Identified! OR - Cave Junction, 'Annie Doe' WhtFem UP10929, 16-20, Redwood Hwy, Aug'71 - Annie Lehman

[Diane Redfern]

What do we know about Albert Lehman and Thomas Ostrich? I'm sorry for asking but... Were they considered suspects?
I find odd that a woman appears at that home and Annie decided to leave with her... They must have met before or maybe they had common friends.
Who lived in the house when Annie disappeared? What happened before the disappearance? Did Annie have a car (or access to a vehicle)?

 

[onceuponadecember]

What do we know about Albert Lehman and Thomas Ostrich? I'm sorry for asking but... Were they considered suspects?

• So from my research, TO was her stepfather and Albert was her father. TO and her mom married in 1965 (when she was 10) and lived in Aberdeen in the beginning. This marriage ended with a half-sister (this is the half-sister who's daughter submitted their DNA) and a divorce by April 1969. The records indicated their divorce was out of Gray Harbors County, but we can't be certain it was Aberdeen. It's worth noting that TO appears to have been the one raising her half-sister after the divorce, as mom remained in Grays Harbor County while TO and the half-sister moved to Sedro-Woolley.
• It seems like dad (Albert) here was the primary caregiver (aka the parent who has full or most of the custody), but I think that it would be plausible that she stayed with her mom and stepfather on occasion. As it is stated in many of the articles, he was an alcoholic who was gone for months at a time. It's worth noting that he was a millworker and also remarried. Dad married a widow in October 1967 (when she was 13) and there is something notable about this marriage; a new residence. At the time, he was living in Chehalis, which is about an hour away from Aberdeen. By November 1969 the marriage had fallen apart and it lists their residence as Thurston County, about half an hour from Chehalis and even farther from Aberdeen.
• In regards to where she actually disappeared from, it could've been Montesano (where her brother was living upon his marriage in June 1972), Chehalis, Aberdeen, or perhaps even Cowlitz (this is where her older sister had listed her residence for her second marriage in January 1969).
• No, I don't know if they're being considered suspects, but I highly doubt they are.

All of this information is from Ancestry and the following articles:

• Is Annie Doe, Annie Lehman? | The Daily World
  
• GEDmatch Helped Give 'Annie Doe' Her Name Back. Some Fear She's Among the Last as Site Revamps Privacy Policy | Inside Edition

 

[imstilla.grandma]

This is The Unidentifieds, a podcast that investigates four long-forgotten cases in Oregon and how online genealogy and forensic anthropology helped families get closure. Cases that once seemed hopeless became solvable. People who’ve existed for decades as lonely, nameless phantoms can, if nothing else, get their identities back.

In episode one, Regan and co-host Dave Killen go on a trip to southern Oregon’s Redwood Highway, where in 1971 a father and son discovered what looked liked a human spine and ribs while on a camping trip near mile marker 35.

Upon initial investigation, the remains appeared to belong to a young woman, 18 to 20 years old, tall and slim.

But the case went cold. And the remains became known as Jane Doe 79-940.

Listen to episode one of The Unidentifieds to learn how genetic genealogy helped solve this 47-year-old case.

No ID. No name. A mystery that endured for 47 years. | The Unidentifieds podcast: Ep. 1

In the first episode of a new podcast series from The Oregonian/OregonLive, we follow the case of a human remains found decades ago in rural Oregon off the Redwood Highway.

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