Michigan Trooper Creates 3-D Bust In Effort To ID Victim
fugitives,Unknown Lake Erie Jane Doe Killer
Decades after her body was discovered, cops are doing everything they can to learn her identity and bring her killer to justice.
In 2008, more than 26 years after the body was first discovered, police in Canton Township, Mich., asked Monroe County cops to look into the possibility that Jane Doe was in fact Kim Larrow -- a teen who'd vanished in 1981.
On March 3, 2009, the FBI, along with Monroe County authorities, exhumed the body of the Lake Erie Jane Doe. Together they hoped to quickly launch into the next phase of their investigation.
Shortly after the body was raised from the ground, cops submitted her DNA to the University of North Texas' Center for Human Identification. It didn't take long for authorities to rule out Kim Larrow as a possible match to Jane Doe.
Michigan State Police Trooper Sarah Krebs said based on the victim's bone structure, "we determined it couldn't have been a 14-year-old. We knew she was at least 18 years old."
However, it would take some time before science could confirm their suspicions.
Within days of the exhumation, Trooper Krebs, a forensic artist with more than seven years of forensic experience, began using her artistic prowess to help identify Jane Doe.
First, Trooper Krebs used Jane Doe's actual skull and molded an oil-based clay atop it.
"We used tissue depth-markers to estimate how far the tissues would have projected off the bone," she says.
The highly detailed, scientific nature of her work allowed her to create a lifelike 3-D model of Jane Doe's face in only two weeks' time.
When her masterpiece was complete, the MSP alerted the local media outlets, hoping to garner new interest in this case.
Hopes Quickly Raised, Squelched By Science
Less than 24 hours after the first broadcast reports, the brother of a missing local woman who had disappeared in August 1981 came foward. Upon seeing the facial reconstruction, investigators tell AMW he truly believed that Jane Doe was his sister, Carolyn Sue Martin.
Since Carolyn Martin's name and Social Security number have not been used ever since she'd vanished, cops were hopeful that there may have been a link.
"We received nearly 30 other names, as well," Trooper Krebs said. "But hers just stuck out. Her physical description and the time in which she disappeared really fit the timeline.
What made them even more sure of the connection was that both Carolyn Martin and Jane Doe had a chip on the exact same tooth, according to Detective Pauli.
Deep down, cops truly believed they were on the cusp of identifying their victim after all this time but were reluctant to get too excited.
Unfortunately their worst fears were realized when science crushed their hopes nearly a year later.
On Jan. 26, 2010, DNA results came back negative, proving once and for all that the body of Lake Erie Jane Doe was neither that of Kim Larrow nor Carolyn Martin.
Justice Sought Through National Plea
Jane Doe was wearing this shirt, which was tied in a knot around her midsection. It was the only article of clothing on her body at the time she was discovered.
Ever since photos of Trooper Krebs' 3-D model were released March 30, 2009, few legitimate leads have come in -- even though the media markets in Eastern Michigan and parts of Ontario, Canada, were saturated with pictures of the bust.
The lack of tips has frustrated cops, but they are not giving up on their quest to seek justice for this unidentified young woman.
A number of missing women from Michigan, Ohio, and even Canada have come up as potential matches -- only to have science officially rule them out.
Now, with AMW's assistance, Michigan authorities hope that readers throughout the country may be able to shed some light on their victim. By doing so, not only would her identity be revealed, but her vicious killer would be one step closer to paying for their sins.
If you know the true identity of the Lake Erie Jane Doe, as well as that of her killer, you've got to call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.