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Pollen samples identify 3 states unidentified teen could have visited before dying in New York November 13, 2014 at 1:27pm
On Nov. 10, 1979, a passing motorist spotted a fully clothed girl lying face-down in a cornfield along Route 20. It’s believed she had died within 24 hours of being found, and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office hopes a few key clues will lead to her identification.
“Any lead that we’ve had regarding a possible suspect, we’ve tracked down at this point,” Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brad Schneider said. “We do on a regular basis get submissions from the general public saying they believe Jane Doe may be somebody they’ve come across on the Internet or someone they know who is missing. We do everything in our powers to track down that lead. Unfortunately, we’ve come back with no matches.
“We’re really looking for the public’s help to give this girl a name,” Investigator Schneider said.
The girl is estimated to have been 14-17 years old. She was 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighed 120 pounds, had brown eyes and short brown hair that was recently frosted. Notably, she was tanned and had visible tan lines, which would be unusual for fall in New York.
After she was found, police interviewed several witnesses who reported seeing two white, female hitchhikers near the intersection of Routes 5 and 20. One witness’ description closely matched the unknown girl, right down to the red windbreaker that was found with her body. She was also wearing tan corduroy pants, a multi-colored plaid shirt, blue knee socks, and brown shoes. She had on a silver, beaded necklace with three, small turquoise birds. Her pants pockets had been turned inside-out.
A review by a forensic odontologist noted that untreated lesions on the inside of her mouth may have put her in extreme pain, such that a person would have noticed chewing problems on one side of her mouth and outward signs of discomfort.
In 2005, law enforcement had special pollen testing done on the girl’s clothing by a professor at Texas A & M University. The results may indicate where she was before coming to New York, because the pollen could have only come from Arizona, California or Florida.
“I think it’d be fair to say she was in those areas, but we aren’t ruling out that she was local to New York – she just happened to be in one of those areas relatively close to the time she died,” Investigator Schneider said.
If you recognize Jane Doe’s description or have any idea who she might be, please call the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at 585-243-7100 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
