Death of Janice Marie Young

Janice Marie Young, (born Janice Marie Brock) known primarily by her middle name, was a formerly unidentified American girl who was pushed in the path of a moving vehicle on June 9, 1973. While she spent time in St. Petersburg, where she died, she was known by the aliases of "Cindy", "Maria", and "Janice Marie Bromke". A man was initially arrested for her murder, but the charges were eventually dropped, as the individual's "intent could not be proven." The victim was identified on May 20, 2015, nearly forty-two years after her death. Physical description and circumstances: In the early hours of June 9, 1973, a teenage girl seen arguing with a man was shoved in front of a vehicle in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida. She died at the scene. The incident occurred at the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 8th Street North. She appeared to be between 14 and 16 years old but may have been as young as 11 or as old as 20. Her wavy hair was auburn and shoulder length; her eyes were a vibrant blue. She wore two earrings in one ear; a piercing in her other ear had healed. She wore a ring missing its stone as well as a multicolored gown and purple tights. The girl had noticeably short fingernails, which is consistent with nail biting. Other distinct features that the female had were three flat birthmarks on her back, a chipped tooth, no visible dental work and freckles visible on her shoulders. However, it is possible that her tooth was chipped when she was killed. Some of her teeth were also missing, possibly due to previous root canals, although they may not have erupted. Investigation: It was strongly believed that she was a runaway; some believed she was from North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, or Virginia, as she told many inconsistent stories to those she came in contact with. Another reason for this speculation was because she was given clothing from other people, indicating she had little with her belongings. Young was also believed to have traveled from North Carolina to Florida with a man, whose name may have been Bill. She also stated that she was new to St. Petersburg had previously lived in Redington Beach, Florida before traveling to St. Petersburg and was currently staying with three roommates in an apartment. It is also suspected that Young was involved with illegal drug trade, which may have been a reason for her murder. "To Gloria, ...call Mark and say hello and also that I was planning on going to see Mark in Virginia... Signed, Marie"- Text written in Young's unfinished letter. Among her possessions, a letter written in pencil, was found with the name "Gloria" written on it. The letter detailed that she was "on break," which led to speculation that she may have had a job when she wrote the letter. It also made references to people she had met in the states of North Carolina and Virginia. The penmanship was reported to have been fairly poor and no addresses were present on the envelope. Young had previously been spoken to by police officers shortly before her death. The officers had believed Young was a different person that they were trying to locate and she gave a false birth date of June 17, 1953 and her birth name, Janice Marie Brock. Lawrence Edward Dorn, then 24, was identified as the man she was arguing with. He was arrested and charged with her murder, but the charges were later dropped and the criminal case closed. The reasons why the charges were dropped is due to the fact that police were unable to "prove Dorn's intent" when he pushed Young. She was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg. In 2010, the victim's body was exhumed from an unmarked grave to obtain a DNA sample, in the hope it would aid in her identification. Identification: Young was identified on the afternoon of May 20, 2015. Timothy Young, the victim's younger brother, had reportedly searched for decades for his missing sister by using her adoptive name of "Young." Upon an internet search where he used her birth name, he discovered a police sketch of the victim which bore a strong resemblance to Janice. He subsequently reported it to police by telephone on January 28, 2015. Investigator Brenda Stephenson was faxed documents regarding the pair's adoption and stated she knew at that moment that Janice was the unidentified girl after reading the name in the names given on the paper. Young's DNA was later compared to the victim and proved to be a positive match. The two had lived in foster care after being taken out of the custody of their parents. Both of their last names were changed from "Brock" to "Young" after the pair were legally adopted in 1969. Janice had run away from her adoptive parents' home in Newport News, Virginia after allegedly being raped by an adoptive sibling, which her brother had witnessed. Young had told her brother of her intention of running away prior to leaving for school, packed a pillowcase with belongings and she never returned. Young's body will eventually be transported to her brother for cremation.