I'd encourage you to turn your potential match in, or bring it here to be discussed. You won't look like an idiot (and it sounds like you have a carefully researched and thought out suggestion, so definitely not an idiot!)
Our main job in this thread is really to discuss possibilities, and ruling somebody out is an important part of the process. The majority of our submissions (collectively speaking) are probably ruled out fairly quickly. In a case this old, it's likely there is some mistake or discrepancy in the decedent's description that's causing a match to be overlooked, so even long shot suggestions are welcome.
Alright... well, here it goes. Ever since I came across her photo on NCMEC back in July, I couldn't help but wonder if the Jane Doe could be Kathy Wilcox. On July 12, it was the 50th "anniversary" of her disappearance.
Fifty years... The only person who's still actively seeking answers is Kathy's younger sister, Karen. Kathy's brother allegedly stopped looking ages ago; both of Kathy's parents, as well as her stepmother, have since passed away from my understanding.
On July 12, 1972, Kathy, a well-known football and softball player, ran away from home after her stepmother allegedly slapped her across the face during an argument. They had concerns about Kathy dating an 18-year-old boy (who was later dismissed as a suspect). Karen was on the front porch when Kathy stormed out and shouted to everyone that they'd "never see her again."
From various articles, Facebook posts, and even a Zoom interview that Karen did a few months ago... I can't help but get the impression that Kathy knew how to take care of herself. Granted, she was only 15. But if she planned on staying gone, and had already handled the physical pain/stress of high impact sports, I imagine that she had resources or knew where to look. She was a "tough cookie" so to speak.
Now, when I came across Kathy's photo... she looked familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it. Heck, I hadn't even looked at the "Cheerleader" case for almost two months at that point. But those composites stuck with me, I guess. I recognized where I'd "seen" her and decided to compare Kathy Wilcox with "Cheerleader in the Trunk."
I did several facial comparisons, and I'll provide context with each one:
Here's the NCMEC composite of Jane Doe over Kathy's 7th grade school picture. What's tricky is that her head was slightly tilted when the photo was taken, so her nose "looks crooked." The way the jawline matches, as well as the placement of the eyes, mouth, and nose is eerie. When NCMEC narrowed Jane Doe's age down to 17-27, I genuinely believe they tried to make her look as young as possible while still keeping the "teenage/young adult" appearance.
Next, I placed the same composite over one of Kathy's age progressions. Below is the NCMEC composite placed over what Kathy would look like at age 57.
Using the same NCMEC composite one final time, I placed it over one of the last known photos taken of Kathy, when she was 15. Her head was tilted slightly up this time. Here's the result:
Here's the part that startled me. Remember when I said that Kathy "looked familiar"? Well, as it turns out, it was Carl Koppelman's composite of Jane Doe that had stuck with me, despite having only seen it once or twice. For further context, all Carl Koppelman had to work with was the skull and the generic description (i.e. brown hair). His depiction shows Jane Doe as being "older" (in her early-to-mid 20s). I compared Carl's composite with Kathy at age 15 and this was the result:
Even though Kathy's face is facing slightly upwards, the resemblance was frightening. Without context, one could assume this was another age progression of Kathy Wilcox. The jawline still adds up, as well as the eyes. Kathy's nose would lead some to argue that she's an automatic rule-out... but there have been several guesses as to what Jane's nose looked like. So anything's possible. (Final note: I think Carl himself stated that the front teeth you see in the Doe's skull had fallen out, so investigators replaced them with something similar. So if Kathy's front teeth "don't match" Carl's composite, that's why.)
"Just because she resembles the composites doesn't mean anything!"... I thought that myself. But then I saw Kathy's page on The Charley Project. I then went to The Doe Network and uncovered more information.
Let's look at the basic comparisons:
- Jane Doe was a white female with brown hair; Kathy Wilcox was a white female with brown hair
- Jane Doe may have died as far back as 1972; Kathy Wilcox ran away from home back in 1972
- Jane Doe's bones indicated that she was an athlete; Kathy Wilcox was a well-known athlete
- Jane Doe may have broken one or more of her toes; Kathy Wilcox broke several of her toes at some point in the late-60s/early-70s
- Jane Doe may have had other previous injuries to her body; Kathy Wilcox had healed fractures in both of her legs and it's noted that these may not show up on future x-rays (the same applies to her broken toes)
- Jane Doe is roughly believed to be 5'4" (according to NamUs); Kathy Wilcox stood at 5'4"
Lastly, Jane Doe's teeth showed that she'd most likely gotten the work done at a dental school. It's more affordable and/or maybe she offered herself as a volunteer. Okay... so just compare them to Kathy's dentals......... Kathy Wilcox had never been to the dentist. So, as I stated in a previous post, I had speculated that our Jane Doe was a runaway who knew how to take care of herself and she probably survived for several years; in that time, she probably found a way to take care of her teeth as well. (Doesn't matter the age: I've met plenty of 20-somethings who had poor dental health and they've gotten fillings, caps, etc. One of my kindergarten classmates even had two silver fillings by the time she was seven. Now imagine someone who'd never been to the dentist... after all those years, a lot of work seems probable when you finally get help.) Another thing to touch on is the fact that Jane Doe still had her wisdom teeth and they were skewered; most people get them removed by age 25... But dental schools can only do so much, and maybe Jane Doe was still worried about finances or seeing a professional (especially if she was using a fake name and/or birthdate). Hence, I think she truly was no older than 25.
I will say this... with my Kathy Wilcox theory, I don't think Jane Doe died back in 1972. Again, she most likely survived for a few years if she was a runaway, as our Doe was well-nourished. That would also explain the work on her teeth and additional stress that was put on her body (i.e. she got a job that involved physical labor). NamUs estimates her post-mortem interval as 3 years, meaning she died sometime in 1979. In 1979, Kathy would've been 22 or 23 (her birthday is on Christmas). She fits the age range. What about dying as early as the spring of '82? Kathy would've been 25. She still fits the age range.
My conclusion:
I think our Jane Doe could be Kathy Wilcox, a 15-year-old runaway who left home back in 1972.
Kathy most likely took care of herself for several years; it's happened before with other runaways. One of the biggest clues as to who she was and the life she was living would be best explained by her teeth, in which the work had been done by dental school students. Since Kathy had never been to a professional, she probably thought her best, and affordable, option would be a dental school instead. There's been some debate as to whether or not Jane Doe's wisdom teeth were actually causing her tremendous discomfort, but I think they did-- maybe that trigger of pain is what caused Kathy to realize that she needed to get her teeth examined by someone. As for the extensive work done, it's important to remember that Kathy played in high-impact sports such as football; even if she didn't flat out lose a tooth, there's still some damage if she was getting roughed up. (And again, she'd never been to a dentist before that.)
Her being involved in high-impact sports would also explain the wear on her bones; Kathy was a known tomboy and had been an athlete since childhood. If she ran away and got a job that involved physical labor, her bones are going to take on additional stress. (Is it any wonder they thought Jane Doe could've been as old as 45?) Spondylolysis is most common in young athletes... no doubt Kathy would assume she's just having regular back pain or muscle cramps. (If she managed to fracture both legs and break some of her toes, no doubt she hurt her back at some point, too.)
If Kathy is the Jane Doe, she probably died sometime between 1979-1982. By that timeline, she would've been in the age range. She probably hopped from state to state, before finally meeting her demise somewhere in Maryland. (I've long suspected that Jane Doe was from elsewhere, but she did perish in the same state she was found in.)
If there's anything I can elaborate on, please let me know.
Edit: Kathy was from Otsego, Michigan. Since she ran away, it's plausible for her to wind up in Maryland. After all, Sherry Jarvis (aka Walker County Jane Doe) wound up all the way in Texas when she was originally from Stillwater, Minnesota.
