Woodlawn Jane Doe

Woodlawn Jane Doe was a young woman who was discovered murdered on September 12, 1976, in Woodlawn, Maryland. The victim has been linked to regions from Massachusetts and New York and has also had various other forms of investigation conducted in her case. Despite extensive efforts, her body has never been successfully identified. The murderer or murderers have also never been apprehended. Discovery: On September 12, 1976 at 10:20 AM, the body of a fifteen to thirty-year-old female was found partially wrapped in a white a sheet, beaten, strangled and raped, within a day after she was murdered. The rape had been severe, as it caused bleeding that had seeped into her clothing. She likely died at a different location, and was then transported to the side of Dogwood Road, behind a cemetery, near its back gate. It is possible that a Ford Econoline van may be linked to the case, as one was seen near the location of the body, exactly an hour before it was found. The victim wore a turquoise-colored stone bead tied to a rawhide string as a necklace and carried two keys (one believed to be for a house and the other for a "night latch") made from brass that were attached to a safety pin in one of the pockets of a pair of tannish-yellow jeans. She also wore a white and tan shirt, a white bra and distinctive knee-high socks with multi-colored stripes. A single, light tan moccasin with twine laces and a rubber sole was near the body and is believed to have been worn by the subject. Two bandannas and a bag for grass seeds were found over her face and had been fastened behind her neck in a square knot. One bandanna was described as blue and white and the other was orange and white. The latter had holes cut to fit the locations of her eyes and nose. Besides what was found externally, a piece of the grass seed bag was located in the victim's throat, later ruled to be the cause of death, alongside ligature strangulation. The bag read "Farm Bureau Association Grass Seed, Lexington, Mass." Additionally, the hands had been bound behind her back with some sort of "bandage" in noticeably high-quality knots. In the victim's stomach, extremely high levels of a sedative drug, chlorpromazine was used, either by the killer or possibly from a "mental institution." Chlorpromazine is known to treat schizophrenia, which led to the theory linking the victim, or those responsible for the murder, to such facility. Additionally, the sheet that was wrapped around the body was consistent with those provided at inpatient institutions. Examination: Examiners measured the victim and concluded that she weighed 149 to 159 pounds and was five feet six to five feet nine inches tall. A poorly tattooed pair of letters, possibly initials, were found on her left arm. It is believed that it was "homemade" and was of two letters, believed to be "JP," "SS," "JB" or that of similar letter combinations. The female had three of her molars removed and had fillings in the remaining five. Because of the amount and reasonable quality of the dental care, authorities believed she did not come from a background of poverty. One of her other teeth was noted to have been crooked. She also had her ears pierced and a scar on her upper right thigh and knees were noted. A widow's peak was also noted on the victim's forehead. The victim had dark brown to black, shoulder-length hair with a wavy texture and brown eyes, as well as a dark, olive complexion, which led some to speculate she was from a foreign country, possibly from Europe. The exact race and ethnicity of the victim puzzled investigators and medical examiners. Authorities do believe she may have been of Caucasian descent, however. The blood type for the victim was determined to be O positive. Investigation: Shortly after the body was found, fingerprint and dental information were collected to establish the identity of the body. Her fingerprints were added to national databases, as well as her dental charting, yet no matches were ever made. Ten missing women from across the United States have since been eliminated as possible identities for the Jane Doe. The county police department currently holds a cash reward of two thousand dollars for information about the case. The victim's face has been reconstructed multiple times for release to the public. Three versions exist that were rendered by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Other sketches also exist. The local police department provided an age regression and an additional reconstruction, created by Eve Grant, hoping to provide an estimation of her appearance at a younger age in case she was "a runaway" or if someone knew her at an earlier period during her life. One of the keys that the victim carried was made in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and had "DB09212" stamped onto it.[5][7] The bag was later connected to a factory in Buffalo, New York and had been sold exclusively in the Massachusetts cities of Waltham, Rochdale, Lowell, South Weymouth and lastly, Greenfield. Years prior to the murder, production of the bag had halted. Forensic pollen analysis on the items found with the body indicated she spent time in a populous area, including regions such as Boston, Massachusetts or New York, New York, corroborating beliefs of where some of the items were manufactured. These results were aided by the findings of cedar and hemlock pollen that was detected, which possibly originated from sites such as the New York Botanical Garden or Harvard University. The case has also been featured on America's Most Wanted to generate leads.