PA PA - Uniontown, WhtFem 30-45, UP16509, in big rig accident, cigs, keychain, clothes, jewelry, May'86

[necco]

Given the information at tatertot's link, it might also be possible that she climbed into the coils of wire somewhere and was riding in there. Not likely, I know, but desperate people have travelled in more dangerous ways. That would also explain how she ended up under the coils.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yep, could happen.
I spoke to someone (not with LE) who said that the thought is that she hitched a ride with the driver at a truck stop somewhere. There is not much possibility that she is local.

Since this is in my area and I have done what I could with Mr. Bones (DNA has been or will soon be taken from living relatives of PMB), I think I'll concentrate on this case.

If we knew where the truck was coming from and going to we might map truck stops along the way to get started.

Anyone want to take a guess at her ethnic background? Asian? Hispanic? African-American? Part of one or more of the above?
Having isotope testing done to determine where she grew up would be great but is probably not going to happen.

This correlates with my first impression. No disrespect to the deceased, but my first thought was that she was a truck stop working girl. The darker dye along the hairline leads me to believe she is closer to the higher end of the age range. I say backtrack his route to every truck stop cafe and you will find someone who remembers her.
She does look peaceful in her eternal sleep. RIP Passenger.

 

[necco]

Yep, could happen.
I spoke to someone (not with LE) who said that the thought is that she hitched a ride with the driver at a truck stop somewhere. There is not much possibility that she is local.

Since this is in my area and I have done what I could with Mr. Bones (DNA has been or will soon be taken from living relatives of PMB), I think I'll concentrate on this case.

If we knew where the truck was coming from and going to we might map truck stops along the way to get started.

Anyone want to take a guess at her ethnic background? Asian? Hispanic? African-American? Part of one or more of the above?
Having isotope testing done to determine where she grew up would be great but is probably not going to happen.

She looks to be of European descent to me, am I missing something?

 

[Marie]

She looks to be of European descent to me, am I missing something?

I agree strongly with you on that. She looks hauntingly like my own mother who also had dark brown hair and eyes.

I think finding out how far off his route the driver was (as stated on Pennsylvania missing) is first priority and would be most helpful in pinpointing where this woman was picked up or heading to. Very curious as to why he would leave his normal and expected route and go to Fayette county PA.

I can't access a map at this moment but Sparrows Point MD to Richmond KY was his route. But he ends up crashing 15 miles South of Uniontown PA, on Route 119 in Springhill township. I think we could be confident that she joined the driver before he diverged from the expected route. And that he probably wouldn't have been willing to take her to a location that would have delayed him by much.

She has house keys but no ID, that suggests she wasn't far from wherever the keys fit and didn't expect to be gone long enough or far enough away to need proof of name/residence. However, I'm of her generation and didn't need or have official id until I was 19 and got a driver's license.

No purse also suggest she has nearby ties. Not taking a purse suggests not wanting to be bothered with it's bulk. Take my keys, my cigarettes and head out the door; be back soon. Earn the $ found or bring it with me. A runaway would bring her purse.

No car keys, so how does she get to where the driver picks her up? Where is he taking her when he crashes? Truck stop and rest area prostitutes wouldn't normally leave those places and truckers have no need to leave their routes to find one. Runaway, hitchhiker, working girl, stow away?

I see prostitute as unlikely (at least with this particular trucker - the large amount of cash could mean she had been working earlier) due to the above paragraph reasons and due to them being off route and in a moving truck. Runaway unlikely due to her age and no purse and having the house keys on her. Could the trucker have been taking her home or to wherever she was going with that cash?

As for her hair dye - to me it looks to be growing out and the darker color closest to her head is natural. If she's listed anywhere it could be with dark blond, red or brown hair description depending on who filed the report.

 

[Woodland]

I don't see any cargo debris on the road or in the ditch in the photos from the accident site. One photo shows the rear trailer doors to be closed while on it's side in the ditch.

So if she was under the coils (cargo) that points to her being in the trailer at the time of the accident, yet the first article says she was found under the trailer (in the ditch). That's a big difference.

Was the lack of info from LE at the time designed to protect the drivers family from why she was in the truck? Sad.

 

[buffetoflies]

http://pennsylvaniamissing.com/springhilljane5286.html

Do we know what the slogan engraved on the tag in her possession said?

 

[nerosleuth]

Here's a map of the route going from Sparrow Point, Maryland to Richmond, Kentucky.

The route map has the trucker going thru the Baltimore area before reaching I-70 outside of Baltimore. He would have went west on I-70 going to Cumberland, MD and then going west on I-70 in Cumberland going towards Morgantown, WV.

In Morgantown, he would have went south on I-79 going towards Charleston, WV.

In Charleston, he would have went west on I-64 going towards Winchester, KY.

In Winchester, he could have went south on KY 627 taking that route to connect with I-75 and going south on I-75 towards Richmond, KY.

It is also possible that his driving route could have required him to take I-64 to Lexington, KY and then taking I-75 south to Richmond from Lexington rather than taking KY 627 from Winchester to Richmond.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Nancy M. has written a profile for this Jane Doe, complete with information about where the truck was headed, vitals, etc. According to her update today on the Facebook page for her Pennsylvania Missing Persons website, she found the additional information on newspaperarchive.com:

Pennsylvania Missing Persons and Unidentified Victims

Dedicated to promoting public awareness of Pennsylvanias missing and unidentified persons.

web.archive.org

OK thanks, that clears some things up. If she was found among the coils no way was she in the cab. She may have been a stowaway. I am very familiar with the route and the area of the crash. It happened about 4:30 AM so he may have fallen asleep. The logical route would have been I70 to I68 at Hancock, then I68 to I79 at Morgantown, then I79 to Kentucky. For him to be where he was, there was some reason to avoid I68, possibly construction. The next logical route was to stay on I70 to New Stanton, then US119 south to the crash site, which is near Smithfield. I know the curve well.

I go with the working girl/ stowaway hypothesis. After all, at some point a truck gets you to another truck stop.
Truck stops along the route are concentrated in Hancock, Breezewood, and New Stanton. Others are scattered along the way.


Trucks stop to eat, fuel up, and sleep. His fuel receipts might tell us where she got on

 

[nerosleuth]

So if she was under the coils (cargo) that points to her being in the trailer at the time of the accident, yet the first article says she was found under the trailer (in the ditch). That's a big difference.

Yes, that is indeed a big difference here. I suspect that her body likely would have been crushed if she was found under the trailer.

But if she was found under the coils inside the trailer, it raises the question of whether or not she was a stowaway inside the trailer. It is possible that the truck driver may not have been aware of a stowaway inside his trailer.

The real question here is why the truck driver was going on US 119 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. That has him going northeast of Morgantown, West Virginia and going in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to take his cargo to Richmond, Kentucky.

The truck driver was going from Sparrow Point, Maryland to Richmond, Kentucky. Sparrow point is a suburb on the eastern part of Baltimore. Richmond, Kentucky is twenty miles south of Lexington, Kentucky on I-75.

I'm curious as to what the ME had in the autopsy report regarding the truck driver and the unid female.

 

[Woodland]

If the UID was a stowaway in the trailer, how did she close and latch the doors when she got inside? Is that possible? The second photo clearly shows the latches - left unlatched?

Was the driver transporting this young woman somewhere? For money?

There are no skid marks visible in the photos - a very hard landing for those inside. And no marks on her face? Imo, we don't know all there is to know.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Do we know what the slogan engraved on the tag in her possession said?

Sounds like LE is holding that back.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

If the UID was a stowaway in the trailer, how did she close and latch the doors when she got inside? Is that possible? The second photo clearly shows the latches - left unlatched?

Was the driver transporting this young woman somewhere? For money?

There are no skid marks visible in the photos - a very hard landing for those inside. And no marks on her face? Imo, we don't know all there is to know.

I don't believe you can latch those doors from the inside. A stowaway would have to sneak aboard and have someone else latch it. Could also have been left unlatched.

The truck crashed while traveling south, towards Morgantown.

 

[Marie]

The real question here is why the truck driver was going on US 119 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. That has him going northeast of Morgantown, West Virginia and going in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to take his cargo to Richmond, Kentucky.

The truck driver was going from Sparrow Point, Maryland to Richmond, Kentucky. Sparrow point is a suburb on the eastern part of Baltimore. Richmond, Kentucky is twenty miles south of Lexington, Kentucky on I-75.

I'm curious as to what the ME had in the autopsy report regarding the truck driver and the unid female.

Snipped.

Yes, that part bothers me. What was he doing off route?

Someone said there are two articles, each stating something different: one that she was IN the coils, the other that she was UNDER the coils. Are there links or copies of the articles that I can read? Thanks.

I do know that some (all?) trucking companies have strict rules about no passengers in the cab. I know this because I know someone who sued a trucking company because the driver had a passenger and there was an accident resulting in death. If this woman was in the back, it's possible he knew and 'hid' her there to avoid being caught breaking company rules.

How old was he, anyone know?

 

[nerosleuth]

I don't believe you can latch those doors from the inside. A stowaway would have to sneak aboard and have someone else latch it. Could also have been left unlatched.

The truck crashed while traveling south, towards Morgantown.

If he took I-70 in Pennsylvania to say avoid road construction on I-68, that could explain why he took US 119 going towards Morgantown. He would have been on the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Breezewood and New Stanton on that section of I-70.

But if there wasn't any road construction on I-68, then why would he go on the Pennsylvania Turnpike? I thought truckers try to avoid toll roads if they can.

One thing I do know is that before a tractor trailer with cargo leaves a warehouse, factory, or trucking terminal, a metal band with serial numbers on the band is supposed to be placed on the outside door latch. The metal band acts as a security seal. The seal is broken after the cargo is delivered to the customer at its intended destination.

If the seal is broken anytime after the cargo leaves its starting point and before it arrived at its intended destination, it would indicate to the customer that the trailer door had been open during transit and the cargo could possibly be compromised.

So if the tractor trailer had a metal band on the outdoor door latch after it left Sparrow Point, then the stowaway would have to sneak aboard the trailer in Maryland.

But if the tractor trailer didn't have a metal band after it left Sparrow Point, then the stowaway would have sneaked aboard the trailer somewhere in Maryland or Pennsylvania.

I don't think there are any tractor trailers out there that have a latch inside the doors.

 

[Woodland]

Thank-you for the info on the metal bands nerosleuth - did not know that. LE knows the answer to that, as well as were the latches closed or open when the rig crashed. I'm thinking latched properly as one rear door is slightly ajar at the top with no visible cargo spill.

If this UID was in the trailer, under the cargo, and was pulled out deceased but not banged up enough to hide her features, could she have already been deceased at the time of the accident? The ME and lead investigator would know that with what the actual COD was.

What I'm slightly leaning towards is, was she covered in something heavy or even concealed inside something where the cargo did not damage her face?

 

[nerosleuth]

If this UID was in the trailer, under the cargo, and was pulled out deceased but not banged up enough to hide her features, could she have already been deceased at the time of the accident?

Yes, it is possible that she could have been deceased long before the accident happened on the highway.

If that is the case, then it is possible that somebody could have concealed her body inside the trailer and the truck driver didn't know anything about it.

I say the LE and the ME does know the answer as to how long the unid female was deceased and how she died.

As for the lack of tire skid marks on the highway, I wonder if the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel or had an medical emergency, such as a heart attack.

 

[Woodland]

I agree the driver nodded off or had a medical emergency. The rig does not look like it was traveling very fast when it veered off the road - no marks from momentum carrying it forward along the ground and it missed that big tree very close by.

Inching along a little bit further, there is the matter of crossing a state line with what appears to be a concealed person in the rig. Can't imagine why the UID could not find her own way from say north Maryland into south Pennsylvania (possibly within PA) without being concealed. Which brings me back to already deceased. And the driver off his route. With a concealed person with no ID. And not much publicity. And not in Namus? Makes me a little dizzy.

To me, this person has make-up on in the morgue photo. A face powder or cream - it seems to be partly covering her lower lip. Is that bruising on her cheeks under the make-up, and a smaller mark near her mouth on her right side? One needs circulation for bruising to appear, no?

 

[CarlK90245]

If this UID was in the trailer, under the cargo, and was pulled out deceased but not banged up enough to hide her features, could she have already been deceased at the time of the accident? The ME and lead investigator would know that with what the actual COD was.

It would have been easy to tell if she was deceased before the accident. The lividity patterns would have indicated that she was lying in two separate positions after her death.

 

[Pendergast]

Hello all, I believe she was walking the road when he came around the corner and tried to miss her but ended up putting the rig in the ditch on top of her. All major injuries appear to be to the body as we only see face and not body or clothes she was wearing. As to why was he there at all is anybody's guess maybe he was avoiding construction, accident, or even any weigh stations. I was born in Uniontown and was adopted at 6 months. I do not know who my biological family is and have been living in the GA/SC area for 23 years. I saw this cold case as a friend of mine from GA shared it with another good friend who lives in SC. Neither of the friends have lived in the PA area and neither knew I was born in Uniontown but I saw the photo and was curious. After reading and learning this happened in Uniontown when I was 17 I noticed a little likeness between her and I. Everyone who I have shown the photo to has said she could be a relative. One person joked is that you in a wig before realizing the situation. I will post a photo of myself later tonight and you fellow sleuthers can give me your opinion. Thanks

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Hello all, I believe she was walking the road when he came around the corner and tried to miss her but ended up putting the rig in the ditch on top of her. All major injuries appear to be to the body as we only see face and not body or clothes she was wearing. As to why was he there at all is anybody's guess maybe he was avoiding construction, accident, or even any weigh stations. I was born in Uniontown and was adopted at 6 months. I do not know who my biological family is and have been living in the GA/SC area for 23 years. I saw this cold case as a friend of mine from GA shared it with another good friend who lives in SC. Neither of the friends have lived in the PA area and neither knew I was born in Uniontown but I saw the photo and was curious. After reading and learning this happened in Uniontown when I was 17 I noticed a little likeness between her and I. Everyone who I have shown the photo to has said she could be a relative. One person joked is that you in a wig before realizing the situation. I will post a photo of myself later tonight and you fellow sleuthers can give me your opinion. Thanks

Hi Pendergast,
She does not seem to have been local, at least no one has ever recognized her in all this time. And it is unlikely that someone would be walking along that highway at 4:30 AM, there are few houses, no bars or stores. But anything is possible I guess.
I live in Uniontown and know everyone. You and I were probably born in the same hospital. There is only one.
I'd like to see that pic.