TX TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #2 *NAME NOT RELEASED*

[Feme98]

Perhaps she made up the "visting the prision" story?

While it’s possible, asking on more than one occasion for directions to the Ellis Prision makes me think that she could have gone to see someone that worked there or an inmate.

 

[NotSHolmes]

While it’s possible, asking on more than one occasion for directions to the Ellis Prision makes me think that she could have gone to see someone that worked there or an inmate.

Ah yes, I had missed that detail.

 

[Paul B.]

in her post-mortem pix, she looks like a CHILD, so she must have known "I'm 19" had no chance of being believed. She must have been desperate. I doubt that she had gotten involved in the world of runaways teenage prostitution as she wore no heavy make-up or any clothes or brassiere designed to make her become sex.

 

[txcoastgirl]

Just a theory I have come up with after following this case for years. It's odd that she was so well taken care of and presumed to be from a middle class family, yet no one reported her missing. Is it possible that she was an only child to perhaps a single parent or possibly grandparents raised her and either the parent or grandparents passed and that's why she hasn't been reported? People who are generally well taken care of and have family that love them don't respond to to questions about their family with "Who cares?". That statement to me is a HUGE clue that the family dynamic was disturbed, but how, I don't know. Also offers an explanation of why there is no matching DNA on file from a family member.

 

[txcoastgirl]

I've even started searching obituaries online mentioning "survived by only daughter" and have looked everywhere from Beaumont to San Antonio, and have looked in the 1979-1980 date ranges although I suspect if my theory is right, the guardian would have passed much closer to her date of death than a year or more. I could be wrong.

 

[NotSHolmes]

Just a theory I have come up with after following this case for years. It's odd that she was so well taken care of and presumed to be from a middle class family, yet no one reported her missing. Is it possible that she was an only child to perhaps a single parent or possibly grandparents raised her and either the parent or grandparents passed and that's why she hasn't been reported? People who are generally well taken care of and have family that love them don't respond to to questions about their family with "Who cares?". That statement to me is a HUGE clue that the family dynamic was disturbed, but how, I don't know. Also offers an explanation of why there is no matching DNA on file from a family member.

I've proposed the idea of a runaway from a care home/abusive adoptive parents which also seems to fit the scenario quite well.

 

[txcoastgirl]

I've proposed the idea of a runaway from a care home/abusive adoptive parents which also seems to fit the scenario quite well.

I've seen that theory presented as well, but no one from any group homes in Texas during that time period have come forward to claim to know her and several have been questioned.

 

[NotSHolmes]

If she lied about her age then why not lie about where she was from?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I feel like an out of place accent likely would've been noted.

 

[NotSHolmes]

I feel like an out of place accent likely would've been noted.

Very true.

 

[Feme98]

I

Just a theory I have come up with after following this case for years. It's odd that she was so well taken care of and presumed to be from a middle class family, yet no one reported her missing. Is it possible that she was an only child to perhaps a single parent or possibly grandparents raised her and either the parent or grandparents passed and that's why she hasn't been reported? People who are generally well taken care of and have family that love them don't respond to to questions about their family with "Who cares?". That statement to me is a HUGE clue that the family dynamic was disturbed, but how, I don't know. Also offers an explanation of why there is no matching DNA on file from a family member.

I agree, it kinda follows Lime Lady’s ID regardless of not having immediate family to connect her via DNA

 

[cherrymeg]

I feel like an out of place accent likely would've been noted.

At diners or truck stops would an out of state accent stand out? In some states accents vary from place to place. I had a friend that called a generic accent a newscaster accent. It's hard to tell where those people are from. The way I say "water" is how you can tell I was born around Philadelphia PA. If WCJD moved around a lot or was around parents or people that were from different places she could have had a more blendable accent maybe? MOO

 

[cherrymeg]

in her post-mortem pix, she looks like a CHILD, so she must have known "I'm 19" had no chance of being believed. She must have been desperate. I doubt that she had gotten involved in the world of runaways teenage prostitution as she wore no heavy make-up or any clothes or brassiere designed to make her become sex.

It can be hard to tell someone's age alive or dead. Some of her features could be puffy making her look younger postmortem. She was young enough looking to elicit concern when asking for directions to the prison. If she was hitchhiking that could have made people more concerned. Usually you can't show up at a prison anytime and visit. There are usually times, like visiting hours. I think someone clarified this before, I'll have to check, but some prisons need you to be on a visitors list or have an ID. In 1980 it might have been different in general with IDs. If you are hitchhiking and get to the prison when inmates are in bed, you'd have to wait until the next day maybe.
If you were desperate what would make you go to a prison. Most inmates don't have money to give out. Was she looking for someone there?

 

[Feme98]

It can be hard to tell someone's age alive or dead. Some of her features could be puffy making her look younger postmortem. She was young enough looking to elicit concern when asking for directions to the prison. If she was hitchhiking that could have made people more concerned. Usually you can't show up at a prison anytime and visit. There are usually times, like visiting hours. I think someone clarified this before, I'll have to check, but some prisons need you to be on a visitors list or have an ID. In 1980 it might have been different in general with IDs. If you are hitchhiking and get to the prison when inmates are in bed, you'd have to wait until the next day maybe.
If you were desperate what would make you go to a prison. Most inmates don't have money to give out. Was she looking for someone there?

Maybe she was in the middle of something and had to speak to that person

 

[MadMcGoo]

I agree about the accent. I don’t think many would stick out in that area. It’s not far from Mexico or Louisiana, to name a couple, both of which have large populations of people that could have accents different from native Texans. And it’s so close to many port cities, and like cherrymeg said, truck stops, so travelers weren’t/aren’t all that uncommon. I’m thinking she would have had to have spoken a lot (like a long conversation) and with a heavy accent for people to really notice. JMO

 

[Sweetluv]

Maybe that person was recently sent to prison and that was the only family she had....older brother, dad...

Could be a reason she is unidentified and why she said, "who cares."

 

[MadMcGoo]

“who cares” could have also been a less snooty way of letting the waitress/witness know it was none of her business.

 

[The•Qwill•Pen]

In my head, I heard "who cares" in the style of bratty teen who's parents are ruining her life (I may or may not have had first hand experience with this attitude as a teen )

In all seriousness though, it's difficult to judge intent without knowing tone, inflection, and facial expression. Even if described by a witness, there's a risk of intent being lost in translation based on the witness's perception.

 

[Eman317]

Maybe that person was recently sent to prison and that was the only family she had....older brother, dad...

Could be a reason she is unidentified and why she said, "who cares."

If that's the case then why hasn't this person come forward and revealed them self? All that does is make me wonder if this prisoner was responsible for her murder.

 

[MadMcGoo]

If/when someone enters Huntsville they are going to know almost immediately that the town is full of prisons. Unless she was literally blindfolded and parachuted from a plane that landed her smack dab in the middle of Hitch'n Post parking lot, she likely would have known this.

So if she were going to make up a story about who she was or what she was doing, I don’t think “I’m headed to the prison to see a friend” is too far fetched in this scenario. Now, “I need directions to the Ellis Unit” is an entirely different story. That’s very specific in this case. She could have seen signs around that area indicating Ellis was close by, I’m not sure what “markers” were present back in 1980. Same with the Rockport/Port Aransas...she could have simply seen signs (if they were there).

What I’ve always wondered is this; if she were going to a specific prison to see a specific person, even being a convicted felon, why hasn’t even the tiniest rumor surfaced from or about this person. Inmates are going to talk, even officers too. So I can’t think of any scenario where this mystery “boyfriend” would still be a mystery after 40 years. Could he have been responsible for her death? Could it have been a corrections officer? Could he have been a too-frightened-to-talk death row inmate? Could he be dead by now? The answer to all these, IMO, is ‘yes’! But that still doesn’t explain how not so much as a peep about his identity has ever been uttered over the years.

That makes me think that either the “visiting a friend, need directions” story was fabricated by WCJD herself, or it was made up/exaggerated by the witnesses. Yes, more than one of them said the same thing and one even said they drew a map for her, but again, 40 years and not a peep from these witnesses (including 2nd hand ones; products of the rumor mill). As I understand it, most of the witnesses are no longer living. Also, no concrete proof that such encounters took place. Someone mentioned ice cream (milkshake) showing up during her autopsy. That’s a perfect example and something that would give credibility to the account. Similar to the fruit that the Sumter Mystery Couple did ingest; proven by the autopsy results.

Although not probable, for all we really know, the girl we call WCJD may not even be the girl witnesses described seeing at the Hitch'n Post and the gas station. So maybe a disheveled, bratty, 19-year-old girl did speak with a waitress, get directions to the Ellis Unit, order and drink a milkshake, and then leave, never to be seen again. Maybe the girl seen that day looked like the photos of WCJD shown to the witnesses and they really believed it to be the same girl. Remember though, she had been severely beaten about the face and wouldn't have looked the same. Maybe no one at the prison recognized the girl in the photos because none of them had actually seen or met her before. They were after all shown postmortem photos.

Too many frustrating "why?"s and "what if?"s. It's been far too long to be asking the same questions. Someone knows this poor girl.

JMOO