Jackson County John Doe

On July 11, 1963, the remains of an infant or toddler were discovered near Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon after one of the blankets he was wrapped in was hooked by a fisherman. His remains were concealed in a blue blanket, a patchwork quilt with several red designs. The bundle was bound by telephone wires and weighed down with metal assayer's molds. The child's autopsy indicated he likely died in the autumn of 1962 and he possibly had Down syndrome or a similar disability. The exact cause of the child's death was never determined, due to decomposition, but the case is classified as a homicide. His clothing included a red and white-striped long sleeved pullover, gray corduroy trousers which had an elastic waistband and a belt buckle. His footwear were ankle-length socks and white shoes, which may have been from a shoe store in Medford, Oregon. His other clothing may have been from a J. C. Penney store. The child was also found wearing a diaper made of cloth that was secured with pins and plastic pants. His blond or light brown hair was somewhat long, his eyes brown and eight of his teeth had erupted. What is unique about the boy's dentition is that one of his front bottom teeth was split in two, having two roots and an uncommon groove at its top. In efforts to identify the child, examiners took his footprints and compared them to those taken from other children from a local hospital and none apparently matched.