Resolved CA - Barstow, WhtFem Adult, Found inside a tent at transient camp, Medium length brown hair, Past neck surgery, May'22 - namus removed

[Hochman]

Not much info.

San Bernardino County Coroner's Division Requesting the Public's Assistance in Identifying an ... from SBSD - Headquarters : Nixle

DATE: November 9, 2022 INCIDENT: Requesting the Public’s Help to Identify an Unknown Decedent LOCATION: Interstate 40 Freeway, Barstow DECEASED PARTY: Unknown Adult Female ...

local.nixle.com

Detectives looking to identify woman found dead at Barstow homeless encampment

Investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman whose body was found at a transient camp earlier this year. The wo…

ktla.com

Sketch


"The woman was found on May 23, inside a tent at a camp located in a ravine near the westbound 40 Freeway in Barstow."

Height - 5ft, 1in
Weight - 78lbs

Hair Color - Brown
Hair Description - "Medium length "

Distinctive Features
- Had previous neck surgery, specifically a cervical spine fusion

Clothing
- Red t-shirt

 

[Hochman]

I need to say it. That sketch is awful. Just awful.

 

[Soulmagent]

I need to say it. That sketch is awful. Just awful.

Yes I will admit I believe Cailou's mom resemables this woman. Caillou's Holiday Movie

 

[evilwise]

78 pounds?!

 

[WingsOverTX]

Not much info.

San Bernardino County Coroner's Division Requesting the Public's Assistance in Identifying an ... from SBSD - Headquarters : Nixle

DATE: November 9, 2022 INCIDENT: Requesting the Public’s Help to Identify an Unknown Decedent LOCATION: Interstate 40 Freeway, Barstow DECEASED PARTY: Unknown Adult Female ...

local.nixle.com

Detectives looking to identify woman found dead at Barstow homeless encampment

Investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman whose body was found at a transient camp earlier this year. The wo…

ktla.com

Sketch
View attachment 379214

"The woman was found on May 23, inside a tent at a camp located in a ravine near the westbound 40 Freeway in Barstow."

Height - 5ft, 1in
Weight - 78lbs

Hair Color - Brown
Hair Description - "Medium length "

Distinctive Features
- Had previous neck surgery, specifically a cervical spine fusion

Clothing
- Red t-shirt

Without a NAMUS entry with more details re: age range, ethnicity, tattoos?, jewelry?, etc., I don't know how we can even start a search.

The surgical plate is a great clue but I wonder if it would be in a missing person report?

MOO

 

[iulia]

This is her NamUs page:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

#UP95304
ME/C Case Number 702204584

Sex Female
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Nickname/Alias Tiny
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 60
Height 5' 1"(61 inches), Measured
Weight 78 lbs, Measured

Type Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found May 23, 2022
NamUs Case Created September 14, 2022

Location Found Map
Location Barstow, California 92311
County San Bernardino County
Found On Tribal Land No

Circumstances of Recovery A female adult was found inside a tent in a transient camp. The camp was located in the ravine north of the westbound I 40 freeway, approximately 1,000 feet west of the E. Main Street exit in Barstow. There was no identification found on or near the deceased and attempts to identify her have been unsuccessful. The deceased was approximately 5’1” tall and weighed approximately 78 pounds. She had medium length brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a red t-shirt.

Condition of Remains Recognizable face

Hair Color Brown
Left Eye Color Brown
Right Eye Color Brown

Clothing Red short sleeve t shirt, Front: "Home Instead Senior Care", Back: "Staff Shining Stars 2017"

 

[iamshadow21]

This is her NamUs page:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

#UP95304
ME/C Case Number 702204584

Sex Female
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Nickname/Alias Tiny
Estimated Age Group Adult - Pre 60
Height 5' 1"(61 inches), Measured
Weight 78 lbs, Measured

Type Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found May 23, 2022
NamUs Case Created September 14, 2022

Location Found Map
Location Barstow, California 92311
County San Bernardino County
Found On Tribal Land No

Circumstances of Recovery A female adult was found inside a tent in a transient camp. The camp was located in the ravine north of the westbound I 40 freeway, approximately 1,000 feet west of the E. Main Street exit in Barstow. There was no identification found on or near the deceased and attempts to identify her have been unsuccessful. The deceased was approximately 5’1” tall and weighed approximately 78 pounds. She had medium length brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a red t-shirt.

Condition of Remains Recognizable face

Hair Color Brown
Left Eye Color Brown
Right Eye Color Brown

Clothing Red short sleeve t shirt, Front: "Home Instead Senior Care", Back: "Staff Shining Stars 2017"

Recognisable face? And THAT is the recon? Wow. That's... something.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Dang, she really was tiny. 5'1 and 78 lbs, very fitting nickname for her. I'm guessing either a) malnourishment from childhood neglect, b) malnourishment from lack of access to food while being homeless, or c) she may have had an addiction to some sort of drug that makes you lose weight.

Either way -- I concur with what others are saying, wtf is that sketch??? Looks like something I would do on MS Paint in 4th grade. Very unprofessional and disrespectful to the victim.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Clothing Red short sleeve t shirt, Front: "Home Instead Senior Care", Back: "Staff Shining Stars 2017"

RSBBM
Best clue other than her size & the neck plate, maybe? Checking HR records in this franchise could ID her. It's at least worth checking IMO.

 

[iamshadow21]

RSBBM
Best clue other than her size & the neck plate, maybe? Checking HR records in this franchise could ID her. It's at least worth checking IMO.

Unfortunately, as she was homeless, it's entirely possible the shirt was donated and she was either given it by a charity or she bought it cheap from a thrift store. Still absolutely worth checking.

 

[ifindedout]

Looking at the face, could she have had lupus?

 

[InternetGhost91]

Are there any other details about her age besides "pre-60"? It would help to know if she was closer to 35 or 55. I can't rely on that sketch, really.

It is common for medical device implants to have a visible serial number.

 

[Caring1]

Ashley Ann Williams disappeared in Sept. 2017 from Chula Vista, CA about 3 hours away from where UID was found. She was born in 1994 making her not quite 27 in May 2022.

There are no details surrounding her disappearance that I can find. There are several more pictures of her in Charley’s link below. She is very petite, reported 5’2”, 100 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes.

Ashley Ann Williams – The Charley Project

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[LordMo]

oh, holy smokes. There's another photo at the link (bottom middle) where you can very clearly see the point and slight butting of the chin on the reconstruction.

 

[AguaFlorida2001]

Submit! That could definitely be a match.

 

[iamshadow21]

My partner had a cervical spine fusion a couple of years ago. It's a pretty intense operation. Result is, she's got a plate and a few screws, and her disc is gone, replaced with cadaver bone. My partner was a couple of years under forty when it was done, but she has a connective tissue disorder (hEDS) and all her connective tissue is too lax, therefore, things move too much. Her mother has had multiple neck surgeries. So did her grandfather.

What I'm getting at is, it's not a surgery they tend to do on younger people unless there's something that causes it, like a condition like hEDS, or trauma, like a car accident, or sporting injury. If this Doe had surgery, likely one of those things precipitated her surgery. They don't like doing surgery on younger people if they can help it. They tend to push people to do physiotherapy if they can, and only do surgery as a last resort.

My partner kindly helped with this post (say hi!) and these are all our opinions and experiences only.

 

[Caring1]

Submit! That could definitely be a match.

Yes, I think so too. I will submit today.

 

[iamshadow21]

Also, apparently, spinal fusion in the US is EX.PEN.SIVE.

Partner forwarded me this link from bed.

Cost of spinal fusion by state | Sidecar Health

Browse cash prices for spinal fusion. Sidecar Health helps you understand what provider plans commonly pay so there are no surprises.

cost.sidecarhealth.com

So, at some point, our Doe likely had health insurance, because that is a lot.

The prices do not include the anesthesia, imaging, and other doctor visit fees that normally accompany spinal fusion.

Ouch.

Yeah, that is not the kind of thing that you can afford if you live in a tent. But if you lose your job, and can't pay the bills, maybe that's how you end up living in a tent.

 

[Caring1]

My partner had a cervical spine fusion a couple of years ago. It's a pretty intense operation. Result is, she's got a plate and a few screws, and her disc is gone, replaced with cadaver bone. My partner was a couple of years under forty when it was done, but she has a connective tissue disorder (hEDS) and all her connective tissue is too lax, therefore, things move too much. Her mother has had multiple neck surgeries. So did her grandfather.

What I'm getting at is, it's not a surgery they tend to do on younger people unless there's something that causes it, like a condition like hEDS, or trauma, like a car accident, or sporting injury. If this Doe had surgery, likely one of those things precipitated her surgery. They don't like doing surgery on younger people if they can help it. They tend to push people to do physiotherapy if they can, and only do surgery as a last resort.

My partner kindly helped with this post (say hi!) and these are all our opinions and experiences only.

Thank you iamshadow21 and partner. Personal experience along with the detailed knowledge is helpful for all cases where this type of surgery is mentioned. I thought the same thing about her young age but can’t rule out a previous injury or even one that may have occurred during the timeframe she was missing. I love these posts with personal insight, especially on topics I have absolutely no knowledge.

 

[iamshadow21]

Thank you iamshadow21 and partner. Personal experience along with the detailed knowledge is helpful for all cases where this type of surgery is mentioned. I thought the same thing about her young age but can’t rule out a previous injury or even one that may have occurred during the timeframe she was missing. I love these posts with personal insight, especially on topics I have absolutely no knowledge.

Yeah, my partner approached a surgeon years earlier, for chronic neck pain she'd had for at least ten years, he looked at her scans, told us he wouldn't operate, and that was it. Out of the office in fifteen minutes. Four years later, after our car was rearended and she's had a couple of bad falls, she's starting to lose sensation and control in her hands, especially her left. Noticeable difference in grip strength. (Ever had a doctor take both your hands and tell you to squeeze as tight as you can? Yeah, that's the test.) She'd just randomly drop things or yeet them across a room. We had a good case on her phone, because we have a bunch of slate and wood floors. After the time she threw the open weekly pill case I'd just filled across the lounge room, I stopped handing her stuff like that. (It took an hour to find all the pills.) We finally got in to see another surgeon, who agreed it needed fixing, and then, after three aborted attempts at trying and getting rescheduled (twice after waiting all day at the hospital), on the fourth time, after also waiting all day, she got her surgery. Only a couple of months before COVID hit. It scuppered her rehab, but we were so lucky to get in before the pandemic. If we'd had to wait, I don't know how much worse she would have gotten. As it is, her grip strength is back to equal now. She still drops and yeets things occasionally, but not like she was. Her scar healed well.

But yeah, to bring this back on topic - she had a lot of pain and debility and it still took fifteen years of trying to get her surgery she'd possibly needed since her midtwenties. She had a connective tissue disorder and two previous direct relatives (mother, grandfather) who'd needed neck surgery at a young age. And it was really hard to find someone to say, sure, I'll do the surgery so you don't lose the use of your hands.

If our Doe had an easier time of things finding a surgeon, she was lucky, because the disability boards my partner frequents are full of stories just like hers. I don't know how she even would have accessed this surgery if she didn't have a good job and insurance in the US. We are lucky that we have a form (imperfect as it is) of universal healthcare and my partner was able to get surgery on the public system, or she would never have been able to get it. So I think a drastic change of circumstances happened for this Doe. I don't think she was always poor, I don't think she was a teen runaway, or a survival sex worker. Or if she was the latter, it came later. Unless someone in the US knows of a clinic or a fund giving these surgeries to people with no resources, she came from a significantly higher band of wealth than she was found in.