Identified! TN - Jellico, Big Wheel Gap Rd, WhtFem 9-15, 482UFTN, button necklace, bracelet, shoes, Apr'85 - Tracy Sue Walker

[shannon2008]

I was looking at this UID tonight and found the following information:

Melinda Creech has been ruled out for this child.

http://s10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t29264.htm

...and according to another post on a messageboard, investigators will consider someone missing since 1979.

http://s13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/ar/t3461.htm

If that's the case that's a lot of missing children that could be a possible match.

 

[tamar]

I didn't see any previous posting on this one. I realize there is a big gap in missing date and estimated time of death, but the reconstruction is very close.


Unidentified White Female

The Doe Network: Case File 482UFTN
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/482uftn.html

The victim was discovered on April 3, 1985 in Campbell County, Tennessee
Estimated Date of Death: 1 to 4 years prior
Partial skeletal remains

Vital Statistics

Estimated age: 9-15 years old
Clothing: There were a pair of boots recovered that were size 5,
but they may not belong to the victim and a few scraps of clothing
Jewelry: Necklace, Bracelet made of plastic buttons.
Fingerprints: Not Available
Dentals: Available
DNA: Available at University North Texas


Case History

The victim was located by a passerby about 200 yards off Big Wheel Gap Road, four miles southwest of Jellico in Campbell County, Tennessee on April 3, 1985.
Only 32 bones were recovered, but her skull was intact enough for a head and face reconstruction.


Investigators

If you have any information about this case please contact:
University of TN Forensic Anthropology Center
Lee Jantz
865-974-4408
Email
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case #:
UT85-6F

________________________________________________________________

The Doe Network: Case File 2241DFFL
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2241dffl.html

Peggy Rahn
Missing since December 29, 1969 from Pompano Beach, Broward County, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing


Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: October 21, 1960
Age at Time of Disappearance: 9 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'4"; 67 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Scar right eyebrow. Freckles.
Clothing: A wearing a blue and white checkered bikini.
Other: No fingerprints, dentals or DNA available.


Circumstances of Disappearance
Peggy and Wendy Stevenson vanished from Pompano Beach on December 29, 1969. They were last seen walking toward the beach parking lot to buy ice cream cones.
A day later, a clerk at a nearby convenience store reported a man buying ice cream for two young girls on the previous afternoon. The clerk identified photos of Peggy and Wendy, describing their companion as a white man in his 20s, six feet tall, around 200 pounds.
Serial-killer Gerald Schaefer was a suspect in the case. He was never charged, though prosecutors publicly accused him of the crime in 1973. Schaefer denied the slayings publicly, but later confessed in a letter dated April 19, 1989.


Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Broward County Sheriff's Office
954-493-8477

Agency Case Number: PB69-915468

NCIC Number:
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
FDLE
Crime Library
Florida Missing Children Information Clearinghouse

 

[anthrobones]

Bumping up

 

[ThunderFist]

The boots detail for me rules out two cases to be this girl - Colleen Orsborn and Marjorie Luna. I saw Marjorie Luna's case at my work (I work at Wal-Mart, and they display profiles of lost and exploited children), and through that case, I found out about Tammy Belanger and Colleen Orsborn. Of those three, only Tammy Belanger was described as wearing boots on the day she disappeared, but since she was only 8 at the time, this would disqualify her. Someone contacted Colleen Orsborn's family a few years ago and confessed to killing her and burying her in Florida, so in my mind, that would eliminate her as well. I would further eliminate Ann Gotlib from the list, as an inmate who served time with Gregory Oakley Jr. told police that Oakley had admitted to kidnapping Gotlib and later killing her by an injection of Talwin. Police have said that if Oakley were alive today, he would most likely be convicted of her murder with all the evidence they now have against him.

I also checked out the names that Zanko underlined, particularly the bold ones, and again, only one of them was described as wearing boots the day she disappeared, that being Raylene Helsley. Assuming the boots did belong to the victim, it seems Helsley would be a likely candidate. It's too bad we have so little to go on other than that and the facial reconstruction. It would help to know what those other scraps of clothing that were supposedly found were.

 

[CCD]

I'm new to this whole UID thing, but how accurate are these facial reconstructions...because I can't see a resemblance between her and Raylene at all...could be just me though

 

[BittysMomma]

I have never tried to do an ID before but I thought I would give it a try. This girl has a lot of the similar features. Eyes seem to be shaped the same as well as the nose. The mouth, in my very untrained eyes, is spot on. The main thing that bothered me about this possible match is the distance. The doe was found in Tennessee and Rachael went missing from New Hampshire. Also, there were boots found near the doe but Rachael was last seen wearing lace up shoes...but they did say the boots may not have belonged to the doe. The age fits, the timeline fits, the features seem to fit so I thought I would throw it out there to see what you guys that are experienced thought about it.

Doe Link
http://doenetwork.org/cases/482uftn.html

Rachael Elizabeth Garden
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/garden_rachael.html

 

[Cymro]

I'm not too concerned about the shoes, either. Women's lace up shoes might easily be described boots if they have stylized, raised ankles.

I agree that the distance is a problem - it leads either to the idea of Rachael being a runaway (no evidence) or to the killer being a trucker or someone else with a reason to be traveling long distances.

Facially it looks good to me and it seems that the Doe was small enough, even though no height estimate was given, that she could be a younger child. At 5'1" and 100 lbs, Rachael certainly meets those criteria.

The age and timeline are slight stretches but not severely problematic.

Has anyone been able to find:

1. Should this be a CODIS rule out by default? Doe's DNA is at the University of North Texas but I can't find anything for Rachael;

2. Can Rachael's facial proportions be overlaid on the reconstruction? This is not an exact science but it could show if things are way off.

3. Does anyone have any background into the case that might suggest a runaway or a possible perp?

Edited to add: just found this article which suggests that both a runaway scenario and local killers are possible. Certainly Rachael may have been troubled and vulnerable to an outside influence.

 

[BittysMomma]

Of course I don't know this for sure but I was thinking that Rachael was not a runaway because apparently there was another girl from a nearby town that disappeared a month after Rachael did. They both had brown hair, both petite and both were about the same age. I know this probably means nothing but it tells a little about it at the bottom of Rachael's page. It says that there is no evidence that supports the cases are connected but I did agree when it said that it is worth noting. Also, the other girl has never been found either.

 

[CarlK90245]

A few random thoughts:

Rachel Garden's name seems to show up alot as a possible to various teenaged female UID's from the early 80's all over the country. She looked like a strong possible for the Arroyo Grande Henderson NV jane doe (http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/258ufnv.html), but she was ruled out on that UID. I would be surprised if she wasn't considered for this one, but it's possible.

She is not on the NamUs rule-outs list, which doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't been considered.

The NamUs DNA Section for the decedent says that the mtDNA sample is "Complete and Entered" by the Univ of Texas. Although it doesn't say CODIS, I think that it does mean CODIS. But Rachel Garden's NamUs file says that a DNA sample has not been taken. If that is correct, then we don't have a CODIS rule-out by default.

As for the visual comparison, the UID's eyes seem closer together than Rachel's and her face a little rounder. I tried an overlay comparison, and while it was close, it wasn't spot-on.

The circumstances seem pretty inconsistent with her showing up 1000 miles away from her disappearance. There were three male suspects and one of them confessed to her murder, but a body was never found. Maybe it was a false confession, but if there is any bit of truth to their story, it is highly unlikely that they would transport her body 1000 miles away.

 

[BittysMomma]

A few random thoughts:

Rachel Garden's name seems to show up alot as a possible to various teenaged female UID's from the early 80's all over the country. She looked like a strong possible for the Arroyo Grande Henderson NV jane doe (http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/258ufnv.html), but she was ruled out on that UID. I would be surprised if she wasn't considered for this one, but it's possible.

She is not on the NamUs rule-outs list, which doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't been considered.

The NamUs DNA Section for the decedent says that the mtDNA sample is "Complete and Entered" by the Univ of Texas. Although it doesn't say CODIS, I think that it does mean CODIS. But Rachel Garden's NamUs file says that a DNA sample has not been taken. If that is correct, then we don't have a CODIS rule-out by default.

As for the visual comparison, the UID's eyes seem closer together than Rachel's and her face a little rounder. I tried an overlay comparison, and while it was close, it wasn't spot-on.

The circumstances seem pretty inconsistent with her showing up 1000 miles away from her disappearance. There were three male suspects and one of them confessed to her murder, but a body was never found. Maybe it was a false confession, but if there is any bit of truth to their story, it is highly unlikely that they would transport her body 1000 miles away.

Thank you very much! The distance was my biggest hesitation between the two possibly being a match. My problem is that I've never tried anything like this before, though I am really interested in working with it, but even if I found a real possible match on someone I wouldn't know what to do, who to talk to and things such as that. I saw the similarities in the features and thought I would throw it out there for those of you who really seem to know what you're doing. I do appreciate all of you that have taken a look at my match. I just hate knowing that there are so many missing and so many unidentified people out there. I just want to help find them all lol. Again, thanks!

 

[CCD]

I re-read this whole thread, I feel like this one is solvable. I'm new to this, so bear with me.
According to NamUs, the list of exclusions is as follows:
Tracy Byrd
Debra Cole
Melinda Creech
Ruth Ann Fields
Melanie Flynn
Rachael Garden
Ann Gotlib
Mary Ann Hogland-McCluskey
Barbra Jean Hunt
Tiffany Papesh
Kristi Vorak

This leaves the following people posters have mentioned before, that have gone missing between 1979-1984
Sarah Avon
Tammy Belanger
Raylene Helsley
Holly Hughes
Tricia Kellett
Charlotte Kinsey
Marjorie Luna
Sherry Marler
Toni McNatt-Chiappetta
Elizabeth Miller
Colleen Orsborn
Cinda Pallett
Dean Pyle Peters
Emma Vaughn

Based on the dentals, I think we could rule out Charlotte Kinsey, because it says that she had silver caps on her lower front teeth. The Doe appears to have unaltered teeth in that location.
Emma Vaughn also had extensive dental work, where as the teeth that the doe had remaining were relatively in tact.... would it be fair to rule her out too?
It also says that Cinda Pallett had broken her collarbone, and the Doe seems to have had no previous broken bones. Both the NamUs page and the Doe Network page makes no reference to broken bones. Then again, not all the bones were recovered.
I'm also kind of leaning towards the fact that Sarah Avon, Tammy Belanger,Tricia Kellett, and Marjorie Luna would be too young to be this Doe, JMHO.
Any thoughts on any of this?

 

[Anubis]

I read this story and had a disturbing thought. I wonder how many children are murdered by their own parents/caregivers and it is never reported.

I also do not understand, in this day and age of such advanced technology in this great country, we cannot come up with a database to input all of this info. I know there are people who would gladly volunteer their time to gather and input the information. I wish I was a billionaire. It would be my life's work, I tell ya.

 

[ThunderFist]

From what I've seen Tricia Kellett may be safe to rule out also, since she had a significant gap between her front teeth. Do we know that much about the teeth to know what their positioning is? I know we've already said she may well be too young to be the Doe, but I thought I'd throw it out anyway. Dean Pyle Peters bears some resemblance to the Doe, but her distance makes me doubt that she is the one found. Dean disappeared from Michigan, which is quite a distance from Tennessee. I still keep going back to Raylene Helsley even though those lie detector tests said she was likely buried a mile and 1/2 from her home... although it's strange that she's never been found if she's that close. The fact that she was said to be buried has made doubt that the Doe is her, but the boots again made me ponder today. Raylene was said to be 4'11", or in one report they said 5'0" in height, and the average shoe size for a girl 5'0" tall, I believe, is about a size 5. Assuming the boots do belong to the Doe, they would be about her size.

Another one that I never really considered until a couple of nights ago was Sherry Marler. When taking another look, I did see a little bit of resemblance to the Doe in the eyes and nose region, plus there's the matter that she lived in Alabama, which would put her in closer proximity to where the Doe was found than many of the other candidates. There's a quick reflection of what I've gathered after looking into everyone again.

 

[Anubis]

Given where the bones were found, and in close proximity to a major freeway running northeast-south (75), this child could be from several areas. However, Big Wheel Gap Road does not connect directly to the highway and I could not find a good map to compare. Otherwise, the area where she was found is well up a very long, fairly unihabited road. Doenetwork is very frustrating at times. I love the "located by a passerby 200 yards off Big Wheel.." really? a passerby? LOL Someone taking a pee perhaps? Long way off the road for a pee. A picture of the necklace and bracelet would be nice. A color (if any) of the "scraps of clothes" would be nice.

 

[aprilmillwood]

Just wondering I do not see Karen Reinert listed as a possible. She went missing in 1979. PA is not that far from Tennesse. I am not sure if KAren has dentals available.
Just a thought.

 

[Anubis]

I'm new to this whole UID thing, but how accurate are these facial reconstructions...because I can't see a resemblance between her and Raylene at all...could be just me though

Accurate to 90% most of the time. However, not admissible in trial as expert testimony. I have seen reconstructions done that were amazingly close to the real victim.

 

[Anubis]

It would be great if the FBI had a DNA database for parents of missing persons. That way it would be just a matter of inputting DNA results from the unidentified into the database for comparison (obviously on cases where DNA has been determined).

 

[CarlK90245]

Just wondering I do not see Karen Reinert listed as a possible. She went missing in 1979. PA is not that far from Tennesse. I am not sure if KAren has dentals available.
Just a thought.

Warren County NJ Authorities are currently trying to get identifiers on Karen Reinert to compare to Princess Doe (DoeNet Case 36UFNJ). AFAIK, they are still waiting. But Lt. Spiers (the investigator in charge of Princess Doe case) told me that he would let me know if he gets any info on her.

 

[CCD]

It would be great if the FBI had a DNA database for parents of missing persons. That way it would be just a matter of inputting DNA results from the unidentified into the database for comparison (obviously on cases where DNA has been determined).

I agree 100%. I think we could get a lot of Does claimed that way.

sorry, aprilmillwood, I was just compiling a list based on what had been thrown out there already.

I also have a gut feeling that this doe was never reported missing. I'm not going to give up the fact that she may be listed somewhere...she deserves to have a name

 

[CarlK90245]

It would be great if the FBI had a DNA database for parents of missing persons. That way it would be just a matter of inputting DNA results from the unidentified into the database for comparison (obviously on cases where DNA has been determined).

There is such a system. It's called CODIS. CODIS has been credited with the resolution of thousands of crimes and missing persons cases. (See Link).

http://dna.devis.com/solving-crimes/cold-cases/howdatabasesaid/codis/