List of unidentified decedents in Virginia
Unidentified decedents are a name given to a person who was found deceased, and law enforcement were unable to identify through conventional means. Many individuals go years or decades before investigators are able to conclusively say who they were during life. There currently exist over 40,000 unidentified decedents in the United States. A particular case of note from Virginia was Jason Callahan, who died in a vehicle accident in Emporia, Virginia, in 1995. He was not identified until 2015, when photos of him surfaced on Facebook.
"Female Stranger"[edit]
A young woman who died mysteriously in 1816. She is buried in Alexandria, Virginia, and her grave remains a tourist attraction.[1]
York County Jane Doe[edit]
On November 29, 1972, the skeletal remains of a young African American woman were found in a wooded area in rural York County, Virginia. Her postmortem interval could not be definitively ascertained, however coins dated 1967 were found with her person, indicating she had died within the past 5 years before being found. She was estimated to be between 20 and 24 years old and was between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 6 inches tall. Weight, hair color and eye color could not be ascertained. She was found wearing a grey or off-white sweater, a dress, a blouse or undershirt, a knit sock, a brassiere with a plastic clip, and a pair of 'Tif' brand loafers with tassels. Found with the decedent was a white sock containing 14 coins dated 1967 as well as a green button.[2]
Chesapeake John Doe[edit]
On November 19, 1983, the skeletal remains of a young white man were found in a wooded area in Chesapeake, Virginia. He was estimated to have been deceased for between one and four years. He was found to be between 20 and 30 years old, was approximately 5 feet 7 pounds and estimated to be around 150 pounds. He had brown hair. He was found wearing a pair of extensively frayed tan Wrangler corduroy pants, a pair of jeans, a pair of thermal long-johns, a pair of jockey shorts, a tan plaid shirt with a red and black plaid pattern, a brown vinyl coat, and a pair of brown shoes. He was also carrying a religious card, with no details on its description.[3]
Alleghany County Jane Doe[edit]
The skeletonized remains of a female were discovered by a hunter on November 18, 1985, in Alleghany County, Virginia. Only the skull, which was found first, and torso of the subject was recovered. The hair color, eye color, height, and weight could not be determined. She was, however, estimated to be a white female between the ages of thirty-five and seventy-five years old. She had died approximately four months before, as examination indicated. No clothing was found at the scene and it was not possible to recover her fingerprints, as the advanced state of decomposition prevented it. Although her dental information has never been recorded, her DNA was successfully extracted and developed into a suitable profile.[4]
Caroline County John Does[edit]
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The skeletonized remains of two Hispanic males, deceased for about two months to one year, were discovered in Ruther Glen, Caroline County, Virginia, on November 10, 1988. The pair were related paternally, although it is unknown how closely. The older subject was estimated to be around the age of thirty-five and forty-five and was at a height between five feet four and five feet six inches and weighed between 130 and 140 pounds. He was found with two shirts, two hats, brown pants, two distinct belt buckles, cowboy boots, a green sock, and a red pair of underwear. One of the belt buckles suggested he was from a different country, as the word "Mexico" was written on it.[5] The man's clothing appeared to have been recently purchased.[6] The younger male was between seventeen and twenty-five and was about five feet three to five feet seven inches tall; his weight was approximately 135 pounds. He wore a blue and gray shirt and blue jeans.[7] Like his companion, he wore cowboy boots.[8] Four molars were missing from his mouth, and may have been extracted while he was alive at some time.[9]
Stafford County John Doe[edit]
On September 28, 1990, the skull of a male, lacking a mandible, was found in a field belonging to a farm in Stafford County, Virginia. The decedent was estimated to be a white male between fifteen and eighteen years old at the time of his death, which had occurred one to three years before. Little was available for a coroner to examine, yet a distinctly shaped tooth was noticed as well as some fillings.[10] As the lower jaw from the skull was never located, those who reconstructed the John Doe consequently had to estimate how it may have appeared. No other remains of the subject were ever found, which prevented any estimation of his height and weight. Investigation into discovering the male's identity has been extensive, as 186 missing persons have been excluded from the case, including David Stack, who was identified as a different unidentified subject in 2015.[11]
Newport News John Doe [edit]
On April 7, 1992, a maintenance worker discovered the skeletal remains of a young to middle aged white or African American man near a warehouse in Newport News, Virginia. He was estimated to have died between six months to two years before he was found. He was estimated to be between 35 and 50 years old and was approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall. Weight, hair color and eye color could not be ascertained. He was found wearing a light colored button-up short-sleeved shirt, a pair of light colored boxers, and a black and white sneaker. A pair of Jordache jeans were found nearby.[12]
"Wilma" [edit]
 Sketch |
On November 24, 1992, a deceased elderly African American woman was located on an access road used by ambulances travelling to the Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, Virginia. She was found wrapped carefully inside a blanket, with a note attached stating nobody could afford to bury her. The note stated that she was 78 years old and that her name was "Wilma", however without a last name. The note said she lived in Mebane, North Carolina, and was visiting a sick friend in Petersburg. The note also stated that she had no family other than a stepson in New Jersey by the name of 'Otis', which investigators were unable to follow up on. They also could not find anyone who knew the woman in the local area. Investigators believe that the note may have been an attempt to mislead them. Cause of death was found to be a heart attack. She was 5 feet 1 inch tall, and weighed 71 pounds. She also had graying-black hair and brown eyes. She was only found wearing a pink slip and peach socks.[13]
Fairfax County Jane Doe (1996) [edit]
| Reconstruction with glasses | |
| Knapsack | |
| Excerpt of note | |
| Christmas tree |
On December 18, 1996, a groundskeeper at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery in Annandale, Virginia found the body of an elderly white woman near the area of the cemetery where infants were buried. She was estimated to be between 50 and 70 years old, was 5 feet tall and weighed 157 pounds. She was found wearing a teal Eddie Baur rain jacket, navy blue and red 'Classiques Entier' sweaters, a red sleeveless silk shirt, navy blue knit wool pants, knee high stockings, black loafers, bifocals with translucent frames, two clip on earrings, a gold watch with a mesh band, 14 karat gold ring with 4 jade stones, and a metal bead chain with a medic alert stating "NO CODE, DNR, No Penicillin". A green knapsack with various cassette tapes and two empty juice bottles was also found with her. Investigators believe she may have gotten her clothes from a high-end store in the area. An 8-inch adorned Christmas tree inside of a plastic sheet was also found nearby, leading to the nickname "Christmas Tree Lady". She had committed suicide by ingesting Vallium and brandy, as well as tying a plastic bag around her neck, suffocating herself. US$2.50 was also found with her, as well as a note stating it was for the coroner and cemetery. Both had a typed note stating: "Deceased by own hand...prefer no autopsy. Please order cremation with funds provided. Thank you, Jane Doe." She had no receipts on her person for investigators to trace her movements. Investigators have also stated that the location she was found in would most likely have not been known of by a drifter.
Stafford County Jane Doe (1998)[edit]
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On November 7, 1998, the skeletal remains of a young to middle aged white woman were found by hunters in a wooded area under a layer of leaves in Stafford, Virginia. She had been deceased for anywhere between a few months to a year. She was estimated to be between 25 and 45 years old and was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall. She had medium to light brown hair styled in braids and a healed rib fracture. Weight and eye color could not be ascertained. She was found with a 'Salem Sportswear' brand Washington Redskins shirt, a pair of black and white camouflage or tiger patterned shorts with cuffs, two pairs of dark pantyhose, one with a diamond pattern, fragments of jeans, a pair of women's tortoise shell sunglasses, a pair of tan or creme canvas high heels with rubber soles and buckles, a yellow-metal earring, a ring with a star, a plastic pink bear and a gold-tone ring with dark stones.[14]
Henrico County John Doe (2014) [edit]
On January 28, 2014, the skeletal remains of a white or Hispanic male was found in a wooded area in Highland Springs, Virginia. He was estimated to be between 25 and 35 years old, and was between 4 feet 8 inches tall and 5 feet 3 inches tall. Weight, eye color and hair color could not be ascertained. he was found with a SpongeBob SquarePants wearing a pair of boxer shorts and a rubber bracelet labeled "Jumpology". These bracelets were given out at a local trampoline park in Glen Allen, Virginia to customers who had paid admission into the park and signed a waiver. Jumpology later re-branded to "Defy Air Sports" in December, 2019.[15]
Newport News Jane Doe[edit]
The mummified remains of a woman were discovered on June 6, 2014, in Newport News, Virginia, after maintenance workers found her body concealed underneath a sheet. The female was between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five years old and was of an indeterminable race. Her body was in such poor condition that her height and weight were not possible to determine, as were the color of her hair and eyes. One or both of the woman's hands were not found with the body, but there were, at least, the presence of fingers with the remains that were successfully printed and recorded. She wore a shirt of an unknown color and a pair of "athletic pants" that were dark in color and had three stripes visible. Extensive investigation has been put forth in this case, as the DNA of the woman has been processed and her dental records were also recorded, ruling out nearly 2,500 missing people, such as Margaret Ellen Fox, Tammy Lynn Leppert, and Morgan Nick.[16]
References[edit]
- ↑ "The Female Stranger", Kansas City Times (Kansas City, MO) Sunday, September 11, 1887.
- ↑ "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)". NamUs.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)". NamUs.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 6796". National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. March 23, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Case File: 2439UMVA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. October 26, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 6507". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. December 23, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 6301". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. December 3, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Case File: 1348UMVA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. December 8, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "John Doe 1988". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ↑ "John Doe 1990". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 2229". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ↑ "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)". NamUs.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ "702UFVA". www.doenetwork.org. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
- ↑ "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)". NamUs.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- ↑ "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)". NamUs.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
- ↑ "NamUs UP # 12683". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. June 30, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
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