Identified! NV - Las Vegas, 'Sahara Sue', WhtFem 17-25, UP159, dentures, jewelry, clothes, Aug'79 - Gwenn Marie Story

[ilovemew]

I know, right?!?!? How many 14 year olds have a full set of dentures? Now, Deborah went missing in '74 at the age of 14. The UID was found in '79 and estimated between 17 - 21. So it really does all fit. Gosh, I'm STILL second guessing. May nag them some more. I can't find the original e-mail from the ME investigator, but IIRC, he mentioned that Deborah's Mom was involved and that they did have her DNA on file.

Oh okay I did not do the math! Where can we start again to find Deborah. I am so new to this searching and I feel like I'm just bumbling along!
I've been trying to i.d. the girl from NV but haven't had any luck.

 

[ilovemew]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/58ufnv.html

Much more info. on the charleyprojects jane doe.

 

[Fairy1]

Well, if you look at Deborah's info, they seem to believe she was a victim of a serial killer so I don't know??? But UID I think we can find. I hope! It's been a looooooooong time.

 

[ilovemew]

Well, if you look at Deborah's info, they seem to believe she was a victim of a serial killer so I don't know??? But UID I think we can find. I hope! It's been a looooooooong time.

Yea I noticed that too. I'm wondering if the UID was a runaway and possibly a prostitute? If so she may not even have been reported missing, and who knows when she did go missing in that case. Could have been years before she turned up dead.

 

[Fairy1]

Yea I noticed that too. I'm wondering if the UID was a runaway and possibly a prostitute? If so she may not even have been reported missing, and who knows when she did go missing in that case. Could have been years before she turned up dead.

I hate to date myself here, but there's no help for it! I was here in '79 and I grew up VERY close to where the UID was found, though I don't remember hearing about it. I guess I was about 13 at the time. Anyway....The El Rancho was not actually across the street from the Sahara Hotel, but next to it - though IIRC there was a vacant lot - sort of - in between. I guess much of it could have been a parking lot - but not all of it. In any case, the Sahara Hotel is officially the end of the Las Vegas Strip - at the north end. Once you cross over Sahara Ave. on Las Vegas Blvd., going north, it is "downtown" Las Vegas - a MUCH different world - even then.

I think you're absolutely correct in thinking she may have been a runaway or prostitute and if she was, I would be willing to bet she was from the downtown area. It was - and still is - a hotbed of underage runaways and hookers. I wonder if we can find out where the liquor store was (or is) where she was last seen. Hmmmm, I will try.

 

[Fairy1]

Well I hate to say this, but I recalculated and I was actually almost 15!

Anyway, August 14, 1979 was a Tuesday and I can tell you, it would have been VERY hot and possibly very humid as that time is generally our monsoon season. Even with rain, no Las Vegan in their right mind would have been wearing a jacket! So my guess is she was not from round here. Honestly, she could have been from anywhere.

That being said, we have the denture thing to go on, and that's a HUGE clue!

 

[ilovemew]

Any tips on how to search for dentures as a key word. Also what sites do you check on?
To bad there's no sketch of the male with her. Maybe he would fit a serial killer that was in that area or something like that. Or could be her pimp. Would love to know how they acted towards each other. Friendly, or like a couple or whatever. I can't believe with an actual photo of the victim she hasn't been i.d.'d. That is very sad. Leads me to think she is a runaway.

 

[Fairy1]

Any tips on how to search for dentures as a key word. Also what sites do you check on?
To bad there's no sketch of the male with her. Maybe he would fit a serial killer that was in that area or something like that. Or could be her pimp. Would love to know how they acted towards each other. Friendly, or like a couple or whatever. I can't believe with an actual photo of the victim she hasn't been i.d.'d. That is very sad. Leads me to think she is a runaway.

As far as I know, there is no site where you can search using a key-word. I wish!!! That would be so awesome when we have clues like dentures or tatoos. Maybe NamUs will have that capability???

I will try to find out more from the ME's office.

 

[Danaya]

Wish I could help, maybe later because I have to be in the right mood to view a post mortem. Right now Im home alone with baby so nope, a little too scary, lol. Anyway, can you type in google `Missing Girl Dentures`or something... What is a reason for someone so young wearing dentures... sorry my question mark key isn`t working.

 

[Fairy1]

Wish I could help, maybe later because I have to be in the right mood to view a post mortem. Right now Im home alone with baby so nope, a little too scary, lol. Anyway, can you type in google `Missing Girl Dentures`or something... What is a reason for someone so young wearing dentures... sorry my question mark key isn`t working.

Thanks Danaya! Took your advice and searched for missing female - dentures. Quite a few came up, but none that fit this UID. It is very odd for someone so young to have a full set of dentures! If she was ever reported as missing, seems like she'd be easy to ID!

 

[BethInAK]

I wonder if she had teeth when she left home.

 

[Fairy1]

I wonder if she had teeth when she left home.

They put her at 21 - at the most. If she was a runaway, where could she have gone for a full set of dentures without being caught? I wonder if she was in the foster care system. I fear they don't report their missing kids as they should - even now.

If you look at Bambi Dick's story, she fell out of the "missing kids" boards when she was 18 and never was posted elsewhere until her brother did it recently. I've seen that before and maybe that's what happened in this case. If so, I guess we'll have to wait until someone who cared about her comes forward in some way. I can't bear to think no one cared..

 

[ilovemew]

Do you guys think if she was a pro and her teeth were pretty messed up they would have gotten her dentures?

 

[cats5vegas]

Thanks Danaya! Took your advice and searched for missing female - dentures. Quite a few came up, but none that fit this UID. It is very odd for someone so young to have a full set of dentures! If she was ever reported as missing, seems like she'd be easy to ID!

I have seen this case on the Clark County Coroner website, and just found this thread on WS tonight. It is very odd for someone so young to have full dentures. And dentures are fairly expensive, so it makes me think that this girl or her parents had money for her dental care. (I'm not sure about dental insurance in the 70's.) I don't have any brilliant ideas, but hate to see this girl go without a name for so long.

 

[reasypeasy]

Extractions and then full dentures can be cheaper than trying to fix multiple rotten teeth. That's why my mother had all her teeth out in the 1940s when she was still in her teens. She didn't have painkiller for the extractions, her parents didn't have enough money for that.

Dentures to span part of a jaw are more expensive than ones that span the whole jaw. A full denture is a simpler piece of work in many ways. Even now, when my mother gets a new set of plastic dentures it costs her less than one porcelain on gold crown and a root canal treatment costs me.

 

[reasypeasy]

Oh and... one of the main reasons full dentures can be cheaper is you don't have to color match existing teeth. You can get expensive full dentures of course, that are matched perfectly to photos of your old teeth, those are expensive. Dentures made of plastic to look like teeth but maybe not so much like your old teeth, that's a lot cheaper.

 

[cats5vegas]

Oh and... one of the main reasons full dentures can be cheaper is you don't have to color match existing teeth. You can get expensive full dentures of course, that are matched perfectly to photos of your old teeth, those are expensive. Dentures made of plastic to look like teeth but maybe not so much like your old teeth, that's a lot cheaper.

Thanks for that information. I'll have to remember that the next time my dentist wants to do expensive work. I think I've personally paid to send his kids to college.

 

[forthelost]

My dentist, when I asked him, said there are some bone conditions that can cause even young children to lose all their teeth. I don't know if those can be tested for by DNA or by anything that might be left of the remains.

 

[LovinTK]

I sat here and questioned myself whether or not to post this because of the dates. I decided that although it's unlikely because LE thinks she went missing in 1980 that there was so little information and she looks so much like the UID that I'd post. There is no mention of her dental records on Charley Project but if anyone agrees with me and wants to submit her just in case it should be an easy rule out if this young woman did not have dentures.

Her name is Bonnie K. Ledford -

<modsnip: broken link/resolved case>

 

[Essbee]

Wow, the Las Vegas UID was only 56" tall! That is only 4'8"! That itself should be a huge clue!!