PA PA - Economy Borough, Beaver Co, WhtFem 40-80, UP13338, embalmed head, gray hair, Dec'14

[dotr]

Wow, seems like that'd be a whole heck of a lot of trouble to go through just to get past retinal scanners. Especially considering that switching your eyes out surgically would almost certainly make you blind!

In "eye transplants," the whole eye is not transplanted, just the cornea. I seriously doubt they could take out a person's eye and hook up a new eye in a way that it works any time soon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corneal_transplantation ***WARNING: PICTURES OF EYEBALL SURGERY***

EDIT: Also, even if someone DID steal this woman's eyeballs for identity-changing purposes, WHY would they then dump the head someplace where someone would find it?

I agree with most people on this thread in that the woman the head belonged to died of natural causes, her eyes were removed legitimately and donated (for corneal transplants) and THEN some rogue person (funeral home worker or whoever) cut off her head.

And I think that they disposed of her head the way they did to make a fuss, to upset people, to freak people out. They're the type of person who would have "dabbled" in "Satanism" as a teenager, to stir up that same variety of negative attention.

Considering it is a head with perfectly coiffed hair and 2 red balls inserted in the eye sockets and tossed at the side of a road, anything is possible.
Not that i am invested in this particular speculation, or think it likely, but keeping an open mind ,some are capable of trying anything, even at huge risk to themselves.
Stowaways in planes and ships come to mind, but surely there must be some at least experimenting or attempting various methods of identity theft, at one time body part theft was considered an urban myth.
imo, speculation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8400222.stm

A Chinese woman managed to enter Japan illegally by having plastic surgery to alter her fingerprints, thus fooling immigration controls, police claim.

Lin Rong, 27, had previously been deported from Japan for overstaying her visa. She was only discovered when she was arrested on separate charges.
Tokyo police said she had paid $15,000 (£9,000) to have the surgery in China.
It is Japan's first case of alleged biometric fraud, but police believe the practice may be widespread.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition

Iris recognition is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques on video images of one or both of the irises of an individual's eyes, whose complex patterns are unique, stable, and can be seen from some distance.

[h=2]Security considerations[/h]As with most other biometric identification technology, a still not satisfactorily solved[SUP][according to whom?][/SUP] problem with iris recognition is the problem of live-tissue verification. The reliability of any biometric identification depends on ensuring that the signal acquired and compared has actually been recorded from a live body part of the person to be identified and is not a manufactured template. Many commercially available iris-recognition systems are easily fooled by presenting a high-quality photograph of a face instead of a real face[SUP][citation needed][/SUP], which makes such devices unsuitable for unsupervised applications, such as door access-control systems. The problem of live-tissue verification is less of a concern in supervised applications (e.g., immigration control), where a human operator supervises the process of taking the picture.
Methods that have been suggested to provide some defence against the use of fake eyes and irises include changing ambient lighting during the identification (switching on a bright lamp), such that the pupillary reflex can be verified and the iris image be recorded at several different pupil diameters; analysing the 2D spatial frequency spectrum of the iris image for the peaks caused by the printer dither patterns found on commercially available fake-iris contact lenses; analysing the temporal frequency spectrum of the image for the peaks caused by computer displays.

 

[dotr]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/15/the-head-with-no-body-and-no-answers.html





A missing person that is mentioned in the article as being a possible match is Tamara “Tammy” Porin.

Wonder if DNA comparison has been completed, and noting that Tammy is a young teen.
Does this mean that if there is no match, the head might not belong to someone elderly at all? imo.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/n...-and-red-rubber-balls-stuffed-in-the-sockets/
Tammy Porin.

 

[jmadonna]

I started a podcast about this case last week. Please listen..share..and enjoy.

Listen to Mason Road Podcast by James Madonna #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/james-madonna/sets/mason-road-podcast

 

[LilacStar79]

An interesting thing I found out recently....

I was delivering a body to a funeral home in PA. The owner graduated mortuary school with one of my co-workers. The PA funeral director had just recently opened up his own funeral home....complete with crematory on premises.

So in PA, you can operate your own private crematory along with your funeral home. Here in NJ, that is prohibited.

This further bolsters my theory that the person who committed this crime works in a funeral home with an attached crematory and is also located in PA.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

An interesting thing I found out recently....

I was delivering a body to a funeral home in PA. The owner graduated mortuary school with one of my co-workers. The PA funeral director had just recently opened up his own funeral home....complete with crematory on premises.

So in PA, you can operate your own private crematory along with your funeral home. Here in NJ, that is prohibited.

This further bolsters my theory that the person who committed this crime works in a funeral home with an attached crematory and is also located in PA.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Special Report: In 2014, a woman’s severed head was found. Who is she?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...vered-head-was-found-who-is-she-idUSKBN1D21B4

 

[LilacStar79]

Excellent article. There have been a number of funeral homes that were busted for illegally harvesting organs. I still believe the lady was embalmed and possibly viewed. The family most likely selected cremation as was the case in these other organ scandal cases.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[dotr]

Special Report: In 2014, a woman’s severed head was found. Who is she?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...vered-head-was-found-who-is-she-idUSKBN1D21B4

So why the red balls?!

But why fill the empty sockets with the red balls? Using cotton to fill the space is cheaper. Red rubber balls, these marked CHINA, “are not used in either the funeral profession or in organ donor networks,” said Kevin Moran, an embalming instructor at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York.

“In my 40 years of doing this, I have never seen that,” he said.

The use of caps in Jane Doe’s eye sockets was “very professional,” Moran said. “And yet part of it is the rubber balls you get with a ball-and-jacks set. It doesn’t make sense.”

The situation also perplexes detective Gall, who hasn’t ruled out another scenario. “Prove to me it’s not a homicide – that she was alive and someone killed her and played with that body,” he said, “including putting the red eyeballs in there.”

rbbm.

 

[LilacStar79]

I can't explain the red balls either. Every single eye enucleation donor I have embalmed came with these in their eyes. They are convex eye caps and resemble plastic contact lenses with rough grooves on them to keep the lids closed.

https://www.affordablefuneralsupply.com/prep-room/sundries/oculist-eye-caps

Now if this woman was part of an illegal organ harvest, my bet is that the organs were procured prior to embalming. Whoever took out the eyes probably used the red balls to mimic the contour of the eyes so as not to raise suspicion. Just my opinion.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Richrd]

http://www.stltoday.com/business/lo...l&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share

 

[madamx]

I just found this thread on the Odd fellows Coffin thread.. I thought that one was weird... this really has got me.. Just when I thought I have seen it all.. I read this whole thread and I cant believe it.. Its so sad and sick at the same time..

But was wondering if they ever mentioned if the woman had any make up, cover up or anything like when they do them for a viewing at a funeral home?
Was there any mention of the woman having pierced ears?
Was there any mention of a time frame of death? And lastly does anyone know if the postmortem was ever released.. Thank you

 

[dotr]

Special Report: A woman’s severed head was found in the woods. Who...
"November 2, 2017
Authorities found a full set of teeth inside the woman’s mouth and took X-rays. Dentists at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine examined the head and determined that work had been done on every single tooth – one of them as many as seven times.

Using one of three teeth they pulled, the dentists also found what they believe to be a filling compound that wasn’t available to dentists before 2004, meaning the woman likely died sometime thereafter. Based on their examination, dentists Raymond Miller and Peter Bush were able to posit a possible profile of Jane Doe: a lower-income woman who had many cavities and may have grown up where the water wasn’t fluoridated.

She probably lacked top-notch dental insurance that would have covered crowns, but may have had a cheaper plan that paid for fillings, Miller said. The work on her mouth was what Miller called “patchwork dentistry,” in which problems are addressed only when necessary. Still, the work was well done, both dentists agreed.

“Somebody took good care of her,” Miller said. “Every tooth is filled or fixed in her mouth.” The extent of that work would make her “an easy ID if we had any kind of information about her.”

"They examined isotopes from oxygen molecules that remained in the woman’s teeth and hair to determine where Jane Doe may have spent her last few months. The answer, not surprisingly, included the region near where her head was found and stretches into surrounding states, including West Virginia.

But the analysis of the isotopes also indicated that she did not live in Beaver County in the months before her death. Toxicology tests also suggest the woman may have suffered from chronic pain and that paramedics tried to resuscitate her around the time of her death. Authorities believe she was older than 50 when she died."
Do you recognize this woman, or know how she came to be left in the woods in Economy, Pennsylvania? Help us solve the mystery.

Reuters hotline: 401-702-4323

Reuters email: tips@reuters.com

Economy Police Department: 724-869-7877"

 

[dotr]

Woman's severed head still a mystery, three years after discovery

REUTERS
Red rubber balls were used to replace the eyes in the woman's head.

ECONOMY BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT
An X-ray of the woman's skull shows the cervical vertebrae had been removed

 

[whereareyou]

Toxicology tests also suggest the woman may have suffered from chronic pain and that paramedics tried to resuscitate her around the time of her death

This case is so strange to me?!?!

 

[margarita25]

Woman's severed head still a mystery, three years after discovery

REUTERS
Red rubber balls were used to replace the eyes in the woman's head.

ECONOMY BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT
An X-ray of the woman's skull shows the cervical vertebrae had been removed

What on earth? Not sure if I want to follow here or not...

 

[madamx]

Special Report: A woman’s severed head was found in the woods. Who...
"November 2, 2017
Authorities found a full set of teeth inside the woman’s mouth and took X-rays. Dentists at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine examined the head and determined that work had been done on every single tooth – one of them as many as seven times.

Using one of three teeth they pulled, the dentists also found what they believe to be a filling compound that wasn’t available to dentists before 2004, meaning the woman likely died sometime thereafter. Based on their examination, dentists Raymond Miller and Peter Bush were able to posit a possible profile of Jane Doe: a lower-income woman who had many cavities and may have grown up where the water wasn’t fluoridated.

She probably lacked top-notch dental insurance that would have covered crowns, but may have had a cheaper plan that paid for fillings, Miller said. The work on her mouth was what Miller called “patchwork dentistry,” in which problems are addressed only when necessary. Still, the work was well done, both dentists agreed.

“Somebody took good care of her,” Miller said. “Every tooth is filled or fixed in her mouth.” The extent of that work would make her “an easy ID if we had any kind of information about her.”

"They examined isotopes from oxygen molecules that remained in the woman’s teeth and hair to determine where Jane Doe may have spent her last few months. The answer, not surprisingly, included the region near where her head was found and stretches into surrounding states, including West Virginia.

But the analysis of the isotopes also indicated that she did not live in Beaver County in the months before her death. Toxicology tests also suggest the woman may have suffered from chronic pain and that paramedics tried to resuscitate her around the time of her death. Authorities believe she was older than 50 when she died."
Do you recognize this woman, or know how she came to be left in the woods in Economy, Pennsylvania? Help us solve the mystery.

Reuters hotline: 401-702-4323

Reuters email: tips@reuters.com

Economy Police Department: 724-869-7877"

I noticed The photo in the article of the head in the woods. The hair looks like it's the color of all the fallen dried leaves on the ground. To me looks like light brown with grey mix. Not all grey likely they keep mentioning. And again mentions a clay reconstruction . Has anyone seen that?

 

[dotr]

I noticed The photo in the article of the head in the woods. The hair looks like it's the color of all the fallen dried leaves on the ground. To me looks like light brown with grey mix. Not all grey likely they keep mentioning. And again mentions a clay reconstruction . Has anyone seen that?

Investigators determine location of 'Jane Doe' before her death

Forensic artist creates faces, helps to solve mysteries

"Even though she’s rather recognizable, you can’t put her visage on the television. So we have to find a more palatable way to present it to the public,” Vitali said of the woman.

She has created present-day and age-regression drawings of the woman, as well as a clay model of her present-day appearance. She is currently working on an age-regression clay model, as well.

Sometimes people have a more prominent feature or recognizable profile that a drawing wouldn’t necessarily capture, Vitali said.

Vitali stressed that when forensic artists create sketches and models, they aim for a family resemblance. Sometimes proportions may be a bit off, or there may be some disfiguration the artist has to work around.

“We’re not looking for a portrait, but something to jog recognition in the public,” she said. “Some things are spot on, but the whole picture can’t be.”

 

[madamx]

Investigators determine location of 'Jane Doe' before her death

Forensic artist creates faces, helps to solve mysteries

"Even though she’s rather recognizable, you can’t put her visage on the television. So we have to find a more palatable way to present it to the public,” Vitali said of the woman.

She has created present-day and age-regression drawings of the woman, as well as a clay model of her present-day appearance. She is currently working on an age-regression clay model, as well.

Sometimes people have a more prominent feature or recognizable profile that a drawing wouldn’t necessarily capture, Vitali said.

Vitali stressed that when forensic artists create sketches and models, they aim for a family resemblance. Sometimes proportions may be a bit off, or there may be some disfiguration the artist has to work around.

“We’re not looking for a portrait, but something to jog recognition in the public,” she said. “Some things are spot on, but the whole picture can’t be.”

Thank you dotr for finding this!!! Sadly Still has not gotten any closer because I doubt she is a missing person BUT you never know.
It's sad if she did have a wake and funeral (hence her fixed hair) and is someone's mom, sister, aunt, wife, cousin or neighbor. This really bothers me because looks like an old lady with coiffed hair which reminded me of my mom. I would be devastated to know this happened to her head!!
I was actually looking Trough obits in PA from 2014. But even if I do find one. How do you even find any further info from there. This is sad and frustrating.

 

[madamx]

Not that it helps in identification but this article is interesting and mentions Paramedics using human heads https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bu...odies-almost-anyone-can-sell-the-dead-2017-10

 

[GJKJR]

This case is just odd. I doubt they were a missing person or anything along those lines. From what I can tell, the theory that the head was severed after the viewing and potential eye donation (don't know how the Chinese balls came in, though? Did they run out of other material to fill the eyes with? I don't have much experience with funeral homes so I don't particularly understand) and before cremation would make the most sense (IMO) given the styled hair and embalming.

I imagine this person had to have had an obituary or death record of some kind if they were receiving medication and in a funeral home, so I've been looking recently on Ancestry for people who were 1) born in the general region suggested by the isotope analysis, 2) died in the region suggested by the isotope analysis (I mainly looked for people in Erie, Mercer, Crawford, Lawrence County because those counties have major roads leading to Economy, but this is, of course, a theory), 3) looked like the Jane Doe.

I spent a few hours looking and I've only seen four people who I believe look anything like the Jane Doe. I will not share any of the names for privacy reasons and because I feel that it would be disrespectful (possibly a violation of Websleuths Terms as well?). There's one person who has a pretty good resemblance to the Jane Doe in my opinion, but, as before, I will not share their name.

I think one of the big obstacles here (ignoring the circumstances, which are unknown and quite split depending on the person you ask) is just trying to narrow down the region Jane Doe was in when she passed away. The 3 month-death area based on isotope analysis is *huge*. The file attached shows only part of where Jane Doe could have been in the last 3 months of her life; the full area includes much of Indiana and quite a few other states as well. The star is Economy. Attempting to go through obituary and death records for this large an area would be a massive undertaking that I imagine would prove quite hard. The only way to potentially narrow it down that I know of is through the major roads that go through the area, but these only give a very, very rough estimate of where she could have passed away that could also easily be wrong. Keep in mind that isotope analysis is not always perfect, but given where she was found and the area in which she was for much of her life, I think it's a pretty good bet to say that this area is a reasonable guess for where Jane Doe passed away.