Any victim of a violent crime deserves justice. For some, unfortunately, not only do they never receive that justice, but their identities often remain a mystery. This is the case for Julie Doe, a transgender woman whose identity has remained a mystery for over three decades.
While society at large may have generally come to accept the LGBTQ+ community,
crimes against this group are still higher when compared to non-LGBTQ+ persons. Transgender victims in particular face an uphill battle due to mis-gendering and investigators' general lack of knowledge about LGBTQ+ issues. Julie's case has grabbed the attention of many around the country, yet who she was and what happened to her remains a mystery. Read on to find out what we do know about her.
On the Sunday morning of September 25, 1988, a man stopped in a wooded area close to
Highway 474 in Lake County, FL, and went out looking for cypress wood to make furniture with. While searching for cypress, the man instead
stumbled upon a gruesome discovery: human remains.
Judging by the clothes and hair, the remains seemingly belonged to a woman. Her body was severely decomposed, indicating it had been there for quite some time.
Only a small amount of tissue was left on her body. Authorities believed she had been dead for at least a few months prior to the man's discovery. They were, however, still able to observe that she had long, manicured fingernails and long hair that had been dyed blonde.
She had no ID, purse, or wallet on her, resulting in her being labeled a Jane Doe. She was dressed in a long denim skirt, a blue-green tank top, and pantyhose that had been rolled down. Authorities suspected a sex crime may have taken place but were unable to verify their theory. They created a rough composite of what they believed the woman looked like in life and began searching for clues to the woman's identity.
The woman’s remains were sent to the
C. A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory (CAPHIL) at the University of Florida for examination.Forensic anthropologist Dr. William Maples, who
performed the examination, concluded that the woman was between the ages of 24 and 32 and had an athletic build, silicone breast implants, and a height of about 5’10.
The autopsy further revealed that she had previously suffered from multiple broken bones, including fractures to her nose, cheekbone, ribs, and a toe. Some of these breaks had healed by the time the woman died, but they did indicate that she sustained severe physical injury prior to death.
Despite all of the information obtained in the autopsy, the cause of death remained elusive. Investigators were only able to conclude that the body had been
dragged to the location where it was found. This became one of the main reasons they suspected foul play - authorities presumed she had been moved away from the nearby highway in an attempt to conceal her body.
Investigators' attempts to locate any potential witnesses failed, and when no one came forward and no further evidence was found at the crime scene, the case went cold.
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Any victim of a violent crime deserves justice. For some, unfortunately, not only do they never receive that justice, but their identities often remain a mystery. This is the case for Julie Doe, a transgender woman whose identity has remained a mystery for over three decades.While society at...
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