KY KY - Glasgow, Narrows Boat Ramp in Barren River, WhtFem 45-60, UP111, bound/tied & weighted down in lake, fully clothed, Jun'84

[MadMcGoo]

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP111
Female, White / Caucasian
​

Date of Discovery: June 20, 1984
Location of Discovery: Barren River Lake, Warren County, Kentucky
Estimated Date of Death: 2 to 4 months prior
Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Cause of Death: Unknown
Estimated Age: 45-60 years old
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hair Color: Black or dark brown, dyed, with grey, 3 to 4 inches in length, coarse and curly
Eye Color: Unknown

Clothing: Dark blue slacks, tan or white striped long sleeved blouse, tan corduroy vest, ankle-length nylons, white panties, and a bra

Dentals: Available. She had excellent dental work and numerous restorations to her upper teeth. Crown and root canal present on #6, #7, #8, #9, #10. Other crowns or caps.
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Not available. Samples did not yield any reportable results

Circumstances
The victim was located near the Narrows Boat Ramp in Barren River Lake (Reservoir). The victim’s hands were tied behind her back and duct tape was placed over the victim’s mouth and eyes. The victim was tied to a concrete block and thrown into the water. The estimated date of death is estimated as between March 1984 and April 1984.

Investigating Agencies
- Kentucky State Police - Post 3: (270) 782-2010
Lt. Ezra Stout
Sgt. Jaman Childers
Det. Sgt. Tim Adams
- Barren County Coroner's Office
Amy Burrows-Beckham (270) 651-5122 or (502) 852-5587 or (502) 489-5209
Agency Case Number: LE: 3C84830; ME-84-359
NCIC Case Number: U148489989

Regional Program Specialist:
Amy Jenkinson (817) 304-8873
Amy.Dobbs@unthsc.edu

Sources
NamUs
Kentucky State Police
The Doe Network
The Courier-Journal (June 23, 1984)
PorchlightUSA (contains dental summary)

 

[MadMcGoo]

Woman’s body found in reservoir
GLASGOW, Ky. — The body of an elderly woman has been recovered from the Barren River Reservoir.

State police said the woman was bound and had a piece of tape over her mouth. The body was weighted with a concrete block.

George Nochols, state medical examiner, said yesterday that she died of suffocation after being gagged. An autopsy was performed Thursday.

The woman has not been identified, and Nichols said dental records will be searched in an effort to establish her identity. She probably died before being dumped in the reservoir, he said.

Fisherman discovered the body Wednesday night off Narrows Boatramp Road, about 12 miles southwest of Glasgow.

It was estimated that the woman had been in the water for two or three months.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Current list of Missing Person Exclusions per NamUs:
MP8174 Carmen Hetrick 1984 CO (removed from NamUs)
MP17088 Denise Fraley 09/12/1982 Linn IA
MP65 Dixie Barker 02/08/1983 Boyd KY
MP2711 Iva Foss 11/20/1960 Fulton NY
MP1733 Linda Davis 01/07/1976 Rogers OK
MP2537 Martha McNiel 03/18/1984 Wilkes NC
MP26896 Phyllis Brewer 06/13/1981 Mahoning OH
————Rebecca (Burkland) Powell -- -- FL
MP2482 Sandra Ross 01/08/1984 Wake NC
MP11620 Susan Cerritelli 05/11/1983 Monroe PA

 

[MadMcGoo]

Barren River Lake - Wikipedia

Sources say: “near the Narrows Boat Ramp”
Newspaper: “off Narrows Boatramp Road”

Could be “off Narrows Boatramp Road near the Narrows Boat Ramp”, but I can’t find either

 

[MadMcGoo]

KY - KY - Barren Co., Child Skeletal UP100, 2-3, in suitcase on lake shore, Aug'89
Any chance these could be related somehow?

 

[MadMcGoo]

Here’s a really good possibility, in my opinion...

Dorothy Lucille Murrell
(no photo!?)
Newport, Tennessee - May 24, 1984 (Est. Date of death - March-April 1984)
- 64 years old (45-60)
- 5’2”-5’4” (5’3”)
- 150-160 lbs. (160 lbs)
- brown hair (Black/dark brown with gray)
- interesting info on her WS thread...most certainly murdered, but her killer claimed to have thrown her in a trash bin and assumed she’d ended up in a landfill

TN - TN - Dorothy Murrell, 65, Newport, 24 May 1985

eta: I don’t know about the “steel pike in her left hip” though?

 

[GJKJR]

June 23, 1984. The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Possible Match:

1. Dorothy Lucille Murrell

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Dorothy has a "steel pike" in her left hip-you'd think they would have found that in the UID.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Dorothy has a "steel pike" in her left hip-you'd think they would have found that in the UID.

Yah... especially since PMI was relatively short...I may leave this one until more is sleuthed out on Dorothy. I guess I should first figure out what a steel pike is... a rod, I’m assuming?

 

[Warwick1991]

I think some very old hip repair techniques looked like nails or “pikes,” nothing like today’s hip replacements.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Current list of Missing Person Exclusions per NamUs:
MP8174 Carmen Hetrick 1984 CO (removed from NamUs)
MP17088 Denise Fraley 09/12/1982 Linn IA
MP65 Dixie Barker 02/08/1983 Boyd KY
MP2711 Iva Foss 11/20/1960 Fulton NY
MP1733 Linda Davis 01/07/1976 Rogers OK
MP2537 Martha McNiel 03/18/1984 Wilkes NC
MP26896 Phyllis Brewer 06/13/1981 Mahoning OH
————Rebecca (Burkland) Powell -- -- FL
MP2482 Sandra Ross 01/08/1984 Wake NC
MP11620 Susan Cerritelli 05/11/1983 Monroe PA

Another missing person has been excluded as being this UID:
MP28866 Dorothy Murrell 05/24/1984 Cocke TN

 

[BOESP]

Barren River Lake - Wikipedia

Sources say: “near the Narrows Boat Ramp”
Newspaper: “off Narrows Boatramp Road”

Could be “off Narrows Boatramp Road near the Narrows Boat Ramp”, but I can’t find either

Coming about 12 miles southwest out of Glasgow on Highway 31E, the Narrows Boatramp Road is on the right. It's a narrow two-lane road and easy to miss if you don't know where it is. The road winds down to the marina/boat dock (also called The Narrows). Its actually a pretty high-class dock with lots of houseboats. The dock is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Coming about 12 miles southwest out of Glasgow on Highway 31E, the Narrows Boatramp Road is on the right. It's a narrow two-lane road and easy to miss if you don't know where it is. The road winds down to the marina/boat dock (also called The Narrows). Its actually a pretty high-class dock with lots of houseboats. The dock is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Interesting bits of info! I was fairly sure I found the location on GEP but you’re right, it took me a bit of searching to find the road. Thanks for the clarification.

Makes me wonder now if her killer was someone relatively local. I’d imagine if she were local someone would have reported her missing. But who knows.

 

[BOESP]

One thing confusing to me is why the details say she was found in WARREN County, Kentucky (county seat is Bowling Green). The Narrows is in Barren County (county seat is Glasgow). The lake (Barren River Lake) is only in Barren and Allen Counties. Barren River does run through Warren County though.

If the body was found in Warren County, that means the body would have had to have gone through the Barren River Dam which is down river from the Narrows and then on into the Barren River. That is pretty much an impossibility because of the dam system/setup.

I'd say it is a toss up that it was someone locally familiar with the region versus someone from as far away as Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, or elsewhere. There's really not enough information available here to hazard a guess on where the offender or the body came from.

 

[MadMcGoo]

One thing confusing to me is why the details say she was found in WARREN County, Kentucky (county seat is Bowling Green). The Narrows is in Barren County (county seat is Glasgow). The lake (Barren River Lake) is only in Barren and Allen Counties. Barren River does run through Warren County though.

If the body was found in Warren County, that means the body would have had to have gone through the Barren River Dam which is down river from the Narrows and then on into the Barren River. That is pretty much an impossibility because of the dam system/setup.

I'd say it is a toss up that it was someone locally familiar with the region versus someone from as far away as Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, or elsewhere. There's really not enough information available here to hazard a guess on where the offender or the body came from.

Good question. Maybe a misprint? Barren vs. Warren? Even the last newspaper clipping posted here was written as if from Glasgow.

 

[BOESP]

Good question. Maybe a misprint? Barren vs. Warren? Even the last newspaper clipping posted here was written as if from Glasgow.

If it was Warren County, I'd hazard a guess that the body was dumped from a semi coming off Interstate 65. There are plenty of good places to access the river in Warren County.

If Barren County then I'd speculate something different.

Its probably a misprint and should be Barren County else why even mention the Narrows or the Narrows Boat Ramp Road.

 

[Melt71]

I'd say it is a toss up that it was someone locally familiar with the region versus someone from as far away as Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, or elsewhere. There's really not enough information available here to hazard a guess on where the offender or the body came from.

So this seems like a case where there could be so many matches that it's a needle in a haystack to find the right identity, or it's so local that she likely wasn't reported missing and that's why she remained unidentified for so long. What a quandry.

No additional ruleouts added since the last update upthread.

 

[DS2021]

11 Missing Person Exclusions

 

[Warwick1991]

The information from NAMUS and the KSP indicates no DNA is available. However, exhumation or retained evidence (teeth or hair, if they saved it) might yield her DNA. Using DNA with today's techniques and genetic genealogy would probably be the best chance of identification.

My thought is that this was a homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance, which is why there is no report of someone missing with her characteristics. She deserves not only her identity back, but justice if the perpetrator is still alive.