Yay! A new thread! Thank you!’...aaaaand I just did! Baby Liza's WS thread:
MS - MS - Jackson County, WhtFem Child UP14825, "Baby Liza", 3-5 weeks old, in Pascagoula river, Jun'88
(just re-read your posts and I'm sorry if I messed up her nickname)
Identified! MS - Pascagoula, WhtFem Child 45UFMS "Delta Dawn", 1-3, Dog River @I-10, Dec'82 - Alisha Heinrich
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OMG!!! I love it! <3Look what I did last week. This is from Alisha’s NCMEC forensic art
imstilla.grandma
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In December 1982, a trucker reported seeing a body in the frigid, murky waters of the Escatawpa River in Jackson County, Mississippi. At daybreak, investigators found a baby girl floating near the bridge. The community called her "Delta Dawn." The inscription printed on her headstone is "Known Only to God."
"There's a lot of people that cared deeply for that child," said Jackson County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Eddie Clark.
Clark was in grade school when it happened. Now, decades later, an investigator decided there might be a shot at solving the Delta Dawn mystery using DNA analysis and online genealogy.
That's where Olivia McCarter enters the story.
"I watched Bones when I was a kid, and that's what I decided to do," said McCarter.
Through her internship, she helped identify a John Doe who'd drowned in Missouri in 1979 and a Canadian killer who raped and murdered a 9-year-old girl in 1984.
“Some of us cried ourselves to sleep because we couldn't solve it quick enough," said McCarter.
It was her third case that hit closer to home: finding out who Delta Dawn was. Growing up in Grand Bay, Alabama, McCarter knew about the case.
"I had visited her grave before, before we got the case," said McCarter.
"How come?" I asked.
"Just to do it. Somebody had to remember," said McCarter. "We think of cases as our family."
"I recognized her talent even before the internship, “said Anthony Redgrave.
Redgrave is the lead forensic genealogist at Redgrave Research Forensic Services, where McCarter interned. Delta Dawn's case proved challenging for them. McCarter and her team had to solve two adoption cases before beginning to figure out Delta Dawn's family tree.
"There's so many cases that don't stand a chance unless they're solved this way," said Redgrave..
Delta Dawn had a name: Alisha Ann Heinrich. Investigators say Alicia and her mother, Gwendolyn Clemmons, were last seen leaving Joplin, Missouri, before Thanksgiving in 1982 as they travelled to Florida with her new boyfriend. Alicia and Gwendolyn were never seen again. Gwendolyn's body has never been found.
"We're still looking. We're still trying to find out exactly what happened," said Clark.
A mystery partially solved due to DNA analysis and the dogged determination of investigators, including an unlikely one still earning an undergraduate degree at South.
Buried next to Delta Dawn is an unidentified newborn who was found floating in the Pascagoula River in 1988. Solving that case is next on McCarter's list. She plans on becoming a forensic anthropologist.
How DNA was used to solve a south Alabama mystery
"There's a lot of people that cared deeply for that child," said Jackson County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Eddie Clark.
Clark was in grade school when it happened. Now, decades later, an investigator decided there might be a shot at solving the Delta Dawn mystery using DNA analysis and online genealogy.
That's where Olivia McCarter enters the story.
"I watched Bones when I was a kid, and that's what I decided to do," said McCarter.
Through her internship, she helped identify a John Doe who'd drowned in Missouri in 1979 and a Canadian killer who raped and murdered a 9-year-old girl in 1984.
“Some of us cried ourselves to sleep because we couldn't solve it quick enough," said McCarter.
It was her third case that hit closer to home: finding out who Delta Dawn was. Growing up in Grand Bay, Alabama, McCarter knew about the case.
"I had visited her grave before, before we got the case," said McCarter.
"How come?" I asked.
"Just to do it. Somebody had to remember," said McCarter. "We think of cases as our family."
"I recognized her talent even before the internship, “said Anthony Redgrave.
Redgrave is the lead forensic genealogist at Redgrave Research Forensic Services, where McCarter interned. Delta Dawn's case proved challenging for them. McCarter and her team had to solve two adoption cases before beginning to figure out Delta Dawn's family tree.
"There's so many cases that don't stand a chance unless they're solved this way," said Redgrave..
Delta Dawn had a name: Alisha Ann Heinrich. Investigators say Alicia and her mother, Gwendolyn Clemmons, were last seen leaving Joplin, Missouri, before Thanksgiving in 1982 as they travelled to Florida with her new boyfriend. Alicia and Gwendolyn were never seen again. Gwendolyn's body has never been found.
"We're still looking. We're still trying to find out exactly what happened," said Clark.
A mystery partially solved due to DNA analysis and the dogged determination of investigators, including an unlikely one still earning an undergraduate degree at South.
Buried next to Delta Dawn is an unidentified newborn who was found floating in the Pascagoula River in 1988. Solving that case is next on McCarter's list. She plans on becoming a forensic anthropologist.
How DNA was used to solve a south Alabama mystery
Look what I did last week. This is from Alisha’s NCMEC forensic art
...Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?..
carbuff
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They're both common spelling variants in the US.
Friday Fan
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He died.
Clemons’ boyfriend, whose name was not made public, eventually returned to Missouri without them. The man, who has since died, is considered a suspect in the baby’s death, Ezell said.
“We have family members up there that are cooperating with us,” Ezell said during a news conference. “It’s the reason why we don’t want to release his name at this time.”
Springrain
Who was she? Pregnant & stabbed to death
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I can't remember: I could've sworn there was a call reporting an adult woman's body fitting Gwendolyn's description made before the discovery of little Alisha's body, is that right? Sorry for the question, I haven't spent much time on this thread. It hurts my heart so much.
MarziPanda
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Yes, that's the case. Someone reported seeing an adult woman in the water and when the police searched, they found Alisha instead and never found the reported adult female.
MajorHoople
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New podcast Solvable looks at how Mississippi Baby Jane Doe was identified as Alisha Heinrich | Daily Mail Online
"After 38 years, she finally had a name again: Alisha Heinrich. Since December 1982, investigators and the community couldn't forget the Baby Jane Doe found dead in Mississippi's Escatawpa River. They rallied around the unidentified child and pulled money together for a funeral as well as a headstone engraved with 'Known only to God.'
'When she was found, she was barefoot and wearing only a red-and-white checked dress and a disposable diaper,' Greg Bodker said on a new podcast, noting details from the autopsy report. 'Her strawberry blonde hair with loose curls was about shoulder length and she had either brown or blue eyes.'
It was a truck driver named Ted who called 911 on December 5, 1982 and stated that he saw an adult body in the Pascagoula River. The podcast noted it is unclear how Ted was able to spot this while driving over a bridge. A body was not recovered from the Pascagoula River, but at the nearby Escatawpa River, a member of law enforcement was unsure if he saw a baby or doll in the water, according to the podcast. Above is the location on Escatawpa River where authorities found Baby Jane Doe."
"After 38 years, she finally had a name again: Alisha Heinrich. Since December 1982, investigators and the community couldn't forget the Baby Jane Doe found dead in Mississippi's Escatawpa River. They rallied around the unidentified child and pulled money together for a funeral as well as a headstone engraved with 'Known only to God.'
'When she was found, she was barefoot and wearing only a red-and-white checked dress and a disposable diaper,' Greg Bodker said on a new podcast, noting details from the autopsy report. 'Her strawberry blonde hair with loose curls was about shoulder length and she had either brown or blue eyes.'
It was a truck driver named Ted who called 911 on December 5, 1982 and stated that he saw an adult body in the Pascagoula River. The podcast noted it is unclear how Ted was able to spot this while driving over a bridge. A body was not recovered from the Pascagoula River, but at the nearby Escatawpa River, a member of law enforcement was unsure if he saw a baby or doll in the water, according to the podcast. Above is the location on Escatawpa River where authorities found Baby Jane Doe."
Alisha Heinrich (AKA Delta Dawn) - Identified!
Alisha Heinrich, AKA "Delta Dawn."
Alisha's mother, Gwendolyn Mae Clemons, remains missing.
UPDATE:
On December 4th, 2020, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department announced they had identified “Delta Dawn.” Her name is Alisha Heinrich, and her mother is Gwendolyn Mae Clemons. Gwendolyn is still missing and, due to the circumstances, is presumed dead from foul play. The murderer has not yet been identified, however Gwendolyn’s boyfriend (who has since died) is considered a suspect. The case remains open and active.
On December 5th, 1982, a Floridian truck driver named Ted Hammond called authorities claiming he had seen the body of a young woman floating in the Escatawpa River. Police officers, as well as Deputy Virgil Moore, scoured the area looking for the body of the young woman. Instead of finding a woman they discovered the body of a toddler. She was found floating in the river, still wearing a dress and disposable diaper. Due to the location of where Delta Dawn was found it is unlikely this was the body Ted Hammond had initially seen.
An autopsy of the little girl was performed, and evidence of strangulation was found. They also discovered water in Delta Dawn’s lungs. It is estimated that Delta Dawn was murdered 36-48 hours before she was found. It is believed that whoever murdered the little girl had tried to strangle her, but inevitably threw her into the river where she drowned.
Authorities continued to search the area where Delta Dawn was found, hoping to find the body of the woman who was seen by Ted Hammond. Instead, police discovered the remains of a young man who had been shot in the back of the head. Authorities do not believe the cases are related in any way, but merely a coincidence. John Doe was estimated to have died 6 months prior to discovery, whereas Delta Dawn had died within days of being found. John Doe has never been identified, and the body of the young woman seen by Ted Hammond was never located.
Authorities located witnesses who had seen a woman and child matching their description. It is reported that the woman was carrying a little girl and walking along Highways 63 and Interstate 10. She was barefoot and coat-less, and seemed to be in distress. When concerned citizens stopped to offer the woman a ride she refused adamantly. Authorities now believe this woman either accidentally or intentionally killed the child and committed suicide.
Delta Dawn was buried in Jackson County Cemetery. A Christian burial and service was provided, and approximately 200 people were in attendance. Delta Dawn’s funeral was funded by generous donations from the community.
Delta Dawn was exhumed in 2009 to obtain a DNA sample, which has since been submitted to various missing persons databases in the hopes of finding a match. She remains unidentified.
Please contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (228-769-3024) if you saw or heard something around the time Delta Dawn was found. More information is desperately needed to solve this case, and any information you can provide to authorities would be very helpful.
LINK:
Delta Dawn | Echoes Path
Alisha Heinrich, AKA "Delta Dawn."
Alisha's mother, Gwendolyn Mae Clemons, remains missing.
UPDATE:
On December 4th, 2020, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department announced they had identified “Delta Dawn.” Her name is Alisha Heinrich, and her mother is Gwendolyn Mae Clemons. Gwendolyn is still missing and, due to the circumstances, is presumed dead from foul play. The murderer has not yet been identified, however Gwendolyn’s boyfriend (who has since died) is considered a suspect. The case remains open and active.
On December 5th, 1982, a Floridian truck driver named Ted Hammond called authorities claiming he had seen the body of a young woman floating in the Escatawpa River. Police officers, as well as Deputy Virgil Moore, scoured the area looking for the body of the young woman. Instead of finding a woman they discovered the body of a toddler. She was found floating in the river, still wearing a dress and disposable diaper. Due to the location of where Delta Dawn was found it is unlikely this was the body Ted Hammond had initially seen.
An autopsy of the little girl was performed, and evidence of strangulation was found. They also discovered water in Delta Dawn’s lungs. It is estimated that Delta Dawn was murdered 36-48 hours before she was found. It is believed that whoever murdered the little girl had tried to strangle her, but inevitably threw her into the river where she drowned.
Authorities continued to search the area where Delta Dawn was found, hoping to find the body of the woman who was seen by Ted Hammond. Instead, police discovered the remains of a young man who had been shot in the back of the head. Authorities do not believe the cases are related in any way, but merely a coincidence. John Doe was estimated to have died 6 months prior to discovery, whereas Delta Dawn had died within days of being found. John Doe has never been identified, and the body of the young woman seen by Ted Hammond was never located.
Authorities located witnesses who had seen a woman and child matching their description. It is reported that the woman was carrying a little girl and walking along Highways 63 and Interstate 10. She was barefoot and coat-less, and seemed to be in distress. When concerned citizens stopped to offer the woman a ride she refused adamantly. Authorities now believe this woman either accidentally or intentionally killed the child and committed suicide.
Delta Dawn was buried in Jackson County Cemetery. A Christian burial and service was provided, and approximately 200 people were in attendance. Delta Dawn’s funeral was funded by generous donations from the community.
Delta Dawn was exhumed in 2009 to obtain a DNA sample, which has since been submitted to various missing persons databases in the hopes of finding a match. She remains unidentified.
Please contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (228-769-3024) if you saw or heard something around the time Delta Dawn was found. More information is desperately needed to solve this case, and any information you can provide to authorities would be very helpful.
LINK:
Delta Dawn | Echoes Path
listen to the Solvable podcast, it gets into some detail on what he said when he returned without them and what family members have since said about him.
cvaldez1975
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if the podcast is permitted here you can share.
Solvable | Original audiochuck Podcast - Solvable by audiochuck
Here is the link to the podcast I mentioned. Hope this works.
Here is the link to the podcast I mentioned. Hope this works.
I know you probably can’t release any details, but do you know if there’s been any progress on the investigation since the press conference? Might there been an update soon?