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

[Cubby]

Found this

Pennsylvania Missing Persons and Unidentified Victims

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

web.archive.org

 

[Cubby]

8

I am trying to get a copy of the accident report. It is old enough that it is not in the present system.

I may have some other avenues to get a few tidbits that might help us.

The tax stamp would be useful but as someone said, probably gone.

One possible strategy; Take printout of particulars of the case to LE between Uniontown and Willow Point. If she was a "working girl" who worked the truck stops, maybe she was arrested at some point and someone would remember her if they were around back then.

Anyone else have ideas/additions on how to go about this?

If they were able to get finger prints from the UID they can be checked in AFIS. The detective handling the case should get her into NamUs and check for info on fingerprints.

Still catching up on the thread.

 

[Cubby]

I just can't wrap my head around a female going far from home with no purse, no hair brush, no anything.

Could be she was a partier and didn't carry a purse because she'd lose it, forget it, or was concerned about being ripped off. A cigarette pack is much easier to carry in a pocket, than to worry about a purse.

 

[Coco'sMommy]

Three facts stick out at me:

1) She was found under the coils being hauled in the LOAD portion of the rig, NOT IN THE CAB.

2) The accident site was NOT on his planned route.

3) She was not KNOWN to be with him on his departure. Was she already dead and hidden in the coils being hauled?

Strontium testing would help determine whether she was a native of the area from which Richards, the trucker, departed. I doubt they'd be willing to do that at this time due to cost.

 

[mrseeker]

Three facts stick out at me:

1) She was found under the coils being hauled in the LOAD portion of the rig, NOT IN THE CAB.

2) The accident site was NOT on his planned route.

3) She was not KNOWN to be with him on his departure. Was she already dead and hidden in the coils being hauled?

Strontium testing would help determine whether she was a native of the area from which Richards, the trucker, departed. I doubt they'd be willing to do that at this time due to cost.

#3 is an interesting thought. Also she could have hidden there herself - stowaway kind of thing. I looked at the route and it does not appear too far off the beaten path. Did they ever release the cause of death? Was it consistent with the accident?

 

[Fukiyama]

Three facts stick out at me:

1) She was found under the coils being hauled in the LOAD portion of the rig, NOT IN THE CAB.

2) The accident site was NOT on his planned route.

3) She was not KNOWN to be with him on his departure. Was she already dead and hidden in the coils being hauled?

Strontium testing would help determine whether she was a native of the area from which Richards, the trucker, departed. I doubt they'd be willing to do that at this time due to cost.

But didn't someone Magnum PE talked to state she was confirmed to be a passenger? I will have to go back and find that post. Others have posted as well that her being ejected from the cab and ending up where she did would not be too outlandish.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

But didn't someone Magnum PE talked to state she was confirmed to be a passenger? I will have to go back and find that post. Others have posted as well that her being ejected from the cab and ending up where she did would not be too outlandish.

I believe I spoke to the trooper then in charge of the case (since retired) and he said that they believed she had been a passenger in the cab and was ejected.
I never found out what they meant by "found among the coils". Maybe found among the coiled air hoses, the ones between the cab and trailer? It does not look like the cargo of coils ever left the trailer.
The idea that her dead body was put in the trailer by someone and then was later involved in an accident is possible but stretches credulity, to the point where credulity is creaking. Anything is possible, but let's use Occam's Razor.

Thanks to those of you who migrated here from the Kimberly McLean case. We can solve this. I have not looked for her on missing persons sites in a long time so we can start by checking to see if someone who matches her vitals and time since LKA has been added. Let's each pick a state, starting with Maryland and Pa., two states we know the truck traveled through. Then states we know the truck was going to go through WVa. and Ky. Then everywhere else, nearest states first.u

 

[mrseeker]

I believe I spoke to the trooper then in charge of the case (since retired) and he said that they believed she had been a passenger in the cab and was ejected.
I never found out what they meant by "found among the coils". Maybe found among the coiled air hoses, the ones between the cab and trailer? It does not look like the cargo of coils ever left the trailer.
The idea that her dead body was put in the trailer by someone and then was later involved in an accident is possible but stretches credulity, to the point where credulity is creaking. Anything is possible, but let's use Occam's Razor.

Thanks to those of you who migrated here from the Kimberly McLean case. We can solve this. I have not looked for her on missing persons sites in a long time so we can start by checking to see if someone who matches her vitals and time since LKA has been added. Let's each pick a state, starting with Maryland and Pa., two states we know the truck traveled through. Then states we know the truck was going to go through WVa. and Ky. Then everywhere else, nearest states first.u

Was there any info on tattoos, or scars etc? Do you think she really was traveling without any other property or was it most likely missed in the accident scene?

 

[StarrChance]

Interesting when I looked for mini handcuff key chains (as items with her) the one that came up in 1986 was a newspaper advertisement titled "boys life"
https://books.google.com.au/books?i...onepage&q=mini handcuff keychain 1986&f=false

Just strange it fits in with the manlike clothing at the time.

ETA That article was for a Michigan company, but I suppose they were sold everywhere.

 

[StarrChance]

In the same vein some info on the cigarette brand she had on her.

24.1% of smokers used Marlboro -

Cigarette Brand Use among Adult Smokers -- United States, 1986

In 1986, the 12 most commonly named brands of cigarettes smoked were used by 74.7% of all current smokers and accounted for 72.6% of the cigarette market (3) (Table 1, page 671). Marlboro, Winston, Salem, Kool, and Newport--the top five brands smoked--were used by 52.0% of current smokers and accounted for 52.1% of the cigarette market. The percentage of smokers who reported using Marlboro (24.1%) was more than double the percentage who reported using Winston (9.6%), the next most commonly named brand (these findings were also consistent with known market share patterns (3)).

Marlboro seen as a "male" brand

Several brands have been marketed primarily or exclusively to women (9); for example, Virginia Slims (used by 5.3% of female smokers) advertising promotes the image of the independent or "liberated" female smoker. However, more than one quarter of female smokers use either Marlboro (19.4%) or Winston (7.5%), which have been depicted primarily as "male brands"; some women may smoke "male brands" because of the implication of gender equality (10).

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001783.htm

 

[Fukiyama]

One thing about the trailer and the cargo: I know some trailers do not have solid ceilings. Is it possible the coils inside ripped through whatever the top consisted of when the trailer went on its side, rolling out and taking Jane Doe along for the ride? The photos of the crash don't make it clear if there is any debris coming out of the top judging by the angle and how deep the ditch looks. Just another thought on the coils.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Was there any info on tattoos, or scars etc? Do you think she really was traveling without any other property or was it most likely missed in the accident scene?

No info on tattoos or scars. One could imagine a wallet or something flying off into the trees during the accident, never to be found again. I have no idea how well the scene was searched or where the wrecked truck ended up.

FWIW, when I asked my SO for a reason a woman would be out with with only a key and money in a cigarette pack, she said she probably did not expect to be away from home for long.

I would like to see what that key fob had inscribed on it. If initials, they can be used to search on ancestry.com for an unaccounted for woman of the right age.

 

[MizKim]

Maybe she was LGBT. I'm going to throw this out there. I had a coworker who was LGBT. In the 5 years that we worked together, I saw her carry a purse 5 times for a yearly event that she also wore the dress I saw her in 5 times. In our business casual office she wore khaki or docker style pants and a button down shirt daily. Nothing with soft feminine touches. She kept her money in a small case in her back pocket and also a small comb. Keys kept in a pocket also.

 

[mrseeker]

No info on tattoos or scars. One could imagine a wallet or something flying off into the trees during the accident, never to be found again. I have no idea how well the scene was searched or where the wrecked truck ended up.

FWIW, when I asked my SO for a reason a woman would be out with with only a key and money in a cigarette pack, she said she probably did not expect to be away from home for long.

I would like to see what that key fob had inscribed on it. If initials, they can be used to search on ancestry.com for an unaccounted for woman of the right age.

If she was homeless she might not have a purse. Perhaps she even had a campsite somewhere and was riding into town. I don't think the route is way off the path, but maybe the driver agreed to the small detour. She had quite a bit of money with her though. Seems more than one would need for a normal day. I think it might be all she had. so she either did not have a place of her own, or felt it necessary to carry her money with her because it might be stolen if she didn't. I am thinking her stuff got mixed up in the crash scene and was discarded. They didn't find her right away. I have never smoked, but was it common to use a pack of cigs to hold money? Is that also a sign she feared being robbed or is it just convenient? If she was homeless, based on the money and weight I doubt it had been for very long. Seems like we don't have much to go on. She was almost an afterthought in this accident. Wonder how much regional publicity this story got in 1986?

 

[StarrChance]

November 1985 there was a big event dubbed the "election day floods", if you had lost everything it would be possible to still be somewhat homeless 5 months on

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Election_day_floods

The flooded river caused $1 million in damage at California University of Pennsylvania, broke 40 barges from their moorings, and forced about 2,600 people to evacuate; one person in North Charleroi drowned after returning to his evacuated home. Throughout the region, the floods damaged or destroyed 3,349 houses,[7] leaving at least 2,000 people homeless,[29] and statewide damage was estimated at $83 million.[1]

 

[rats]

Huh. I have never heard of this case before. I wonder why it's not in NamUs?

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Huh. I have never heard of this case before. I wonder why it's not in NamUs?

I have no idea, other than no one ever took the time to enter it. No one much cares about this case. The contact
listed has retired from the Pa. State Police months ago, and is still listed on there as the contact.
I may make a call on the coroner, see if there is DNA. If they did not save a tooth or something, there is little possibility of identification short of exhumation. It is hard to get that without a request from next of kin. And if we knew who THAT was, she would not be unidentified in the first place.

I don't know how to get them to put the case on NAMUS. I usually can't even get a call returned.

Family may be looking, or may not know how to look. No matter how cold the trail may be, no one comes from a vacuum.

Funny thing is, although no one has recognized her, I have an idea that she may have been relatively local. A lot of women in the area look like her. Waynesburg, Morgantown? Why was he on RT. 119, hilly, two lane, hated by truckers to whom time is money. Did she live between the accident site and Morgantown, where he would have picked up good Interstate road again?

 

[brian1000]

I am just encountering this case. I have read as much as I could find on it. It occurred to me that nothing was mentioned about the accident itself. What was the cause of the accident. Was the driver also found dead at the scene? If the driver was found dead, then the fact that the driver might have known this person has not been considered. Perhaps, I have not been as diligent in my research. But some help would be appreciated. There was another unidentified person in the mysterious Longview, Texas woman case, and this is another one. It seems to me that very little diligent police work was done at the time of the accident to identify the victim, as dna should have been taken as a minimum, at least in my view. But then, I am way up in Saskatchewan, Canada.

 

[sunnynz]

I am just encountering this case. I have read as much as I could find on it. It occurred to me that nothing was mentioned about the accident itself. What was the cause of the accident. Was the driver also found dead at the scene? If the driver was found dead, then the fact that the driver might have known this person has not been considered. Perhaps, I have not been as diligent in my research. But some help would be appreciated. There was another unidentified person in the mysterious Longview, Texas woman case, and this is another one. It seems to me that very little diligent police work was done at the time of the accident to identify the victim, as dna should have been taken as a minimum, at least in my view. But then, I am way up in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The driver was also killed in the accident - it has been mentioned that given the time of day (4.30am) he may have fallen asleep, or perhaps had a medical emergency.

 

[sunnynz]

Thanks to those of you who migrated here from the Kimberly McLean case. We can solve this. I have not looked for her on missing persons sites in a long time so we can start by checking to see if someone who matches her vitals and time since LKA has been added. Let's each pick a state, starting with Maryland and Pa., two states we know the truck traveled through. Then states we know the truck was going to go through WVa. and Ky. Then everywhere else, nearest states first.u

I was going to ask you what you thought were the next best steps given how long you've been working on this one. I'll start looking at MP's in Delaware, Virginia and Ohio.