FL FL - Watson Island, BlkFem 790UFFL, 16-26, in Japanese Gardens, Feb'81

[jjohnston0827]

What about Carla Tucker? Decent resemblance, missing a year and a half before, so could've grown two inches in that time. Not much info on her disappearance... Could she have been abducted and forced into the sex trade? What do you guys think?

http://www.nampn.org/cases/tucker_carla_yvonne.html

 

[Fuuro]

When it comes to dirty jokes, I thought about that too, hehehehe...:blushing:

Also about Carla Tucker, the noses seem to be similar in shape, but the unidentified person's nose seems to be more pointed up, although someone else here said that since this girl died from blunt force trauma that her facial features could be somewhat distorted, especially since the recons are based off of real pictures of her. I wonder if CT had a gap in her teeth...

I've said this before but I'm super interested in whether or not the bruises and wounds were all inflicted around the time she died. If some were healing, this could support domestic violence/child abuse/being trafficked.

I looked at cases of missing young black women from 1976-1981 on the Charley Project and none really fit the description of this UID.

 

[Fuuro]

Hmm, it seems as if Carla Tucker was already identified 2 months ago. They found her in a landfill in 1992.

 

[Jake479]

Bumping

 

[Fuuro]

An article about this young lady was released in 2016, including some information we didn't previously know.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article76163837.html

Apparently, she wasn't beaten to death; she was a victim of a vehicular homicide (she was intentionally run over by a car). The article mentions that the original case file was lost and that the detectives at the time speculated that she was a prostitute and that an argument took place inside of the car which culminated in the victim being kicked out of the car and run over. The age range they give is also 14-16 rather than 16-26, and they say her hair was partially dyed pink rather than being dyed blond and that she had stylized eyebrows.

This really doesn't explain the "bruises and lacerations" all over her body, unless she they're referencing the injuries she received by being run over. Let's hope that the 36th anniversary of this horrible death brings additional new information.

Another thing I noticed that I didn't notice before was that she was only 90 lbs at 5'2. That's borderline severely underweight, and the fact that bruises and cuts were found on her body that may or may not be recent as well as the idea that she probably wasn't an adult or anywhere near 18 yet suggests to me she may have been chronically battered/abused.

 

[NL007]

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/26421/4 No mention of her having a gap in her teeth, though.

 

[Moonwalker9]

They are both petite with low weight, didn't quite see the resemblence before but maybe its worth checking out.

 

[Fuuro]

Bumping.

Her Doe Network profile was updated about 11 months ago. The age range has been lowered from 16 to 26 to being 12 to 26, but her actual cause of death (vehicular homicide) hasn't been updated.

Beverly and this girl look very similar, in my opinion, especially the noses and the lips.

 

[Fuuro]

Bumping again.

Something I've been wondering-- I wonder if she was really intentionally run over? I don't know if it's been proven that they actually got into an altercation inside of the car or if anybody overheard any arguments.

This is going to sound totally out of left field. But perhaps if she was a sex worker, she and/or the killer thought they were being followed by police and they drove into the gardens in an attempt to outpace them. Jane Doe could have willingly tried to escape the car herself, and in a botched attempt to make a quick getaway, the killer ran her over. A Japanese garden seems like a really odd place for a sex deal to take place, and a somewhat long causeway runs right near the only Japanese garden on Watson Island, so they could have come from anywhere.

A problem with this is that she didn't have her jeans or heels with her when she left the vehicle (either of her own free will or via being forcefully removed) because they were later found ditched on the opposite side of the causeway. I don't know how likely it is that she would try to make a run for it barefoot and in her underwear in the middle of some random tourist attraction. But another thing-- couldn't the killer have thrown her belongings into the water that surrounds the causeway if he really wanted to make sure nobody found them? It makes me think that somebody was not thinking straight / possibly freaking out about what they just did. Either way, it's still a hit-and-run and definitely a horrible way to die. Exactly two weeks from now will make 38 years.

 

[Fuuro]

Bumping again.

Something I've been wondering-- I wonder if she was really intentionally run over? I don't know if it's been proven that they actually got into an altercation inside of the car or if anybody overheard any arguments.

This is going to sound totally out of left field. But perhaps if she was a sex worker, she and/or the killer thought they were being followed by police and they drove into the gardens in an attempt to outpace them. Jane Doe could have willingly tried to escape the car herself, and in a botched attempt to make a quick getaway, the killer ran her over. A Japanese garden seems like a really odd place for a sex deal to take place, and a somewhat long causeway runs right near the only Japanese garden on Watson Island, so they could have come from anywhere.

A problem with this is that she didn't have her jeans or heels with her when she left the vehicle (either due to her own free will to avoid arrest, being told to get out by an angry client, or being physically removed) because they were later found ditched on the opposite side of the causeway. I don't know how likely it is that she would try to make a run for it barefoot and in her underwear in the middle of some random tourist attraction. But another thing-- couldn't the killer have thrown her belongings into the water that surrounds the causeway if he really wanted to make sure nobody found them? It makes me think that somebody was not thinking straight / possibly freaking out about what they just did. Either way, it's still a hit-and-run and definitely a horrible way to die. Exactly two weeks from now will make 38 years.

Please delete the last post; it is almost an identical copy of this one and I don't know how that happened.

 

[Fuuro]

It's been 38 years today. I hope there are some new news articles about this Jane Doe.

 

[carbuff]

I would think it likely that if she thought her life was in danger, and she had a chance to escape, she would have done it no matter what she was wearing.

 

[Fuuro]

Bumping.

I know this is unlikely, but I was just wondering if she could have been an early victim of Christopher Wilder.

He liked to go after slender young girls and was active all over Florida, but he seems to have done most of his killing in 1984 and did not have any confirmed black victims, so I'm fairly certain there is no connection here.

 

[NJEverCurious]

NamUs lists only one exclusion as of today, a woman named Beverly Ward. I wonder whether there is DNA on file for this UID, and I'm guessing "not" since she was found before DNA science came about.

Being so close to the Caribbean, it's entirely possible she was in the US illegally and there wouldn't be family members to report her missing or they may have been afraid to do so.

 

[NJEverCurious]

FL's website for unidentified decedents lists the date found as Feb. 3, 1982, rather than 1981. It lists her as 5'6", rather than 5'2". I wonder how accurate any of the available information truly is. We may be looking at potential matches that can't actually be her.

I also had the thought that at 5'6", the 90lb weight would make her even more underweight/malnourished. Might say something significant about her lifestyle or background.

 

[Fuuro]

NamUs lists only one exclusion as of today, a woman named Beverly Ward. I wonder whether there is DNA on file for this UID, and I'm guessing "not" since she was found before DNA science came about.

Being so close to the Caribbean, it's entirely possible she was in the US illegally and there wouldn't be family members to report her missing or they may have been afraid to do so.

I also think that this is plausible. It could explain why she was never reported missing (or it seems) despite being so young, and also being young, alone, and possibly in a new country where there aren't many people you know to keep you "grounded", so to speak, makes someone extremely vulnerable to being trafficked, in my opinion.

FL's website for unidentified decedents lists the date found as Feb. 3, 1982, rather than 1981. It lists her as 5'6", rather than 5'2". I wonder how accurate any of the available information truly is. We may be looking at potential matches that can't actually be her.

I also had the thought that at 5'6", the 90lb weight would make her even more underweight/malnourished. Might say something significant about her lifestyle or background.

In my sleuthing for this case, I did discover the above information as listed on FLUIDDB and reported those findings on her Unidentified Wiki page.

However, I'm skeptical of several pieces of information listed on her FLUIDDB profile:

• FLUIDDB lists the heights of many different unidentified victims as 5'6, even when other sources, such as NamUS, have different heights listed, leading me to believe it's a placeholder when the official height hasn't been inserted for whatever reason. For example, when looking at their section on females between 11 and 20, all of the heights are listed as either 5'6 or unknown. If I recall correctly, there was one case where a height estimate of 5'6 was given for partial skeletal remains that didn't include the torso, any limbs, or the mandible. Some FLUIDDB profiles even go so far as to list the actual estimated height of the decedent later on in the case details.
  
• We have an article from February 3, 1981 talking about the murder, so the February 3, 1982 date is definitely wrong.
  
• The age range they give for her (21-35) is also likely incorrect. Even the article written within days of the murder said she was between 15 and 20, and since then, it's been implied that she was probably even younger than that, although NamUS still lists her as potentially being as old as 26.

FLUIDDB does have some other problems, such as odd pre-set age ranges that don't take into consideration any further narrowing down of a decedent's age (such as listing someone who was determined almost certainly be 16-19 as being 11-20) and links to forensic reconstructions that don't work at all.

Even at 5'2, at 90 pounds, she was still really thin. In response to what you said about her lifestyle, I was wondering if she could have been homeless for a while before resorting to prostitution as a way of getting food.

 

[NJEverCurious]

I also think that this is plausible. It could explain why she was never reported missing (or it seems) despite being so young, and also being young, alone, and possibly in a new country where there aren't many people you know to keep you "grounded", so to speak, makes someone extremely vulnerable to being trafficked, in my opinion.



In my sleuthing for this case, I did discover the above information as listed on FLUIDDB and reported those findings on her Unidentified Wiki page.

However, I'm skeptical of several pieces of information listed on her FLUIDDB profile:

• FLUIDDB lists the heights of many different unidentified victims as 5'6, even when other sources, such as NamUS, have different heights listed, leading me to believe it's a placeholder when the official height hasn't been inserted for whatever reason. For example, when looking at their section on females between 11 and 20, all of the heights are listed as either 5'6 or unknown. If I recall correctly, there was one case where a height estimate of 5'6 was given for partial skeletal remains that didn't include the torso, any limbs, or the mandible. Some FLUIDDB profiles even go so far as to list the actual estimated height of the decedent later on in the case details.
  
• We have an article from February 3, 1981 talking about the murder, so the February 3, 1982 date is definitely wrong.
  
• The age range they give for her (21-35) is also likely incorrect. Even the article written within days of the murder said she was between 15 and 20, and since then, it's been implied that she was probably even younger than that, although NamUS still lists her as potentially being as old as 26.

FLUIDDB does have some other problems, such as odd pre-set age ranges that don't take into consideration any further narrowing down of a decedent's age (such as listing someone who was determined almost certainly be 16-19 as being 11-20) and links to forensic reconstructions that don't work at all.

Even at 5'2, at 90 pounds, she was still really thin. In response to what you said about her lifestyle, I was wondering if she could have been homeless for a while before resorting to prostitution as a way of getting food.

Wow - thanks for all the info. Having lived in FL, I'm not surprised at the discrepancies in information. Such a shame.

 

[Moonwalker9]

790UFFL - Unidentified Female

Reconstructions of the victim by Samantha Steinberg.

Date of Discovery: February 3, 1981
Location of Discovery: Watson Island, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by blunt-force trauma

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 12-26 years old
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 90 lbs.
Hair Color: Black or brown; curly/kinky medium length. Some areas were bleached blond.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Some scars on the left side of her neck.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Gap between front teeth.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: White/beige shirt, Chic brand blue jeans, white bra and bikini underwear with the words "Rest Area Visitors Welcome."
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was found lying on the grass in the Japanese Gardens on Watson Island, with multiple lacerations and bruises all over her body.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Brittney McLaurin
Agency Phone Number: 305-545-2400 or 305-545-2460
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 1981-0422

NCIC Case Number: U156045629
NamUs Case Number: 7963
NCMEC Case Number: 1208434

Information Source(s)
NamUs
NCMEC
Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office

She was found close to the Japanese Gardens on Watson island

View from above
Google Maps

Street view

Google Maps

I think the location of the deceased can tell us a few things. It's very close to the portof Miami, so possible a dumping zone.

 

[Laughing]

Wow, Chic brand blue jeans! I loved these & had several pairs. This suggests our deceased was a curvy girl/woman, as these Chic jeans were made for those of us who are curvy.

I could never wear the oh-so-popular Calvin Klein or Jordache jeans because those were too straight-cut.

I know, that doesn't get us much closer to the identity of this lovely young lady.

JMHO YMMV

 

[PayrollNerd]

Wow, Chic brand blue jeans! I loved these & had several pairs. This suggests our deceased was a curvy girl/woman, as these Chic jeans were made for those of us who are curvy.

I could never wear the oh-so-popular Calvin Klein or Jordache jeans because those were too straight-cut.

I know, that doesn't get us much closer to the identity of this lovely young lady.

JMHO YMMV

It might signal her neighborhood though. Chic brand jeans were sold at Kmart. There is a Kmart 6 miles inland from the Japanese gardens. Just north of there is an area called Little Haiti. Just south of there is an area called Little Havana. If she was selling her body to survive, she could have been spooked by her customer's violence, and didn't have time to redress. She may have jumped out of the car thinking she could escape. He could have panicked that his violence went further than he expected, dumped her, tossed her clothes and left. Seriously doubt there were any cameras anywhere back then.