Identified! NV - Reno, WhtFem 35-45, UP7713, 'Oakridge 1992' ring, plate in jaw left side, Jun'97 - Lorena Gayle Mosley

[imstilla.grandma]

Who is Washoe County Jane Doe (1997)?

 

[Teamir]

How about Maria Giovanna Evangelista?
Our UI was wearing a heavier coat and Maria’s date of last contact was Jan 27, 1997. Missing from CA.
Height 5’ 2”
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Essbee]

Re: Maria Giovanna Evangelista, I hate when there is no information other than the name and bare bones demographics of the missing person. When I look under "Circumstance Notes" and click the link provided, the link is dead. So there is no info at all on this woman!

Here's a link that I just found. Says she had flown from Montreal to San Francisco just about 10 days before she went missing. It says that she "didn't want to return" to a psychiatric hospital in Montreal, but doesn't say whether she was a patient or an employee.

MISSING: Maria Giovanna Evangelista - 1997 - Montréal, QC — CANADA UNSOLVED

On January 27, 1997, 36-year-old Maria Giovanna Evangelista called her mother with some news. She was going to California. Ten days later, she vanished.

www.canadaunsolved.com

Physically, I see a resemblance to the clay model of the UID. Good find!

 

[megs1477]

I thought maybe I could find the ring owner and trace from there... I found 3 possibilities based on the initials and school.
The first person I looked up, has a very unusual name, and is a popular video game developer who was publicly fired in 2020.Their public information seems to have been scrubbed from the internet.
The second person has a warrant for a failure to appear on a traffic related case in 1998 and looks like they have left the state.
The third went to college in-state, graduated in 1996 and headed to the east coast in the early 2000s.

 

[Laughing]

I thought maybe I could find the ring owner and trace from there... I found 3 possibilities based on the initials and school.
The first person I looked up, has a very unusual name, and is a popular video game developer who was publicly fired in 2020.Their public information seems to have been scrubbed from the internet.
The second person has a warrant for a failure to appear on a traffic related case in 1998 and looks like they have left the state.
The third went to college in-state, graduated in 1996 and headed to the east coast in the early 2000s.

Since LE states the ring was stolen -- iirc this is detailed upthread -- didn't LE contact the owner?

iirc the upthread theft report provides location/jurisdiction of the burglary.

But -- we don't know if this decedent was involved in the robbery, later befriended a robber, bought the ring in a pawn shop or thrift store....

FOI for the report on the burglary/theft, perhaps?

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[megs1477]

Since LE states the ring was stolen -- iirc this is detailed upthread -- didn't LE contact the owner?

iirc the upthread theft report provides location/jurisdiction of the burglary.

But -- we don't know if this decedent was involved in the robbery, later befriended a robber, bought the ring in a pawn shop or thrift store....

FOI for the report on the burglary/theft, perhaps?

jmho ymmv lrr

I am sure they contacted the owner. I was going for the longshot since my insomnia was in full force.
I figured there had to be some degrees of separation between the two.
I found it interesting that all three possibilities had left the area.
I am not sure how to put in a FOIA for the ring without the owners name. If anyone has any suggestions, I am happy to do it.

 

[dotr]

Oct 31 2023 rbbm

Investigators Working to Solve 1997 Cold Case

Washoe County is working to solve a cold case and are trying to identify a Jane Doe. In June of 1997, the remains of an unidentified woman were found buried in a shallow grave in Reno. Detectives estimated they belonged to a white woman between the age of 35 and 45. She was five foot two inches tall

www.kkoh.com

''Washoe County is working to solve a cold case and are trying to identify a Jane Doe. In June of 1997, the remains of an unidentified woman were found buried in a shallow grave in Reno. Detectives estimated they belonged to a white woman between the age of 35 and 45. She was five foot two inches tall and had brown hair at the time of her death. Investigators say that during her life, the left side of her mandible was broken and then repaired by the placement of a metal plate. A facial reconstruction has been created to try and help identify her.''

 

[Laughing]

That's a prominent chin on that reconstruction imho.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators noted that during the woman's life, the left side of her mandible was fractured and repaired by the placement of a metal plate.

Washoe County medical examiner utilizes advanced DNA technology in renewed bid to identify woman from 1997 cold case

The Washoe CountyRegional Medical Examiner’s Office is trying to identify a woman who was found in a shallow grave in Reno in 1997.In June 1997, the remains o

mynews4.com

 

[Rgonzalez]

Silly question but Have they ruled out Terri Fourcher? Here is a fact: Terri Fourcher was last seen less than five miles away from Hoge road which is where this ui was found. Terri went missing Aug 1996 and at the time had brown hair. 5'3 and her jaw looks either crooked or she has a case of underbite which maybe could be the result of jaw surgery or reason to get jaw surgery...and her dentals are available!

 

[Rgonzalez]

Her Namus entry lists the following exclusions:

The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Susan Adams 1947 Idaho
Jodi Huisentruit 1968 Iowa
Sarah Norfleet 1975 Utah
Patricia Schmidt 1964 Virginia
Nadine Timm 1935 Illinois

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Have they ruled out Terri Fourcher for the reno ui female 1997

 

[DS2021]

First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Susan Adams 1947 Idaho
Jodi Huisentruit 1968 Iowa
Sarah Norfleet 1975 Utah
Patricia Schmidt 1964 Virginia
Nadine Timm 1935 Illinois
Sandra Butler 1978 Nevada
Barbara Siegel 1994 Nevada

 

[DS2021]

Have they ruled out Terri Fourcher for the reno ui female 1997

No thet have not

 

[teo4all]

Medical Examiner identifies deceased woman from 1997 | Washoe Life

washoelife.washoecounty.gov

 

[Lubilu]

Medical Examiner identifies deceased woman from 1997 | Washoe Life

washoelife.washoecounty.gov

So glad that her name and identity has been restored to her, even if her full story has not. Rest in peace, Lorena.

 

[Alleykins]

RIP Lorena. So glad you got your name back.

 

[Alleykins]

According to the article, it sounds like Lorena had (pre-mortem) fingerprints on file somewhere. They don't appear to have been in AFIS, as they were paper records. Article doesn't state what agency held them. However, from what I gather from the article, with a lead generated by FGG, investigators learned of their existence. With the help of the FBI, they matched Lorena's fingerprints with the ones they had in the system from her postmortem. So this was truly a group effort from different agencies. It's amazing how all of these methods can work together, the old fashioned and the new tech, to identify remains.

I can't help lament, though, that had those pre-mortem fingerprints been digitized, there's a good chance she could have been identified decades ago, saving time and money, but mostly years of suffering from her family not knowing.

Once again, great job, @othram, and everyone who assisted.

 

[heartanium]

Lorena was born in Seattle, Washington on January 30, 1956 to Robert Lee Sherwood (1923-1992) and Isabella Annie Linton.



Looks like she was living in Reno since about 1996, previous addresses in Kent, WA and Renton, WA. She was married in 1989 in King County, WA. Her husband died in 2000 in Washington.



Very happy to see she has her name back, may she rest in peace

 

[othram]

SOLVED: Who is Washoe County Jane Doe (1997)?

 

[dotr]

Washoe County identifies deceased woman from 1997

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a woman who was found dead in Washoe County in June 1997

www.kolotv.com

''Lorena Gayle Mosley, also known as Lorena Gayle Sherwood, was 41 years old at the time of her death and was identified thanks to a partnership between the Medical Examiner’s Office and Othram Inc. Othram identified Mosley by comparing her DNA profile to profiles uploaded to consumer genealogical databases consented for law enforcement use.

Mosley’s body was found buried beneath rocks in a rural area of Washoe County on June 9, 1997, by rock climbers.

An autopsy was performed but, due to the severely decomposed nature of the body, a cause of death could not be determined. Her death was ruled a homicide due to the circumstances, according to Washoe County.

Mosley’s next of kin was notified is now able to claim her remains.''