remains in prison custody today. Out of his nearly fifty confirmed victims, three are known only as "Jane Doe."

1984 victim

A teenage girl, known as "Jane Doe B-10," was between twelve and eighteen was discovered in 1984, who died around 1983. This victim was between the wide age range of 12 to 18. Examiners believe she may have been left-handed, which is interesting, as the remains were skeletal. I find this particular composite to be quite eerie, due to the shape of the girl's mouth, which was likely an accident made by the artist. I believe she may have been either Kristi Vorak or Kase Lee (both pictured far left, respectively), who bear a resemblance to the reconstruction. Gary Ridgway described her to have been in her early 20s, which means he was thinking of the wrong girl or perhaps the victim looked mature for her age (as sixteen-year-old Kase Lee did).  The Green River Killer himself stated that he did actually kill Kase (pronounced as "Casey"). However, he claimed to have left her body at a different location than Jane Doe B-10. According to investigators, he seems to not always be truthful, which would definitely damage his credibility. 

1986 victim

A second teen was found in 1986, known as Jane Doe B-17. Like the first victim, she was skeletonized. What we know about this girl is that she was between 14 and 18 and had some dental fillings. She was previously described, by Ridgway to be Sandra Major, but Major was identified in 2010, which means investigators had to start over.  I personally believed she could have been Kelly McGiniss until I learned she was ruled out.

Finally, in 2003, the partial remains of a female were found, who could have been killed anywhere between 1973 and 1991.  A reconstruction has never been created due to an incomplete skeleton and her race could not be confirmed as well.

Missing persons who are believed to have been murdered by Ridgway
(Left to right: Kristi Vorak, Kase Lee (Woods), Kelly McGiniss, Patricia Osborn, Patricia Leblanc, Darci Warde and Cora McGuik)

Who Killed Cali Doe?

UPDATE:

Cali Doe was identified on January 26, 2015 as Tammy Jo Alexander. My deepest sympathies to her family and friends. 

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Original composite image of Cali Doe

At the end of the 1970's, a teenage girl was murdered in cold blood and abandoned in a corn field in Caledonia, New York. What could have driven someone to kill an innocent child? It's been almost thirty-five years, and we still don't have an answer.

Nicknamed "Cali Doe" after the town she was discovered in, she was between thirteen and nineteen (my guess being no younger than fourteen and no older than sixteen) and stood at five feet three inches. I'd say she's more than likely a runaway child, maybe from as far away as Canada, like two other victims found in South Carolina three years prior.

Cali wore men's clothing, probably indicating that a generous person could have given her a change of clothes after encountering her, if she had left her home behind. Her teeth weren't well taken care of. Along with this, she had acne across her body, likely due to not bathing. She also had a tan. These details definitely promote the idea that she had run away from home; she was likely traveling for some time.

Cali's recent reconstruction looks somewhat different from the actual body.

From the side, she resembled actress Maisie Williams, famous for her portrayal of Arya in Game of Thrones. Although this comparison might not appear helpful, it's certainly better than actually showing an image of her body, although in the profile photo (unlike the front view) she looks peaceful.

This case is close to me, as it is a terrible way for someone so young to lose their life like this, especially when nobody knows who you were or why you were murdered. I presume she may have been randomly selected by a passerby to become their victim. Another possibility is that Cali may have been involved in human and/or drug trafficking.

If you have any information on this case, please contact:

Livingston County Sheriff's Office

Phone: 585-243-7120

Email: crimetip@troopers.state.ny.us

The Two from Sumter County

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Within hours after their murders, a young man and woman, who currently are unidentified, were discovered with three bullet wounds that took their lives. It was a day in the late summer of 1976 in South Carolina. I took particular interest in this case, not only because Jane Doe strongly resembled one of my coworkers, but because both victims were dead less than a day and nobody has come forward to claim responsibility for their murders or even their identities.

Reconstructions of Jane, the middle being the most accurate in my opinion.

The woman, known only as "Jane Doe," was just barely an adult, likely between eighteen and twenty years old. She was at medium height for a female, at 5'5. Three reconstructions have been made of her, but I am unhappy with most of them, as they make her look like a different person in each one. Compared to the morgue photos, only one gives a decent view of what she looked like in life,  but it is at a strange angle that makes her look somewhat unattractive, which she most certainly was not.

The man, who was in his early twenties, is a different story. Unlike the female, he is known by a more unique name, "Jock," as someone who reportedly came in contact with the pair stated he called himself, also reported that the man claimed he had been disowned by his wealthy father and had originated from Canada. Jock's reconstructions are very similar to what the body looked like, which at least could still help with both victims' identity. He wore a class ring that read "JPF."

Jock's reconstructions all look fairly similar.

I strongly support the theory that the two were from Canada. At first glance, most would imagine the two as lovers, but I believed that they were siblings before I found out recently that they were apparently not related. There is still the possibility that they could have been step brother and sister. Jock's name was more likely "Jacques," which screams French-Canadian. The two had high-end dental work as well as some jewelry, which supports that they originated from a high-class home.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: 

Sumter County Sheriff's Office
803-436-2790


Sumter County Coroner
Verna Moore
803-436-211

You may remain anonymous when giving this information.

Lady of the Dunes

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She was an attractive woman between 25 and 40, being brutally murdered in 1974. It was summertime in Provincetown, Massachusetts when someone walking their dog when they came across a naked body, probably not the best thing for a young teen to witness.

At the crime scene, the remains along with a towel, a size ten footprint, and jeans were found, some of her teeth ripped out of her mouth along with her hands severed. Why would someone want to take it this far to prevent  authorities from identifying someone?

The Lady of the Dunes has had her face reconstructed many times in the past thirty-nine-and-a-half years since the discovery. What is interesting is that many of them bare little resemblance to each other. It's a likely reason why she hasn't got her identity back. With this recent one, created in 2010, I'm not exactly happy with either, since she looks a bit too old to be in the age range. Hopefully, someone will come up with an age regression that was created by a scan of the skull, like the one pictured.

Lady of the Dunes was athletic and weighed 145 pounds, even though she was only five-foot-six inches tall. Her hair was in a ponytail when she was found, giving a stereotypical appearance of an athlete (I imagine a jogger or a tennis player). I wonder if she actually did participate in sports when she was alive.

The case remains unsolved, even though a serial killer confessed to killing this woman. Since he has paranoid schizophrenia, many don't believe him. Another theory, which I believe strongly in, is that there may be a connection with Whitey Bulger, who was an FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted for years, who was apprehended recently. People in Provincetown at the time Lady of the Dunes died claim to have seen him with a woman who looked like one of the reconstructions of the victim.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Provincetown Police Department at:

508-487-1212  or 508-487-1213
mhimes@provincetown-ma.gov

26 Shankpainter Road
Provincetown, MA 02657

You may remain anonymous when submitting information.