Identified! CA - Eureka, Female Torso, 18-25, SK victim, UP53661F, in Ryan Slough, Oct'97 - Kerry Ann Cummings

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AMF

Faith dares the soul to go farther than it can see
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I just saw this article in my hometown newspaper and wanted to help get it some wide spread coverage. I haven't yet found out much about this case or about "Humboldt County Jane Doe", but felt a new thread on this case might be worth a look.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/wayne_adam_ford/index.html

On October 26, 1997, a duck hunter was canoeing on the Ryan Slough near Eureka when he noticed an object that resembled a mannequin on the muddy bank. When he approached the object he realized that that it was the butchered remains of a woman that was missing a head, arms and legs. The hunter, who had a mobile phone, immediately contacted the Humboldt County Police.

When investigators arrived at the scene, they saw that the victim's torso had been sliced down the middle and almost completely disemboweled. Moreover, the woman's breasts had been cut off and there were approximately 30 stab wounds on her body. Because there were no fingers to fingerprint, head, tattoos or unusual features on the torso, investigators were unable to identify the woman.

The woman, whose remains were referred to as Jane Doe, was examined by the county coroner. The coroner determined that she was likely between the ages of 18 and 25, and had a dark complexion. It was believed that Jane Doe had been dead at least three or four days before she was discovered.

Almost three months after the autopsy, Jane Doe's arm and hand were found near a beach. However, the body parts had deteriorated so much that there was no way a fingerprint analysis could be conducted. Investigators realized that Jane Doe's identity might never be discovered.
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I think this might be the link

http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2007/04/16/local_news/1.txt

Serial killer’s victim could be from Colorado

Wanted: The identity of Humboldt County Jane Doe, believed to have been the first victim of convicted serial killer Wayne Adam Ford.

The torso of the woman, thought to be between 20 and 30 years old, was found in a California slough in 1997. Though in 2006 Ford was convicted of her murder and the gruesome deaths of three other women — Tina Gibbs, Lanett White and Patricia Tamez — no one has been able to positively identify Doe.
 
Bumped.

It doesn't look like anyone's looked at this case since it was initially posted over six years ago and I've seen how many clever and resourceful sleuths there are here. So get to work people!
 
Can't find NAMUS or Doe files for her. Any idea how to have these made? It breaks my heart to think of how many missing people & UIDs there are who are forgotten due to this.
 
I hate these cases where we know the killer but not the ID of the victim! Ford told LE some about this girl, apparently she was a hitchiker and had large breasts. He also led LE to recover more parts of her body, including her thighs. I wonder if they could estimate her height based on them and the torso. Also some of his victims were prostitutes. Could she have possibly been one as well? Or was she just a hitchhiker. Interesting it says dark complexion, but no mention to possible race in either what Ford said or that earlier article.


Here is some more info about her per an article on Ford:

http://aboutserialkillers.blogspot.com/2012/06/remorseful-serial-killer-wayne-adam.html

During interviews with police, Wayne revealed the location of some of the body parts of the unidentified woman he killed and dismembered. He claimed that he buried the woman's head and arms near the Mad River. The remaining parts, including the victim's thighs, were temporarily kept in his freezer before being buried at a Trinidad campsite.

Investigators went to the campsite and to the Mad River to investigate Wayne's story. They were unable to find the victim's head, which reduced the likelihood of her being identified. However, they did manage to find at the campsite six or seven other body parts that were linked with Jane Doe.

Wayne confessed that he picked up the woman whom was hitchhiking near Eureka. Smith suggested that Wayne was initially attracted to the woman because of her large breasts, something for which Wayne had a fixation. He told investigators that he took her back to his trailer, had rough sex and then strangled her. It was a process he repeated on three other occasions. However, unlike with the other victims, he dismembered the unidentified woman in his bathtub with a saw and knives. He said that he dismembered her because it made it easier to dispose of her body.
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Seems like this woman has just been forgotten. No Doe Network or NamUs profiles that I could find. This woman needs a name. How can we get her added to Doe and NamUs?
 
Bumping, this woman deserves her name back, and as jjohnston0827 said how do we get her into Doe Network or NamUs?
 
Unidentified Person Case

Thumbnail


UNIDENTIFIED
Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP53661F
emale, Multiple
Date Found
October 26, 1997
Location Found
EUREKA, California
Estimated Age Range
18-26 Years

General Location
East side of Freshwater Slough near the foot of park street
EUREKA, California 95501
County
Humboldt County
GPS Coordinates
40.798050,-124.121207

Circumstances of Recovery
Torso found on muddy bank of tidal slough [1997 Eureka, CA], Left arm/hand found on ocean beach [1998 McKinleyville, CA], Thighs & Breasts found in wooded forest [1998 Trinidad, CA]. All were connected by positive DNA comparison. The man convicted of killing this woman claimed she was from Arizona [AZ], New Mexico [NM] or Colorado [CO]. She had left because she was upset over a relationship issue and/or a child custody issue. These last two sentences were offered by the killer and have not been confirmed as true.
Details of Recovery

Inventory of Remains
Head not recovered One or more limbs not recovered One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains
Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues
Circumstance Notes
Torso found on muddy bank of tidal slough [1997 - Eureka, CA], Left arm/hand found on ocean beach [1998 - McKinleyville, CA], Thighs & Breasts found in wooded forest [1998 - Trinidad, CA]. All were connected by positive DNA comparison.

Physical Description
Hair Color
Unknown or Completely Bald
Head Hair Description
unknown, head not found
Body Hair Description
Dark brown pubic hair.
Facial Hair Description
unknown
Left Eye Color
Unknown or Missing
Right Eye Color
Unknown or Missing
Eye Description
Unknown
Distinctive Physical Features
Item
Description
Scar/mark
A small poorly defined dark colored dot was on the high upper-front of her right thigh. This appeared to be consistent with a mark left by being punctured by a pencil as a child. If so, it was completely healed.

Tattoo
The convicted killer volunteered he thought she had a ring/chain of small flowers tattooed around one ankle - unknown which. This information is not confirmed as being truthful.

Other distinctive physical characteristic
At autopsy the pathologist determined from the condition of her cervix that she had given birth to at least one child.

Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
The convicted killer described the victim was white and wearing small tennis shoes and baggy bluish green-pants with a wild pattern. The truthfulness of this information is not confirmed. No clothing was located associated with this victim.
Near the Body
 
Eureka Jane Doe is in NamUs now!

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
#UP53661
Female, Multiple
Date Found: October 26, 1997
Location Found: EUREKA, California
Estimated Age Range: 18-26 Year

Case Numbers
NCMEC Number: --
ME/C Case Number: C-194-97

Demographics
Sex: Female
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian, Hispanic / Latino
Possible First Nam: --
Possible Middle Name: --
Possible Last Name: --
Possible Nickname: --
Estimated Age Group: Late Teen/Young Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years): 18-26
Estimated Year of Death: 1997
Estimated PMI: 2 Days
Height: 5' 0"-5' 11"(60-71 inches) , Estimated
Weight: 120-140 lbs, Estimated

General Location: East side of Freshwater Slough near the foot of park street
EUREKA, California 95501
County: Humboldt County

Circumstances of Recovery: Torso found on muddy bank of tidal slough [1997 Eureka, CA],
Left arm/hand found on ocean beach [1998 McKinleyville, CA],
Thighs & Breasts found in wooded forest [1998 Trinidad, CA].
All were connected by positive DNA comparison.

The man convicted of killing this woman claimed she was from Arizona [AZ], New Mexico [NM] or Colorado [CO]. She had left because she was upset over a relationship issue and/or a child custody issue. These last two sentences were offered by the killer and have not been confirmed as true.


Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains: Head not recovered
One or more limbs not recovered
One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues


Circumstance Notes
Torso found on muddy bank of tidal slough [1997 - Eureka, CA],
Left arm/hand found on ocean beach [1998 - McKinleyville, CA],
Thighs & Breasts found in wooded forest [1998 - Trinidad, CA].
All were connected by positive DNA comparison.

Physical Description
Hair Color: Unknown or Completely Bald
Head Hair Description: unknown, head not found
Body Hair Description: Dark brown pubic hair.
Facial Hair Description: unknown
Left Eye Color: Unknown or Missing
Right Eye Color: Unknown or Missing
Eye Description: Unknown


Distinctive Physical Features
Item

Description

Scar/mark
A small poorly defined dark colored dot was on the high upper-front of her right thigh. This appeared to be consistent with a mark left by being punctured by a pencil as a child. If so, it was completely healed.

Tattoo
The convicted killer volunteered he thought she had a ring/chain of small flowers tattooed around one ankle - unknown which. This information is not confirmed as being truthful.

Other distinctive physical characteristic
At autopsy the pathologist determined from the condition of her cervix that she had given birth to at least one child.


Clothing and Accessories
Item

Description

Clothing
The convicted killer described the victim was white and wearing small tennis shoes and baggy bluish green-pants with a wild pattern. The truthfulness of this information is not confirmed. No clothing was located associated with this victim.
 
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Mountain Mama said:
What makes you think it could be Bridget?
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She disappeared a few months earlier from San Francisco, and like this UID had tattoos and had a daughter, also the age range and white race also match; maybe they are just coincidences.
 
Romulus said:
She disappeared a few months earlier from San Francisco, and like this UID had tattoos and had a daughter, also the age range and white race also match; maybe they are just coincidences.
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It would be really good to know if B had the flowers tattoo around her ankle. I will post on Bridget's page and see if anyone knows
 
Mountain Mama said:
It would be really good to know if B had the flowers tattoo around her ankle. I will post on Bridget's page and see if anyone knows
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This not on her tattoo list, at least when she disappeared, but she could have done it a few months later, although Bridget probably isn't this girl.
 
She could be anyone. Thinking about Kimberly Green from Colorado. Just respectfully "throwing her in". There is not much to hang on to, other then she went missing in 1996 from Aurora CO, had two little daughters (so gave birth) working for SuperShuttle as a dispatcher (thinking she new her way into transportation). Filed for divorce just before she went missing (what is kind of a red flag, considering husbands) Her scent was last picked up by a dog at a Total Gas Station about a mile away and then to E. Colfax and I-225, which is an approx. 21 hours drive to Eureka, CA. Dark brown hair (looking at her pictures) and medium complexion. 5'5"; 130-150 lbs, that would fit in the UID range. No mentioning of a tattoo or a discoloration on her thight, though. The Doe Network: Case File 1546DFCO
 
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