CO CO - Fremont Co., WhtFem, UP16427, 25-35, rose tattoo on hand, Jun'87

[CarlK90245]

The Doe Network:
Case File 531UFCO 531UFCO

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

Reconstruction of Victim

Unidentified White Female

* The victim was discovered in June 1987 in Fremont County, Colorado
* Estimated Date of Death: November 1986
* Cause of Death: Possible Homicide
* Skeletal Remains

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 25-35 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'1-5'5"; 125-135 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair. Tattoo on the back of the right hand of a rose with the stem running between the first and second fingers.
* Dentals: Available
* Clothing/Jewelry: A leather jacket, blue jeans and a brown western type of boot. Numerous rings on both hands to include a mothers ring.
* Fingerprints: Not available

Jewelry

Case History
The victim was located at CR 67, 13 miles North of Highway 50, Fremont County, Colorado in June 1987.

<MOD NOTE: Several original links throughout the thread were broken and have been edited to include the current link (when available) and images as of October 31, 2022>

 

[CarlK90245]

Cynthia D. Coleman

Cynthia Dyann Coleman – The Charley Project

The timeframe is spot-on She's the right height. Her age is close. Her hair color is right (listed as blonde, but clearly brown). Her hair length is right.

And most significantly, she has unspecified tattoos on both of her hands. The UID has a tattoo of a rose on her right hand, but the remains were at least partially skeletonized, so her left hand may have been too decomposed to see the other tattoo.

IMO, it is fairly unusual for a woman to put large tattoos on her hands.


ETA: Rats! Her DOJ MP poster shows her hands, but not clearly enough to see her tattoos, or whether she is wearing multiple rings.

Cynthia D. Coleman

oag.ca.gov

 

[Lady Stardust]

Wow, good find. Looks like it could be a match. Especially the the fact that both have a tattoo on one hand / both hands makes this match a plausible one.
I wonder how many women have tattoos on their hands. Besides, the other factors also match (physical appearance, time frame) as you have already written.
So, I think it's absolutely worth submitting.

By the way, I'm really impressed about the good matches you always bring up. You do a really good job!

 

[carbuff]

Another good find -- the other thing I'd like to see about Cynthia's hands is whether she's wearing rings. She looks like the kind of woman who would. And it looks like she might be pushing a baby carriage? Which would fit with the mother's ring.

Excellent work.

 

[CarlK90245]

I contacted Sandy Curry of the San Diego County Sheriff's Dept Homicide Division.

She says that their Forensic Odontologist already compared Cynthia Coleman's dental records against this UID, and ruled her out.

 

[Cubby]

I contacted Sandy Curry of the San Diego County Sheriff's Dept Homicide Division.

She says that their Forensic Odontologist already compared Cynthia Coleman's dental records against this UID, and ruled her out.

Dang! It looked like such a good possibility too. FWIW, the color blonde on both Cynthia and the pic for the UID could be considered a dark blonde. I'm blonde and my hair has darkened as an adult. I still consider it blonde - but it is definately a dark blonde now. Dark Ash Blonde and light brown could be too close to call a difference.

 

[carbuff]

Slightly off topic, but I've noticed also that what gets called blonde varies in different parts of the country. I grew up in the upper midwest where there are lots of descendants of Scandanavian, Dutch, and north German settlers who are really really blonde. Light ash brown/dark ash blonde are definitely called "brown." But in New England where I live now, the UID would be considered blonde and Cynthia would be a redhead (lots of Irish here).

 

[Lil'E]

I'm only throwing this out there because of the tattoo on her hand.

Janet Landry Brice

Janet Landry Brice – The Charley Project

 

[CarlK90245]

I'm only throwing this out there because of the tattoo on her hand.

Janet Landry Brice

Janet Landry Brice – The Charley Project

The flower "on the webbing of one of her hands" makes it tempting.

But her height is pretty far off and she has very square looking jaws that don't match the recon at all, and the circumstances suggest that she (or presumably her body) didn't go very far after she disappeared.

None of these things are positive rule-outs by themselves if there was something more to hang your hat on, but I don't think an unspecified flower on an unspecified hand is enough to overcome the other things.

 

[Lady Stardust]

This case was added to doenetwork yesterday:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1285dfpa.html


Case File 1285DFPA

Diana Lynn Miller
Missing since June 20, 1986 from Emporium Borough, Cameron County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: July 16, 1962
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 23 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 125 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde, long and straight hair; blue eyes. Slim build.
* Marks, Scars, Tattooos: FTW" across her fingers, unknown which hand. May also have "FTW" on right forearm.
* Clothing: White t-shirt and blue jeans.
* Dentals: Available
* Fingerprints: Available
* AKA: Diane Lynn Miller, Diana Lynn Morton (maiden name), Diana Lynn Zuback.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Diana was last seen on or around June 16, 1986 when she left her 4-year old daughter with a relative.
It is believed that she was heading to the annual Sinnemahoning Snake Hunt in neighboring community Sinnemahoning, roughly 20 miles away.
Diana reportedly went to a party near the snake hunt, where members of a motorcycle gang periodically camped. She hasn't been seen nor heard from since.
Diana liked to party and had an interest in bikers.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Emporium Borough Police Department
814-486-3384

Agency Case Number: 702-0018

NCIC Number: M-384996622
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Pennsylvania Missing

Consistencies: Estimated date of death is November 1986 -> DLM went
missing in June 1986
Height and Weight of the UID: 5'1-5'5"; 125-135 lbs. -> Height
and Weight of DLM: 5'4"; 125 lbs.
DLM was 23 when she disappeared, UID was estimated to be
25 - 35
DLM resembles the reconstruction
DLM went missing from Pennsylvania, a long distance to
Colorado, but her case summary says that she had an interest
in bikers and went to a party near Sinnemahoning Snake Hunt
where members of a motorcycle gang periodically camped.
Perhaps she went with them? Or was abducted by them?

Inconsistencies: DLM is listed to have blond hair, but on the photo her hair
looks light brown/brown
There is no mention of any rings that DLM was wearing, but
she has a daughter which would be consistent with the
mothers ring that the UID was wearing
DLM has a tattoo across her fingers, but not a rose
So, I guess that will rule her out?!?

 

[CarlK90245]

I wonder if they ever ruled out Donna Croce against this Jane Doe.

Donna Loraine Croce – The Charley Project

Tattoos:

Donna Croce:

Croce has a tattoo of a rose on her right wrist.

UID (Distinguishing Characteristics)

Tattoo on the back of the right hand of a rose with the stem running between the first and second fingers.

And the timeline is spot-on. The UID was estimated to have died in Nov'86. Croce's Date LKA was 28-Nov-1986

Her age (24) is just below the low-end of the UID's age range, and her listed height (if correct) is a little too low.

I just entered Donna's name into NamUs last week so that she could be compared on another case (UP 2583). But her casefile still hasn't been published.

And AFAIK, this Jane Doe isn't in NamUs either.

 

[Redwood146]

It looks to be a good match. The reconstruction and the photo of Donna look to be very similar

 

[CarlK90245]

Todd Matthews says that the DoeNet people submitted this possible to LE back in 2008. He says that there was a rule-out, but he doesn't know what the basis was for the rule-out.

He also said that he will check back with the RSA for Colorado to see whether they can get this UID into NamUs.

 

[DrDMike]

Could the rose tattoo be a rosary?

 

[lucidtx]

FYI - Cold Case | Colorado Bureau of Investigation

It doesn't mention this case specifically just that a group of retired investigators are volunteering their time to review cold case homicides in Fremont County since the seventies. Also... "Anyone who may have information on an unsolved homicide case should call the Combined Investigations Response Team at 719-276-5290 or 719-276-5612."

They may be a good resource. This case is listed as a homicide instead of unidentified remains in the CBI database.

FYI - by the description of the roads it sounds like she was found in Phantom Canyon. It's gorgeous, pretty rugged and a bit off the beaten path.

I've searched high and low and cannot find any news coverage or further information on the case.

 

[jjohnston0827]

Could this be Sherry Yates? NamUs indicates she had a tattoo on her right hand, though it was said to be a star. Could she have had it made into a flower in the 5 years between her disappearance and her death?

Missing Person / NamUs #MP28246

View NamUs missing person case MP28246 for Sherry Lynn Yates missing from Las Vegas, Nevada. Date of last contact: Mar 12, 1981. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

 

[amputate]

There can't be that many women out there with roses tattooed on their hands that don't have lots of tattoos anywhere. Most people don't tattoo their hands first, they usually cover their arms.

 

[jjohnston0827]

Submitted Sherry Yates as a possible match to the Fremont Sheriff's Department, where the UID was found. Will post if I get a response.

 

[Hoosier952]

What about Janet Landry Brice? She doesn't seem likely based on most info, but she has a tattoo of a flower between thumb and index finger of hand, unknown side.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

www.namus.gov

 

[carbuff]

See post 9 upthread for one evaluation of Brice and this UID.