FL FL - Sanibel Island, WhtFem, 30-50, #UP5316, floating in the Gulf, Oct 1995

[Bit of hope]

Was a cause of death ever determined?

I didn't see anything mentioning that (yet?)

 

[PatLaurel]

Or domestic violence based on the “tucked in a sleeping bag placed in a sail bag?” Partner owned a boat?

BBM

UP5316 - Newspapers.com

I can't find where it says our Jane Doe was "tucked in a sleeping bag" but, the article from back when she was found, states the body was "weighed down by a car battery". Clearly intentional and not accidental. MOO JMO

 

[Bit of hope]

BBM

UP5316 - Newspapers.com

I can't find where it says our Jane Doe was "tucked in a sleeping bag" but, the article from back when she was found, states the body was "weighed down by a car battery". Clearly intentional and not accidental. MOO JMO

View attachment 433154

That is a great find! Thank you!

 

[PatLaurel]

That is a great find! Thank you!

Do you have a link for the info you posted here? FL - FL - Sanibel Island, WhtFem, 30-50, #UP5316, floating in the Gulf, Oct 1995

I'm curious about the sail bag.

TIA
MOO

 

[PayrollNerd]

So no definitive cause of death but they have ruled out a gunshot, stabbing and boating accident. They cannot rule out strangulation and toxicology unknown at the time of this article.

News-Press 09 Oct 1995, page Page 5 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from News-Press dated 09 Oct 1995, page Page 5.

www.newspapers.com

 

[PayrollNerd]

I wonder what type car that battery would have been used for back then. How old was the battery, perhaps it was from a junk yard or was the perp a mechanic?

News-Press 09 Oct 1995, page Page 5 - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from News-Press dated 09 Oct 1995, page Page 5.

www.newspapers.com

 

[PatLaurel]

UP5316 - Newspapers.com

 

[PatLaurel]

Do you have a link for the info you posted here? FL - FL - Sanibel Island, WhtFem, 30-50, #UP5316, floating in the Gulf, Oct 1995

I'm curious about the sail bag.

TIA
MOO

Nevermind, @Bit of hope!

I found an article... unfortunately it was a common sail bag found in almost every vessel.. No brands nor logos mentioned.

UP5316 - Newspapers.com

UP5316- 5A - Newspapers.com

 

[Writestuff]

I do not know who this lady is, but I am wondering if she is another victim of the serial killer that was around the Florida Panhandle area from 1979 - 1998. I have a timeline of Mark Riebe, and he was in Lee County - near where her body was found - in mid- to-late Sept and driving/living in his cab. Mark's former occupation was nurse assistant. He wore scrubs. He had formerly confessed to killing another woman in PCB, but they never found her body. He said he had put her in the Gulf. This would have been Pamela Ray; I do not think this Jane Doe is Pamela b/c the timeline is off, but the confession is similar to what happened to our Jane Doe. I am searching for missing persons from our area of the Panhandle all the way down to Lee County to see if I can find possible matches. Thoughts?

 

[PayrollNerd]

I do not know who this lady is, but I am wondering if she is another victim of the serial killer that was around the Florida Panhandle area from 1979 - 1998. I have a timeline of Mark Riebe, and he was in Lee County - near where her body was found - in mid- to-late Sept and driving/living in his cab. Mark's former occupation was nurse assistant. He wore scrubs. He had formerly confessed to killing another woman in PCB, but they never found her body. He said he had put her in the Gulf. This would have been Pamela Ray; I do not think this Jane Doe is Pamela b/c the timeline is off, but the confession is similar to what happened to our Jane Doe. I am searching for missing persons from our area of the Panhandle all the way down to Lee County to see if I can find possible matches. Thoughts?

That's interesting to hear about Mark Riebe wearing scrubs. That could easily explain where her top came from.

 

[Bit of hope]

I do not know who this lady is, but I am wondering if she is another victim of the serial killer that was around the Florida Panhandle area from 1979 - 1998. I have a timeline of, and he was in Lee County - near where her body was found - in mid- to-late Sept and driving/living in his cab. Mark's former occupation was nurse assistant. He wore scrubs. He had formerly confessed to killing another woman in PCB, but they never found her body. He said he had put her in the Gulf. This would have been Pamela Ray; I do not think this Jane Doe is Pamela b/c the timeline is off, but the confession is similar to what happened to our Jane Doe. I am searching for missing persons from our area of the Panhandle all the way down to Lee County to see if I can find possible matches. Thoughts?

Interesting. Do you know the name of the facility he was working or were he worked in the past? Could that have a connection with the lettering on the scrubs Jane Doe had on her?

 

[Writestuff]

Interesting. Do you know the name of the facility he was working or were he worked in the past? Could that have a connection with the lettering on the scrubs Jane Doe had on her?

It was a nursing home in north Florida, not related to the hospital name on the scrubs she was wearing. So there is no connection that I can find. He was in the area about 2-3 weeks before her body was found.

 

[Bit of hope]

It was a nursing home in north Florida, not related to the hospital name on the scrubs she was wearing. So there is no connection that I can find. He was in the area about 2-3 weeks before her body was found.

This lady might have been cared for considering her physics. I think a nursing home would miss a patient if they suddenly disappear. She might be a former patient and he knew her from there, but the scrub with the specific lettering, doesn't sit right. Is known if he worked in home care too? Would she fit in the killers MO somehow?

 

[Bit of hope]

Pondering about the car battery she was weighted down with. From this site https://www.way.com/blog/how-much-does-a-car-battery-weigh/

A car battery weighs between 25 to 50 pounds, on average. However, this value will vary depending on different factors. For example, the weight of your car battery is depended on the type of battery, the amount of voltage it has, the fluid level, and the type of vehicle it is in.

How to figure out a car battery’s weight?​

Your battery’s label​

All you have to do is check your battery’s label. The battery’s top or side will list the weight in pounds or kilograms.

BCI Group Number​

If the battery has no label or is worn down, you can look up the weight using the battery’s BCI group number. You can use this code to determine the size and type of battery. This number can be found on the side of the battery, and the weight can be found in a chart.

I wonder what kind of car battery it was and if LE followed that up. Dead end?

 

[Joe Friday]

Pondering about the car battery she was weighted down with. From this site https://www.way.com/blog/how-much-does-a-car-battery-weigh/

A car battery weighs between 25 to 50 pounds, on average. However, this value will vary depending on different factors. For example, the weight of your car battery is depended on the type of battery, the amount of voltage it has, the fluid level, and the type of vehicle it is in.

How to figure out a car battery’s weight?​

Your battery’s label​

All you have to do is check your battery’s label. The battery’s top or side will list the weight in pounds or kilograms.

BCI Group Number​

If the battery has no label or is worn down, you can look up the weight using the battery’s BCI group number. You can use this code to determine the size and type of battery. This number can be found on the side of the battery, and the weight can be found in a chart.

I wonder what kind of car battery it was and if LE followed that up. Dead end?

Newer batteries may have serial numbers that could be tracked back to where the battery was purchased. But prior to 1995 I doubt that was the case.

 

[caribou_birdie]

That's interesting to hear about Mark Riebe wearing scrubs. That could easily explain where her top came from.

I just came upon this thread. The entire time I was reading through the thread I had this exact feeling, The scrub top (smock) was not hers, but belonged to the person who killed her. IDK why, but I agree with this.

(I am not an unidentified sleuther in the least, wish I could help- you guys do amazing work and I enjoy reading your thoughts and findings)

 

[Bit of hope]

Without trying to be complete, here is a picture of some places where women were murdered or missing from and have a link or a supposed link to Mark Reid. Gulf Breeze to Sanibel Island



Sanibel Island is quite a long way from there, but it looks like Mark had a love for beaches and it is considered a part of the Florida’s Gulf Coast. I have a strange question. Could this woman have been (partly) buried in this area and her body "got loose" (sorry for sounding bold) and it drifted to the place it was found?

A murderer who confessed to killing 13 women features on new Piers Morgan show

HE CONFESSED to the abduction and murder of 13 young women – but then suddenly withdrew his testimony. Mark Riebe features in a one-off episode of chilling ITV show, Serial Killer with Piers Morgan…

www.thesun.ie

The killer had confessed multiple times to the abduction and murder of thirteen young women along Florida’s Gulf Coast - but has since retracted his confessions.

My impression is that he mostly buried his (alleged) victims. Although this is also out there. It's about Pamela Ray:

Mark Riebe told Special Agent Haley that him and his wife at the time were in Panama City Beach partying and were out of money and looking for someone to rob. They were driving down Front Beach Road when he noticed Pamela pull up at the motel and noticed her out-of-state tags. He directed his wife to pull her red Firebird up near the office door by the back of the building. He proceeded to walk to the parking lot where Pam was last seen and confronted her and held a knife to her and forced her into the car. She did ask him to let her go and that she had her children in her car but he didn’t care. They drove off and his recollections to what he did with her are pretty vague in the confession. He mentions burying her somewhere in Point Washington but later states he put her in the ocean. While confessing, Mark Riebe did take them to the Wilhite Motel which is the location where Pamela June Ray was abducted from.

Also I read that after Pamela Ray Pamela June Ray – The Charley Project went missing from Panama City Beach, in 1992, Mark suddenly moved to Illinois.

According to Riebe's daughter, who was four years old at the time of Ray's disappearance, her family suddenly moved from northwest Florida to Warrensburg, Illinois, shortly after Ray went missing. They took two U-Haul trucks with them, and upon their arrival, Riebe forced his children to dig holes in the ground and he buried some bags in the holes. In 2019, the police in Illinois dug up the property where Riebe's family had lived. They haven't found any remains, however.

This Jane Doe was approx. 3 weeks in the water before she was found, let's say died somewhere in late September 1995. Was Mark Riebe still in Illinois or did he move back to Florida, maybe visiting his folks in Defuniak Springs, FL?

Not the best of sources, but it will do. Piers Morgan taunts convicted killer Mark Riebe

From another source
In November 1995, <so one month after this Jane Doe was found> Riebe was committed to a mental hospital after he threatened suicide again.

For those who are interested. This thread shows that a lot of killers do commit suicide. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/posthumously-identified-killers.548594/

Basic line: where was he in September 1995?

 

[Bit of hope]

I have a timeline of Mark Riebe, and he was in Lee County - near where her body was found - in mid- to-late Sept and driving/living in his cab. Mark's former occupation was nurse assistant.

I wish there was a way to confirm this according to TOS.

 

[Bit of hope]

Newer batteries may have serial numbers that could be tracked back to where the battery was purchased. But prior to 1995 I doubt that was the case.

Thank you. I tried to search for it, to get the facts right, but it's not an easy thing to find. In your opinion would it be safe to say the battery was on the heavier side of the scale weighting down a body? As far as you know, would this mean the battery came from a bigger/heavier vehicle like a truck? A big boat? It's probably a dead end after all, it could have been lying around on a yard f.i.

 

[Joe Friday]

Thank you. I tried to search for it, to get the facts right, but it's not an easy thing to find. In your opinion would it be safe to say the battery was on the heavier side of the scale weighting down a body? As far as you know, would this mean the battery came from a bigger/heavier vehicle like a truck? A big boat? It's probably a dead end after all, it could have been lying around on a yard f.i.

Divers apparently use a 10% rule when calculating how much weight would be needed to overcome buoyancy. If the diver weight 200 lbs then 20 lbs would be needed.

A dead body initially will sink and then float for a period of time. This is caused by the generation of gasses withing the abdomen. The same reason why bodies bloat. I would think because of this more weight would be needed than the 10% rule. A 30 lbs battery may hold a person of average weight from floating.

JMO