JEFFERSON COUNTY — New efforts are underway to identify a 1993 murder victim whose decapitated head was found in Jefferson County.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, on January 27, 1993, in the decapitated head of a presumed white woman was discovered on the side of a wooded roadway within Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park.
The victim, estimated to have been 30-50 years old at the time of her death, had likely died 2-3 days prior to discovery. She had long, reddish hair and a pin-shaped mole in her left ear. She’d had extensive dental work, including a silver point filling, and she had possibly worn braces at some point.
The victim had skeletal asymmetry that, in life, may have been visible in her facial features. Additionally, she may have experienced issues with her neck.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has investigated the victim’s homicide and worked to identify her for nearly three decades.
Recently, new avenues of identification for “Ina Jane Doe,” have been pursued, including anthropological re-analysis from University of New Hampshire assistant professor Dr. Amy Michael, DNA extraction and sequencing by Astrea Labs, and forensic genetic genealogy by Redgrave Research Forensic Services.
New forensic art has been prepared by Carl Koppelman to reflect updated findings. One image is without eye makeup and the other with.
Anyone with information about this female’s identification and/or this investigation please contact Detective Captain Bobby Wallace at the Sheriff’s Office (618)244-8004 or Crimestoppers at (618)242-TIPS (8477).