Deer Island Jane Doe

Deer Island Jane Doe, also nicknamed as "Baby Doe" was a American toddler or child that was found dead in a plastic bag on the shore of Deer Island in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on June 25, 2015. Authorities pursued investigation into discovering the child's identity, yet all efforts have since been unsuccessful and she remains an unidentified decedent. An autopsy performed on the body did not uncover the exact cause of death, which may be either due to an accident or murder. The girl's face was reconstructed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in an effort to provide the public with an estimation of the victim's appearance during life to generate tips to a potential identity and to locate the individual or individuals responsible for the disposal of her body. Since the reconstruction was released and news coverage began nationwide a large amount of public attention has emerged; an estimated 56 million people have viewed reports on the case. Half of these had occurred within the first week after the body was found. Discovery: The child's body was discovered on the afternoon of June 25, 2015, inside of a plastic garbage bag on the shoreline of Deer Island in Boston, Massachusetts by a woman walking her dog, which had stopped upon finding the bag. After the body was found, the public placed a series of flowers near the scene. She wore only a pair of white leggings designed with a black polka-dot pattern. A zebra-print blanket was also inside the bag. Initially, police were unsure if there would be additional bodies at the scene, so cadaver dogs were used to locate any other possible remains, which were not found. The girl was estimated by authorities to have died recently, within days of her discovery. Despite that she was deceased a short amount of time, she had already begun to decompose and was impossible to identify visually, as bloating was observed on the body. Investigators were able to conclude that she was a young child but were initially unsure of her race and ethnicity. The circumstances were previously unknown of how the remains had settled at the location, as the body was thought either to have been placed at the beach or drifted in the water from another location, some presuming from as far a Canada. The beach is near a waste water treatment plant. The United States Coast Guard entered the investigation and analyzed the currents of the water in the area to estimate where the bag containing the remains could have originated from. Dive teams were also used around the time the body was discovered. Authorities now believe the victim had been placed at the scene, rather than to have washed upon Deer Island from another location, as the body was not in an advanced-enough stage of decomposition. One of the investigators also states that there is also a possibility that the disposal may have been performed by an employee of the water treatment plant that the body was found near. As the area has been regarded as a "busy" area for both workers and the public, it is possible that the bag was placed at the scene overnight, to prevent the individual from being seen. Examination: A "preliminary" autopsy was conducted on July 3 but did not successfully conclude what had caused the girl's death. However, authorities do suspect foul play as a factor in the child's death. Despite this, no signs of obvious injury have been found on the remains. Tests were later conducted to determine if there were any toxins, drugs or alcohol present in the body, which was hoped to yield a possible explanation for the death, as the circumstances in which her remains were discarded indicate. After this was completed, examiners were unable to find any trace of cleaners, such as bleach, in the remains, but will continue with more testing in hopes to find another toxin as a possible cause of death. The clothing found on the toddler, believed to be a "size 4T" was determined to have been manufactured by the Circo company and was likely sold at a Target store. The blanket was believed to possibly have been made by the Cannon Mills company and sold at K-Mart. Additionally, a hair band made from elastic material was found. The profile of the child could also possibly be matched to a parent as well. She was eventually determined to be between the ages of three and five and appeared to be white with possible Hispanic ancestry. Her hair was described as being "brown, wavy and fourteen inches in length". It was also estimated that she was between three feet one and three feet six inches tall and weighed around thirty pounds. There were no distinct birthmarks or scars on the body. It was later discovered that the girl had pierced ears and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released an updated image of the child wearing earrings. The girl appeared to have been "well-cared for" during her life, as no signs of malnutrition or abuse were noted. The clothing also reinforced the theory, as investigators state. At first, it was thought that a unique form of dental sealant on the child's teeth, which eliminated several of his patients. Investigators took images of the child's dental information to a nearby dentist to see if they matched any of his patients in late July. However, later examination disproved this, showing that there was actually no evidence of such a procedure on the teeth. Investigation: The face of the Jane Doe was eventually reconstructed digitally by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children after preceding attempts to identify the body failed. The reconstruction, which was created within four hours with reliable, state-of-the-art, technology with the influence of mortuary photographs and that of "stock photographs," which would give an estimation of what a deceased individual may have looked like while alive. The organization also digitally enhanced images of the leggings and the blanket found with the remains and created a poster featuring them on their website. The reconstruction, created by forensic artist Christi Andrews, was released on July 2, 2015. Because of the high-quality of the organization's reconstruction software, many viewers had mistaken it for an actual photograph. Flyers containing images of the Jane Doe and her belongings have since been dispersed in hopes to achieve more information. The child was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System on July 4, 2015 that included details of the discovery of the subject and physical estimations. According to the child's profile, many missing persons have been excluded as possible identities, which include Shoshana Black, Paula Ramerez-Figuroa, Ofir Ben - Haim, Cassidy Gibbs and Ayla Reynolds. In all, over one-hundred have been ruled out from the case. Other leads have been pursued that involve children that have been reported missing, some of which were foreign to the United States. Some of the potential matches for the child have been located alive. The disappearance case of Sarah Hoggle has also been analyzed to have a possible link to the case, yet investigators state it is "unlikely." A press conference displaying the reconstruction and the enhanced images of the clothing and blanket was later held at the location the body was found and was also televised to ask the public in assistance with finding out who the victim was and also requested for those that may have known her, especially her parents, to identify the girl. Since this, no one has come forward to claim responsibility or to confirm who the victim was. Hundreds of such tips have been submitted over the phone and online and are being investigated. Authorities do believe that the child may not have been reported missing, and the caretakers of the child could be unaware of her death, as they have found few cases that match the profile of the unidentified girl. It is speculated that the girl could have been murdered by a member of her family, if she was a homicide victim, which still has yet to be confirmed. A criminologist stated that it did not seem likely that she would have been "murdered by a stranger," according to statistics of cases similar to the Jane Doe's. The fact that she had been disposed of along with personal items reinforced such theory. The fact that there have yet to be any tips from relatives claiming responsibility for the death or with information about the child has also supported the idea that family members were involved with the disposal of the body and possibly with her death. Investigators also fear for other children that may have been in the care of the individuals that disposed of the body, as they could potentially be in danger. There is also a possibility that the family members of the child may also be deceased, as they may have faced a similar demise as the Jane Doe. Officials during the press conference covering the case urged viewers to be aware of children that may have disappeared or gone uncounted for in the days leading up to the celebration of Independence Day. It has also been acknowledged that she could have belonged to an "undocumented" family, which would explain why no matches have been achieved. Many leads have been followed that appear to match the circumstances of the case. A woman witnessed to have thrown a garbage bag over a bridge was later questioned by police, but it was later found that the content of such bag was a collection of spoiled fruit. Other individuals have stated they had seen toddlers resembling the Jane Doe, one at a store and another at a playground of a child seen with a woman clothed in a "burka." Investigators were unable to find any trace of the girl at the store through information gathered by security cameras and the subject at the playground has yet to be located. A man stated he believed he had seen the toddler in November 2014 at a laundromat with a "heavyset and "dirty blond" woman pushing the child in a stroller. Despite the popularity of the case and the amount of information that has been submitted, no tips have since resulted in discovering the identity of the Jane Doe or those responsible for dumping her body. Although many leads have been followed and about twenty were considered to be "credible," most possible matches have been found alive and safe. Police are currently focused on investigating in the local community, yet they do believe it could be possible that the girl was not from the area and are continuing to search through various cases of missing children. Investigators eventually set up a twenty-four hour hotline for those with information on the case to call. A text hotline was also created. Many submitted information about potential matches, later revealed to be missing children in over half of the United States as well as European and South and Central American countries. Nearly one-hundred billboards, including digital signs donated by Clear Channel, have also been placed across the state of Massachusetts, encouraging individuals to report tips to the anonymous hotlines created for the child. The DNA of Deer Island Jane Doe was analyzed and has since been used to exclude some missing persons and is also hoped to be matched to possible relatives of the girl that have had their DNA on record. It was obtained through samples of the hair and a tooth. The DNA did not reportedly match the profiles stored in databases of known missing persons. Officials stated that they have also sent samples to the University of North Texas to create a more specific profile, which is expected to be a time-consuming process. Mitochondrial DNA from the bones of the child is hoped to be developed to compare to possible relatives. Besides DNA testing, authorities have also conducted efforts into forensic palynology as well as isotope examination of water found at the scene. Results of the testing indicated that the child had spent time in the local, urban area, most likely in Boston, as traces of both pine and soot were found through the tests. Public interaction: Since the reconstruction and the story was publicized, an unexpectedly large amount of public interest in the case developed internationally. Many of which acknowledged the so-called "beauty" of the girl. Many people have since shared and viewed reports detailing the case on social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. Several individuals have stated in paying for the child's funeral and burial, which has yet to take place, if she is not identified. One funeral home stated that they would donate the means to bury the child under a headstone, in order to prevent the girl to be buried in a pauper's grave. Local businesses in the area began placing posters of the child in their buildings, hoping to create awareness for the case and to generate potential leads. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority explained its plans of donating a bench in memory of the girl. The digital reconstruction of the child has been estimated to have been viewed around fifty-million times by the public, which officials have stated is significantly efficient in assisting with the case. The local police department reported that they received a large amount of tips, some suggesting possible identities for the child, that of missing girls throughout the country. Many readers online submitted to police that the girl could have been Aliya Lunsford, of West Virginia, that disappeared on September 24, 2011. Lunsford would have been six at the time of the discovery and did bear a resemblance to the reconstruction of the Jane Doe, yet she was later excluded from the case. Updates of the exclusion of Lunsford, as well as Ayla Reynolds, were published on the Massachusetts Police's Facebook page to inform those that inquired about the potential matches. Police were made aware of a possible link between the Jane Doe and that of Katherine Phillips, nicknamed as "Baby Kate," that went missing in 2011. Phillips' body has never been recovered, despite that her father has since been charged with her murder and was convicted of kidnapping. Authorities have expressed their doubts of the body is that of Katherine Phillips and they planned on investigating the lead. DNA between the pair would eventually be compared. It was announced on July 10 that Phillips was ruled out to be "Baby Doe." On July 10, CNN News host Anderson Cooper interviewed the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's co-founder and former emcee of America's Most Wanted, John Walsh about the case. Walsh stated that "absolutely someone knows" the identity of the Jane Doe and that in similar cases, it was often the "live-in boyfriend" or the mother of the child that had abused or neglected one of several children in a family, citing that the victim could have been "accidentally killed or starved to death." When explaining a probable reason why the girl had remained unidentified, Walsh stated that "people do not want to talk to cops," possibly due to the fear of authorities investigating their own lives, for instance, that of the family of Anjelica Castillo, whose family were illegal immigrants and never reported the victim missing due to fear of deportation. Castillo remained unidentified for twenty-two years after her murder, until an individual overheard a young woman speaking about her sister that had likely been murdered. The woman was later found to be Castillo's sister and her DNA proved the match between Castillo and the unidentified victim. Walsh then proceeded to encourage viewers to contact him instead, by giving the number for the show he currently hosts, The Hunt With John Walsh as well as a URL for his profile on the CNN website, assuring those submitting tips could remain anonymous.