Identified! VA - Annandale, WhtFem 245UFVA, ~60, 'NO CODE, DNR, No Penicillin', Dec'96

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/245ufva.html

Unidentified White Female

* Discovered on December 18, 1996 in Annandale, Fairfax County, Virginia.
* Estimated Date of Death: December 17, 1996
* Cause of death was suicide

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 60 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"; 157 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Auburn/red, curly hair. She had an 8 inch scar on her abdomen, probably from C-section. Fingernails painted red.
* Dentals: Dental chart is available.
* Clothing: Teal, all weather Eddie Baur hooded jacket, (size M). Navy blue Classiques Entier sweater (size L); red Classiques Entier sweater (size XL), red Classiques Entier sleeveless silk shirt (size Petite L), navy blue Classiques Entier knit wool pants (size L). Black loafers (size 7M), knee high stockings, white support bra, white "Fruite of the Loom" underpants (size 6). Her clothes may have come from an upscale store such as Saks Fifth Avenue. She also had a green knapsack.
* Jewelry: She wore bifocals with translucent frames, two clip-on earrings, a small gold women's Guess watch with mesh band and a 14 karat gold ring with 4 jade stones, a metal bead chain with medic alert "NO CODE, DNR, No Penicillin."
* Other: Fingerprints/DNA available

Case History
This unidentified woman committed suicide on December 18, 1996. She left two 50$ bills one for the coroner and one for the cemetery with the same typed note:
Deceased by own hand...prefer no autopsy. Please order cremation with funds provided. Thank you, Jane Doe
She was located inside Pleasant Valley Memorial Park, a small cemetery in Annandale, Virginia. There was a clear plastic sheet on the ground. Next to the sheet was an 8" Christmas tree, adorned with gold balls and red ribbons.
In addition to drinking brandy (she had a 0.14 blood-alcohol level) and swallowing Valium, the victim had two empty juice bottles and a new roll of masking tape in her knapsack. She had no receipts in her pockets to enable police to trace her movements. She had a portable tape player, the headphones over her ears and had listened to a recording of comedians Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner doing their "2000 year old man" routine. She had placed a plastic bag over her head and tied it off with tape. This made her suffocate.
The site she chose, Pleasant Valley, probably wouldn't be known to a drifter. She lay down near the section of the cemetery where infants are buried, but not near any particular grave, and most of the stones nearby were fairly recent.

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/1699dfca.html

Susan J. Bernier
Missing since August 19, 1996 from San Diego, San Diego County, California
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: December 26, 1931
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 64 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 90 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Black hair; hazel eyes.
* Marks, Scars: Discoloration on her left ankle.
* Clothing: Black windbreaker jacket, white shoes.
* Dentals: Not Available.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Bernier was last seen in San Diego, California on August 19, 1996.

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Possible match?
1. There is a pretty close resemblence between Susan and Jane Doe - especially if you think of Susan with a little more weight on her.
2. Susan was only 90lbs in August of 1996 - Jane Doe was 156 pounds in December 1996 This, and the hair color, are the biggest descrepancies


This is my theory. Jane Doe did not want to be identified. Disappear 6 months before, put on weight, change your hair color, go to an unknown location on the other side of the country, dress differently (no info if this is true).

Its possible that someone with either saved money, or selling of jewellery might have been able to travel in comfort for 6 months......

Unfortunately the profiles of the other missing women don't give much to compare to.

PonderingThings said:

[font=arial,verdana,geneva,lucida][size=-1]http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/245ufva.html[/size][/font]

Unidentified White Female. . .

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The short hair, as it is pictured, makes me think of a recovering cancer patient. I wonder if it is possible that she was a patient who had a relapse?

What if she were Marjorie West?

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/799dfpa.html

Sorry, but 60-ish red-haired ladies make me think of Marjorie West.

docwho3 said:

The short hair, as it is pictured, makes me think of a recovering cancer patient. I wonder if it is possible that she was a patient who had a relapse?

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YOu may be right. I notice she had a DNR medic alert braclet. Sounds like she was tired of fighting the fight. She seems like someone who would have been missed by someone. I wonder how she got there if she wasn't from the area. How close was a bus station, railroad. She reminds me so much of a favorite aunt, who passed away a couple of years ago.

gardenmom said:

YOu may be right. I notice she had a DNR medic alert braclet. Sounds like she was tired of fighting the fight. She seems like someone who would have been missed by someone. I wonder how she got there if she wasn't from the area. How close was a bus station, railroad. She reminds me so much of a favorite aunt, who passed away a couple of years ago.

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When I saw her face I felt sorry for her. I wished there was a way to have given her a hug and made everything alright for her. Sadly there are just times when it doesn't work out that way in this life.

PonderingThings said:

.....This is my theory. Jane Doe did not want to be identified. Disappear 6 months before, put on weight, change your hair color, go to an unknown location on the other side of the country, dress differently (no info if this is true).
Its possible that someone with either saved money, or selling of jewellery might have been able to travel in comfort for 6 months.......

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Both are intriguing cases. While they might match, given your theory, I would tend to doubt that anyone would plan a suicide so far into the future. I am not a psycholigist, and do not have any definite statistics on suicides, but from what I have seen of them, I would think that the majority of them take their own lives within a short time of the onset of a bout of depression, and that the act is almost a "spur of the moment" type thing.

I agree that the dead woman did not want her identity known, for some reason. It was probably related to factors which contributed to her depression - perhaps a feeling of abandonment by family or friends. As such, she may have simply chosen a place totally unrelated in any way to her past. On the other hand, could she have perhaps been seeking the grave of a baby which she gave birth to many years earlier?

Richard said:

Both are intriguing cases. While they might match, given your theory, I would tend to doubt that anyone would plan a suicide so far into the future. I am not a psycholigist, and do not have any definite statistics on suicides, but from what I have seen of them, I would think that the majority of them take their own lives within a short time of the onset of a bout of depression, and that the act is almost a "spur of the moment" type thing.

I agree that the dead woman did not want her identity known, for some reason. It was probably related to factors which contributed to her depression - perhaps a feeling of abandonment by family or friends. As such, she may have simply chosen a place totally unrelated in any way to her past. On the other hand, could she have perhaps been seeking the grave of a baby which she gave birth to many years earlier?

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Richard I have had 3 people, who were in my family, who committed suicide, who CAREFULLY planned every step. One kept a diary and it took them 2 years to "stage" the perfect exit. So... based on my own personal experience, I have to disagree with you about the possibilities. However, you might be right about this particular woman.

P.S. In case any of you are wondering these were "in-laws" (from various families who married into my family).

Mr. E said:

What if she were Marjorie West?

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/799dfpa.html

Sorry, but 60-ish red-haired ladies make me think of Marjorie West.

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Mr. E awesome find! Side by side comparison of the photos DOES show some resemblence! Imagine if this IS her and she staged the picnic scene from her memory of being abducted at a picnic!

The Christmas tree that she placed in the corner could have represented the upcoming Christmas... or perhaps a "family event"?

PonderingThings said:

Richard I have had 3 people, who were in my family, who committed suicide, who CAREFULLY planned every step. One kept a diary and it took them 2 years to "stage" the perfect exit. So... based on my own personal experience, I have to disagree with you about the possibilities. However, you might be right about this particular woman....

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I am sorry to hear of the tragedies suffered by your family. Suicide is something which I find hard to understand, usually. It so often comes as a surprise to people who knew the person, yet it is usually the result of a deep depression or mental illness.

A friend of mine committed suicide about ten years ago. He had been in a downward spiral of mental illness (schizophrenic) in which he had delusions of people chasing him, "saw" people and things which did not exist, and alternated between being a jovial, friendly guy one minute, and a screaming madman the next. He was committed twice to an institution, but each time released with medications - which he subsequently refused to take. Whether or not he "planned" his death well in advance, or simply reached his final breaking point and went on the spur-of-the moment, is debatable.

I think that the Annandale woman did do at least some planning for her death. She had probably bought her clothes specially for her last night. She had carefully removed any kind of identification, composed a note, laid down plastic to keep from soiling her clothing, went to a remote place, and brought with her a small decorated Christmas tree. The brandy, vallium, plastic bag and tape were all part of her plan, as was the CD player, headphones, and recording.

Those things all meant something to her. I therefor think that the location also meant something special. Did she have a relative, or perhaps a baby buried in that cemetery? Had she visited it before? Was the small Christmas tree actually meant to be placed on a grave? Or had it been given to her by someone special? The description of her clothing would indicate that she had good taste in dress and grooming. The choice of CD recording would indicate that she had a sense of humor and wanted to go out laughing - perhaps at those who would be growing older.

docwho3 said:

The short hair, as it is pictured, makes me think of a recovering cancer patient. I wonder if it is possible that she was a patient who had a relapse?

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Virginia requires suicide victims to have autopsies and this would have been revealed with this...

MarylandMissing I thought the same thing as you... and since they didn't mention an illness I figured she didn't have one.

Its not impossible that she didn't "go through" a recent loss of a loved one, with them, hand in hand. The DNR chain could have belonged to the loved one who recently passed away?

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Richard thank you for your kind words. When my sister in law (latest one) died there was so many great things that were happening... my brother and her had just celebrated their 6th anniversary and were very much in love.

About 4 months earlier they had bought their dream home and had many plans for it. Her beloved daughter was about to enter jr. high, the next month, and they had already gone shopping for new school clothes... she was on an "up".

A mean spirited move by her boss though made her realise the "the pits of depression", which she had suffered from for years, was just around the corner - she couldn't face another down, so she hanged herself while she was still up.

Logical... yes... in a sad, tormented way. She was loved by many, and still is missed terribly

marylandmissing said:

Virginia requires suicide victims to have autopsies and this would have been revealed with this...

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I guess I had just not been sure how detailed an autopsy was done. Ok so physical health is ruled out as cause of suicide. That seems to leave depression,grief or other mental/emotional trouble.

I thought the same thing when I read about the DNR on the medic alert bracelet - that the woman was terminally ill. Are the results of the autopsy report posted somewhere? The Doe Network site lists cause of death as suicide, but autopsy findings wouldn't necessarily be on the site, perhaps because of privacy issues. And the suggestion about the hair resembling that of a cancer patient was interesting - very observant! Then again, the suggestion about the medic alert bracelet (or was it a necklace?) being a deceased loved ones' is valid also. I also thought that maybe she made sure to wear it (if it was hers) in case she was found before she died, to ensure that she was not saved with heroic measures.

annemc2 said:

I thought the same thing when I read about the DNR on the medic alert bracelet - that the woman was terminally ill. Are the results of the autopsy report posted somewhere? The Doe Network site lists cause of death as suicide, but autopsy findings wouldn't necessarily be on the site, perhaps because of privacy issues. And the suggestion about the hair resembling that of a cancer patient was interesting - very observant! Then again, the suggestion about the medic alert bracelet (or was it a necklace?) being a deceased loved ones' is valid also. I also thought that maybe she made sure to wear it (if it was hers) in case she was found before she died, to ensure that she was not saved with heroic measures.

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I don't know but there are times with illnesses like leukemia that if someone had been in remission but was just starting to relapse it would not necessarily show up in normal blood work and would require an expensive bone marrow biopsy test to show up. One tell tale sign if this were the case might be a very small scar on the lower back at about hip level where a long instrument was inserted into bone to draw bonemarrow but the scar might easily be missed.

This is why I had wondered if a standard autopsy would find the disease. I don't know what is done in an autopsy or how thorough they would be. I know that in our small area I would be really surprised if they were that thorough.

It may also be possible (even probable) that the med-alert was not hers. For someone to go to the lengths she did to hide her identity, it makes no sense that she would keep something which could probably be traced...Maybe she had just lost someone, maybe her husband of many years, to a disease? She then made the decision that she no longer wanted to go on by herself?

I wonder if the cemetary was checked for (fairly) recent burials of men of approximately the same age as the Jane Doe.

Her choice of listening material may be symbolic of her life at that point, too. "The 2000 Year-Old Man" was a sketch that Reiner and Brooks developed in the late '50s after Brooks had had surgery, and made the comment that he felt like a 2000 year old man. Overhearing this, Riener launched into an interviewer role and began asking Brooks questions about what it was like to be 2000 years old. The skit was first recorded around 1961 and evolved from there. It is still funny today...But the underlying theme is of a complaining old man, thrown aside by a society that has passed him by. One of the lines from the skit is Brooks' "I have 25,000 kids, and not a one writes..."

I recently contacted VA LE with a possible match and this missing woman did have had a hysterectomy for cancer at a point in her life. I presumed that they Did not do an autospsy because the note requested not and because the case description said the abdominal scar was probably a c section. An autopsy would have shown for sure what type of abdominal scar it was and not a Probably or possibly. So do we know for sure an autospsy WAS done?

I am not going to post my match sent in because in the case of this woman and for instance the "Mary Anderson" case it was their own wish to not be identified. I feel a little different about these cases where they made every effort to not be identified. Their family I feel still has a right to know what happened if they are looking but I just feel these cases should be a bit more private as to their wishes. Do you know what I mean?

A Wagner although I know what you mean, I disagree totally.

Although they did everything to cover who they were, the question is why? What were they trying to cover up - besides their identity.

Personally I find it hard to believe that LE would give in to no autopsy because it was requested. The law is the law, request or not.

I do believe you are entitled to your opinion however and I respect your position.

This person was in the world for 60 years. How can it be that no one looked for her and no one knows who she is? She must have had some friends, she must have had a doctor, neighbors, someone who wondered where she went or who would at least recognize her.

Probably people who knew her don't even know about this case. Most likely relatives or friends think she is still alive somewhere.

Gosh I wish they would get a national TV channel going that showed these peoples faces. The number of lost, missing and unidentified people is just so inconceivable to me.

She wore bifocals. Is there some way to trace where this particular frame came from, let's just say Lenscrafters, and start by contacting all the Lencrafter stores in the area and see it they have any prescriptions on file that match the bifocals she wore.