Identified! TX - Harris Co., Fem UP13387, 18-25, in homeless camp, Dec'14 - Jency Whitlock

[Migmuu]

I was curious about how an age range had been determined and why there was such a long interval in the estimation of how long the body had been there, so I became interested in how they determined the age. I found this article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871409/



Anyhow, this is a pretty technical article, most of which I did not understand. However, teeth can provide clues not only to the age at death but the sex and time of death of an unidentified person.

Maybe much of the stuff discussed in this article has not been done in this instance (yet) and maybe won't be done. It always puzzles me that the age range can vary so. It is understandable that the time of death is more difficult to determine. Still one wonders about the resources, both in terms of funding and time allotted on each unidentified person.

Here's how they were probably able to tell:

1. Your wisdom teeth don't erupt until you're 17 to 25 years old. Her wisdom teeth may have either not erupted yet or were still in the process (which would give you an idea of her age range).

2. The pelvis is also a good indicator of age because, when girls hit puberty, their hips start to become wider and the pelvis becomes "deeper". Girls generally finish puberty around 15 - 17 years old, so a fully developed pelvis tells you you're dealing with someone who's either that age or older.

3. The clavicle (collar bone) doesn't finish fusing until you're 21 - 25 years old. If you have a skeleton whose clavicle isn't fully developed, you know you're dealing with someone who was fairly young when they died. Combine this with the developed pelvis and the wisdom teeth, and it's a pretty safe bet that you're dealing with someone around the UID's age range.

 

[carbuff]

There are also areas of fusion in the skull that continue to change as we age.

And as we get a little older, arthritis begins to set in the joints and wear becomes evident on the teeth.

 

[Equestrianista]

I wonder if there is a way to find out what year that jacket was first available for sale?

 

[Merry]

Since there was hair found, I personally suspect this person's passing wouldn't of been more than a few years ago at the very most. Being from a area with a fairly rainy and cold climate, I have seen Columbia jackets on sale at more lower economy friendly stores like Big 5 or Fred Meyer's (owned by Kroger). It's one of the big outerwear brands that I would not expect to only be able to find at expensive stores unlike Marmot, Patagonia, or The North Face. Also, I wonder if deformity to the nose could mean having had trauma to the nose in the past or suffering from a condition like chronic sinusitis. Of course some of this is JMO and :twocents:.

 

[Equestrianista]

The jacket could have been given to her, belong to a male friend of her's, or could have been picked up at a thrift store/yard sale/ect. But knowing when those jackets were first available for sale would somewhat help with a time frame.

 

[Equestrianista]

Looking on the map, it is amazing she sat there for at least a year without being noticed, with such a bright orange jacket, there is so much stuff all around there, also I-45 exit is only like less than a mile away from where her body was found. She could have come from anywhere and been dumped there.

 

[thesiren]

Hm...I feel she wasn't dumped there. Why would a killer choose to dump her in such an open area?

 

[Equestrianista]

Anything's possible.

 

[daisytrail]

Looking on the map, it is amazing she sat there for at least a year without being noticed, with such a bright orange jacket, there is so much stuff all around there, also I-45 exit is only like less than a mile away from where her body was found. She could have come from anywhere and been dumped there.

BBM: ^^^^ That! I does not make sense that she was there all that time. Also, a homeless encampment would be a messy place. Maybe someone was counting on that. Something here is not adding up. Also, if she really had a jacket and her body was there all along with the jacket, someone would have grabbed that jacket. It is weird. Of course, there could easily be information that we are not privy to.

 

[Migmuu]

Maybe her body was held in a different location for a long time before ultimately being dumped near the homeless camp.

 

[Houston Mom]

Identified, but who is blanket lady?

NamUs 13387 permission denied...

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Where did you get this information. And who is she identified as?

 

[SurfieTX]

Something was updated on 05/08/2015 - BBM

<Person>
<fldCaseNumber>U1501001</fldCaseNumber>
<fldAgency>Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences</fldAgency>
<fldDateFound>12/29/2014</fldDateFound>
<fldDateDeath>12/29/2013</fldDateDeath>
<fldCauseDeath>Unknown</fldCauseDeath>
<fldRace>White</fldRace>
<fldAgeFrom>18</fldAgeFrom>
<fldAgeTo>25</fldAgeTo>
<fldHeightFtFrom>5</fldHeightFtFrom>
<fldHeightFtTo>5</fldHeightFtTo>
<fldHeightInFrom>00</fldHeightInFrom>
<fldHeightInto>06</fldHeightInto>
<fldWeightfrom>-</fldWeightfrom>
<fldWeightTo>-</fldWeightTo>
<fldEyes>Unknown</fldEyes>
<fldHair>Unknown</fldHair>
<fldSex>Female</fldSex>
<fldMiscellaneous>
Decedent was found in a vacant lot near 1625 Cypress Station Drive in Houston, Harris County, Texas. Decedent had no dental crowns or fillings and her nose may have been asymmetrical. Dental information is available at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences Office.
</fldMiscellaneous>
<fldClothing>
Orange Columbian jacket, black bra and a black t-shirt were recovered with the remains. Also recovered with the remains were acrylic or solar nails, with blue tips, white stripes and glitter.
</fldClothing>
<fldState>Texas</fldState>
<fldCountry>USA</fldCountry>
<fldUThumbLink>/mpch_images/picon/Pi_U1501001a.jpg</fldUThumbLink>
<fldDateEntered>5/8/2015</fldDateEntered>

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/unidentifiedsqlxml.asp

 

[carbuff]

Where did you get this information. And who is she identified as?

When you get a permission error page from a Namus entry, it almost always means the person has been identified or located. Rarely it will mean the page has been pulled for re-evaluation. Often the error page is the only notification we get that a person has been identified.

This is the text it displays:

Permission Error

You do not have permission to view the selected page.

Please email support@identifyus.org with details of what was done to receive this message, or if you believe you have received it in error.

Thank you,
NamUs Team

 

[carbuff]

Divine Barron

Missing Since
Jun 8, 2013
Missing From
Houston, TX
DOB
Jul 24, 1997
Age Now
17
Sex
Female
Race
Hispanic
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Brown
Height
5'3"
Weight
230 lbs

http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/1228323/1

Comment on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MissingTeensOfAmerica/posts/10202143234476333) indicates Divine was found in April. Her poster's been taken down. I can't find any better source for the information though.

 

[Houston Mom]

Divine was safely recovered:

[video=vimeo;125597934]https://vimeo.com/125597934[/video]

 

[Tulessa]

It says identified, but why hasn't the name been dropped here?

 

[carbuff]

It says identified, but why hasn't the name been dropped here?

Names aren't always released. Sometimes it's because the family wants privacy, sometimes LE wants to keep the name private so they can follow up on an investigation, etc.

 

[Houston Mom]

The name is public information, and would be released if requested. I have asked ABC13 and Houston Chronicle to do a follow up story.

 

[carbuff]

The name is public information, and would be released if requested. I have asked ABC13 and Houston Chronicle to do a follow up story.

Thanks.

It's not in all states. MA won't release without explicit permission of next of kin.