FL FL - Sanibel Island, WhtFem, 30-50, #UP5316, floating in the Gulf, Oct 1995

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Cross posting from Debra Southerly’s thread as I believe it’s possible she could be this Jane Doe. See posts 7, 8 and 9. I may not need to submit as it appears eyes may be on Carol and this JD now but will submit if needed.

Debra is missing from Waterboro, SC.

www.websleuths.com

SC - SC - Debra Carol Southerly, 37, Waterboro, 20 Jan 1995

Not in NamUs. Debra Carol Southerly – The Charley Project Missing Since 01/20/1995 Missing From Waterboro, South Carolina Classification Missing Sex Female Race White Age 37 years old Height and Weight 5'3, 100 pounds Clothing/Jewelry Description Blue jeans, a white flannel checkered...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com

1710969222318.jpeg
 
A new article is out with some additional details:
  • described as having "blonde, brown hair" (rather than blonde, red)
  • Barnacles on sleeping bag were about 20-28 days old
sleeping bag.jpg
  • the battery that was tied to the sleeping bag was 63-pounds and is a size used for golf carts, but could have also been used for a sailboat golfcartbattery.jpg
  • DNA profile shows relatives likely in 11 counties in South Carolina, including Charleston Co; distant relatives in Orangeburg, SC
Picture of Scrubs
scrubs.jpg


Other Info:
  • An image showing the staples in her skull can be found in this article
  • Detective stated on podcast that the Timex was a self-wind.

Sources:
 
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON
CASE #: 1995-5
Lee County Jane Doe
Status: Open
Date of Recovery: Saturday, Oct 07, 1995
Jurisdiction: Lee County Sheriff's Office
Recovery Location: York Island, Lee County, Florida

Summary:
The Lee County Jane Doe was found on October 7, 1995 floating near York Island in Lee County, Florida after a heavy storm came through the area. She was found inside a sleeping bag that was inside a sail bag and weighted down by a car battery tied around her. Clothing worn indicated she had a connection to South Carolina. Her body was badly decomposed and not recognizable. Clay models and artist renderings were made of her face.
Vital Statistics
Height:
5'1"-5'3"
Sex:
Female
Race:
White
Hair Color:
Blonde
Age at Offense:
40 Years
Additional Physical Description:
Age rang: 30-50 years old; No tattoos; Right earlobe pieced twice, left pierced once; Hair was dark blonde with a reddish tint; Clothing: Maroon V-neck pullover hospital gown with the word "Charleston, S.C. V.A. Hospital" on the back (size medium); Jewelry: One ring (yellow metal ring with 2mm ivory colored stone), lightweight yellow metal bracelet, white metal TIMEX watch on left wrist that had red stripes on the full length of the watch band; wearing red nail polish; Surgical scar from a left temporal craniotomy; might have been a smoker; Believed to have never birthed a child.
Circumstances of Recovery:
It is believed her date of death was 20-25 days prior to being found. She was wearing a red or maroon scrub top "V" neck pullover that had lettering on the back for Charleston S.C. V.A. hospital. While there is a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Charleston, South Carolina, its name was changed to the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in 1991, four years before the body was found. The scrub top was issued to employees of the cath lab. Investigators checked with the South Carolina hospital and could find no matching records. She also had surgery scars indicating a left temporal craniotomy and surgically placed screws in her right ankle. She was wearing a distinctive ring and a TIMEX watch shown in the media gallery. The watch was stopped at 12:50 on September 25, 1995. The sleeping bag was a red Coleman brand bag and the sail bag was white in color. The sail bag would be for a 30-36ft boat. The battery was tied to the body with what appeared to be a black nylon rope. The battery was identified as a 6-volt Trojan manufactured in 1994. It was used in older sailboats and golf carts.
Additional Details:
Her case is listed under LCSO Case# 95-128401 and ME 1995-00463A. DNA was submitted for genealogical testing and her origins traced back to a small population of 11 counties in South Carolina, to include Charleston County and Orangeburg, SC. A newspaper article indicated it was the third time in 14 months a dead woman was found floating in Lee County waters. The body of a woman was found floating off Bunche Beach in August 1994 and in December 1994 a woman was found washed up on a Caloosahatchee River beach in eastern Fort Myers. Detectives searched for employees that could match from the Cath lab at Charleston S.C. V.A. Hospital and found an "Amanda" had run off with a doctor. They eliminated her because the unidentified woman was believed to not have had any children according to the medical examiner and "Amanda" did.

Source: UNIDENTIFIED - Lee County Jane Doe | Solve the Case
 
So, I came across this case: Julie Shawn Stefanek missing since 02/26/1989 from Port Antonio, Jamaica. She was reported missing by family in Colorado. She was last known to be aboard a Mercy Ship (floating vet-style hospital) called "Anastasis". She went for a swim and left her clothing and glasses neatly folded on the beach.

Her family has ties to the South Carolina area. In her big brother's obituary, it states he was a lifeguard for Myrtle Beach SC in his youth. He passed in 2017. He traveled all over the world and it appears she did as well. Perhaps she was still traveling with the Mercy Ship for a bit?

The height difference (Julie is 5'9, the Jane Doe is 5'1 to 5'3) and the date of disappearance (Julie disappeared in 1989, the Jane Doe was killed in 1995) don't match well. However, I found it interesting considering Jamaica is close to where the Jane Doe was found (Florida) and she was wearing scrubs that could have been donated to a Mercy Ship in anticipation of the hospital changing names. Julie had a scar on the left side of her forehead and the Jane Doe had cranial surgery on the left side.

Could the Jane Doe have been kept refrigerated until disposal at sea? The Mercy Ship would most likely have equipment for such a thing...

What do y'all think? I went ahead and submitted it as a possible match.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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

Original
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Caring1 said:
Cross posting from Debra Southerly’s thread as I believe it’s possible she could be this Jane Doe. See posts 7, 8 and 9. I may not need to submit as it appears eyes may be on Carol and this JD now but will submit if needed.

Debra is missing from Waterboro, SC.

www.websleuths.com

SC - SC - Debra Carol Southerly, 37, Waterboro, 20 Jan 1995

Not in NamUs. Debra Carol Southerly – The Charley Project Missing Since 01/20/1995 Missing From Waterboro, South Carolina Classification Missing Sex Female Race White Age 37 years old Height and Weight 5'3, 100 pounds Clothing/Jewelry Description Blue jeans, a white flannel checkered...
www.websleuths.com www.websleuths.com

View attachment 491879
Click to expand...
I think this could be her. The Jane Doe's NamUs profile was just modified today, but I am not sure what was modified.

According to The Doe Network, both dentals for the Jane Doe and Debra are available. I wonder if they did a comparision.

737UFFL2.jpg
737UFFL3.jpg

Reconstructions of the decedent (2 & 3 by Samantha Steinberg), #5 watch, #6 ring.

Date of Discovery: October 7, 1995
Location of Discovery: Sanibel, Lee County, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: Weeks prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 30-50 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark blond/strawberry with reddish tint.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Right earlobe was pierced twice and the left was pierced once. Possible smoker. Fingernails were painted a red metallic color. Left temporal craniotomy. Pott's fracture of right leg that was surgically repaired with two orthopedic screws, fracture of right arm and fracture of left clavicle. No evidence of prior childbirth.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown.
DNA: Unknown.

1


Name: Debra Carol Southerly
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: January 20, 1995
Location Last Seen: Walterboro, Colleton County, South Carolina

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: May 6, 1957
Age: 37 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 100-115 lbs.
Hair Color: Blonde, shoulder length
Eye Color: Hazel
Nickname/Alias: Debbie Allen; Debra Allen; Debbie Southerly
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown tattoo on left ankle; unknown tattoo on thumb and finger on left hand

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
 
So the barnacles on the sleeping bag were about 20 to 28 days old. If she was found in October, I'm assuming her body was dumped in the water in September. A big storm came through, so I'm sure the change in water currents affected how her body was carried...is anyone familiar with this or have a theory on where she could have been put in the water from?
Having brain surgery and many fractures, I feel like she should have been ID by now. Sadly thinking she was never reported missing...
 
3 more Exclusions/Rule outs were just added to this Jane Doe's Profile on 11/1/24. Debbie Southerly is still not on the rule out list.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
18 current exclusions

1730729014773.png
 
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