FL FL - Lurline Bergeron, 14, West Palm Beach, 1 Jul 1991

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Facebook post Feb 6th and cold case article mentions Lurline.

NamUs - Melissa Gregory

DNA expert weighs in on its use in cold cases

Snipped from the article:

On Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office asked for the public's help in finding Lurine Bergeron, who disappeared in 1991 when she was 14 years old. Her mother and sister submitted DNA to a laboratory in Texas to be compared against unidentified corpses found across the U.S.

So far, the sheriff's office said no matches have been found.

Rogers says, in addition to locating suspects in cold cases, DNA testing can be used to find missing persons and identify "Jane" and "John Doe" corpses.

More at link....
 
So I'm looking at the neighborhood Lurline disappeared from (assuming NamUs has the correct coordinates) and I can see that there are a few middle schools nearby and the Palm Beach International Airport.
The closest middle school is Palm Springs Community.
Other close by schools are Conniston Middle/Conniston Jr High, Lake Worth, L.C. Swain, Tradewinds, Okeeheelee Community & Gulfview Jr. High.

Here are the coordinates NamUs has listed:
1444-1340 Rose Cir, West Palm Beach, FL 33406
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
Palm Beach County
The houses shown are the supposed home Lurline was living/last seen at.
 

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I even wonder if the date of her disappearance is correct...and how long she was gone before reported missing? Sounds like her life wasn't so good :(
My opinion is she met foul play in the drug use or older men circle....but hoping she is alive and ran off to pursue a better life. If that's the case, I hope she knows people care and are looking for her.
 
What schools was that home or street zoned for? It’s possible old group photos could be online somewhere. Maybe an alumni group.
This is the address on Google maps from the distance from everything around it. I have a hunch that it was the closest school near her home she attended. I also noticed that there was a detention center close to her home as well. That's a little too close to schools in my opinion.
 

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LMBergeron.jpg
LMBerger1.jpg

Right: Age progressed to 34 years (Circa 2011)

Lurline M Bergeron
Missing since July 1, 1991 from West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

    • Date Of Birth: August 9, 1976
    • Age at Time of Disappearance: 14 years old
    • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5"; 150 lbs.
    • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; green eyes.
    • Marks, Scars: She has scars on both her legs; both her arms and on her abdomen. There is a scar on the left side of her head, above her ear.
    • Other: She is know to abuse drugs.
    • DNA: Available
Circumstances of Disappearance

Bergeron had become a habitual runaway. The last report taken by the police was on July 1, 1991 in West Palm Beach, FL. There has been no contact from Bergeron since. She was known to date older Hispanic males.

Investigators

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

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
800-458-8477


Agency Case Number: 98-95465
NCIC Number: M133377631
NCMEC Number: NCMC1147377

Source Information:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
NamUs MP #5353
NCMEC
The Doe Network: Case File 1163DFFL
 
I even wonder if the date of her disappearance is correct...and how long she was gone before reported missing? Sounds like her life wasn't so good :(
My opinion is she met foul play in the drug use or older men circle....but hoping she is alive and ran off to pursue a better life. If that's the case, I hope she knows people care and are looking for her.
Even if Lurline never reads this I want her to know that we care. Her story is important. Whether she's alive or not we won't let her story fade. She deserves justice. Her childhood was changed forever in 1991. She has family members that miss her and there are people like us that hope for answers everyday.
 
I found a Jane Doe who went by Joy Neubauer. I couldn't help but think of Lurline when I saw her.
Jane Doe was found in Florida on November 27, 1996. Her age estimate is 21-35 and she had acne scars on her cheeks and jaw. This Jane Doe has short brown hair, blue eyes and is about 5'10".
She hung herself on a lifeguard post after identifying to a police officer that she was recently homeless and looking for shelters. The cop offered her a ride but she refused. "Joy Neubauer" told the officer she was born on 7-12-66 but never showed the officer any physical ID.

I was thinking about how Lurline was described as drug affiliated. I wonder if these are meth scars on Doe. Some drugs can even make a person appear older than they are.
Also West Palm Beach is about 28 minutes from Boca Raton.

Jane Doe
693UFFL
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
FL - FL - Boca Raton, WhtFem UP1107, 20-35, possibly Joy Neubauer, Nov'96
 

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Why was the possible pregnancy never released until recently? Maybe her and the baby's father ran off to start a new life. One could hope...if she is alive, I hope she has found happiness and knows people care!
I think it was likely a piece of evidence they withheld until they ran out of leads or ideas. They may have released it hoping to generate more leads. Maybe Lurline confined in a friend or went to a pregnancy resource center, etc.
 
New to this thread but thought I'd add this info...

I submitted Lurline as a potential match to a Jane Doe case in the Los Angeles area from 1994. I emailed West Palm Beach Sheriff's Office on March 27 explaining the possible match. I received an email from Carrie Sutherland from NamUs (WPBSO had forwarded my email to her) stating that NamUs would reach out to appropriate agencies about the match (assuming this would be Los Angeles Medical Examiner-Coroner [LAMEC] since they're handling the Jane Doe case). However, I decided to reach out to LAMEC on my own.

I submitted the potential match to LAMEC. I submitted it basically off of what I saw as a resemblance between a photo of Lurline and an early sketch of Jane Doe. According to LAMEC, a comparison could not be made because Lurline only has DNA available, no dental records or fingerprints, and Jane Doe only has dental records and fingerprints available, there is insufficient DNA for profiling.

Lurline Bergeron side-by-side with Jane Doe (this is one of the earlier sketches of Jane Doe)
Lurline comparison 1.JPG

Honestly, the resemblance could just be the similar facial expression, but I still thought it was worth submitting.

Here is info on Jane Doe:
CA - CA - Tujunga, Hisp/AsianFem 440UFCA, 14-24, wig & St Christopher medallion, Aug'94
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Have you seen this child? JANE DOE1994
440UFCA
Can You Identify Me? Do You Know Me?: Lila Doe – I Just Want to Be ME Again!
CAF940807
LAPD hopes forensic sketch can ID Jane Doe | ABC7 Los Angeles | abc7.com
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner
 
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Good find..but Lurline is not listed as Hispanic or Asian.
I know. But there have been cases where the race was wrong. Also, Jane Doe is listed as being possibly Hispanic, White/Caucasian, Asian (Filipina), or Admixed. Seems to me that maybe Jane Doe was light-skinned? Which may explain why they listed her as possibly White or Admixed.

Even though Lurline is White, it appears (to me) that Lurline could have been mistaken for someone who is a light-skinned Hispanic person or mixed (Hispanic and White).

5353_325336.jpg 5353_34250.jpg
 
I recently saw a Jane Doe found in Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida in 1994 who is thought to be between the ages of 12-14. That's about 3 1/2 hours from West Palm Beach. Lurline being a frequent runaway would be a good possibility for this match. The Jane Doe was skeletal and missing bones but they managed a facial reconstruction. The cause of death is not listed and her weight and height aren't listed. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 

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