Identified! TX - Huntsville, 'Walker County Jane Doe', WhtFem 14-16, 91UFTX, Nov'80 #4 Sherry Ann Jarvis

[Tahlia Woodson]

Yes, unfortunately we've already seen it happen. Marcia King, Lyle Stevik, Jason Callahan, Pam Buckley and Jim Freund are just a few examples of formerly unidentified people whose families were harrassed and accused of not looking hard enough for them. Some people just love being judgemental.

Exactly. I never fail to remember how much harrassment Pamela Dyson faced when Tammy was identified as Cali, despite that she herself was quite young and didn't live close to Tammy when she disappeared. Truly unbelievable how much people will accuse them .

 

[Beekarina]

It was obvious to me reading the critical/harassing comments how many of the people making them were not alive at the time. This is not meant to lump everyone of any age together. Only to say, there are absolutely individuals out there following older cases who cannot comprehend the many ways the 70s, the 80s were so very different. In their minds, it was probably like "If my child went missing, I would immediately track their iPhone, get on Facebook,start a group, my 500 friends would all share, have a vigil, call the major news stations and tell Oprah and this and that and _____"

It is way too easy to jump on the "If it was my relative, I would do___." bandwagon if you're not comprehending that the reality may have meant, OK so really? You were personally going to travel to every single town in the country and hang handmade posters and knock on doors until you found your loved one? You were going to travel to totally random towns and speak with law enforcement? You would still BE on that mission!

 

[sloane7777]

I'm stunned and I do wish they would release her name so it might lead to her killer ,I don't t believe she will be properly at rest until that happens, people can be so ugly but for her, I would release the info and deal with it but of course that's up to them, they are most likely my moms age and I get it

 

[Paul B.]

There were Three TV networks in 1980. CNN had only recently been “born” and there was no WWW. I wonder if any of these harassers even know what an afternoon newspaper is - quite a few still around and viable in 1980 or why it was such a big deal to Archie and Edith in All in the Family when Mike and Gloria move out West?

 

[Wossy]

Yes, unfortunately we've already seen it happen. Marcia King, Lyle Stevik, Jason Callahan, Pam Buckley and Jim Freund are just a few examples of formerly unidentified people whose families were harrassed and accused of not looking hard enough for them. Some people just love being judgemental.

That isn't nothing new. Everyone alive including me and you has been judged or criticized on something. If people want to attack the victims family the family should just let it roll off their shoulders. They mean nothing.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I entirely understand your point, however I simply love postmortem photos and find them fascinating. Call it morbid curiosity.

Lots of people share your fascination, so you aren't alone. However, imagine that the subject of those photos is someone you really love and cherish. Really care about. How would you feel about gruesome pictures displayed for all to gawk at?

I see it as a second victimization of an already traumatized family. I feel strongly it should be unlawful. Technology today can produce very lifelike renderings. Let's stop traumatizing families, and preserve some dignity for the victims themselves.

My opinion only

 

[Kiranerys]

It was obvious to me reading the critical/harassing comments how many of the people making them were not alive at the time. This is not meant to lump everyone of any age together. Only to say, there are absolutely individuals out there following older cases who cannot comprehend the many ways the 70s, the 80s were so very different. In their minds, it was probably like "If my child went missing, I would immediately track their iPhone, get on Facebook,start a group, my 500 friends would all share, have a vigil, call the major news stations and tell Oprah and this and that and _____"

It is way too easy to jump on the "If it was my relative, I would do___." bandwagon if you're not comprehending that the reality may have meant, OK so really? You were personally going to travel to every single town in the country and hang handmade posters and knock on doors until you found your loved one? You were going to travel to totally random towns and speak with law enforcement? You would still BE on that mission!

Exactly this!

 

[Springrain]

That isn't nothing new. Everyone alive including me and you has been judged or criticized on something. If people want to attack the victims family the family should just let it roll off their shoulders. They mean nothing.

Easier said than done.

 

[rosesfromangels]

That isn't nothing new. Everyone alive including me and you has been judged or criticized on something. If people want to attack the victims family the family should just let it roll off their shoulders. They mean nothing.

BBM. Theoretically, this makes sense. However, if you are already grieving the loss of a loved one, and in this case brutalized and murdered, the added commentary can be devastating. This is why WS has such strict TOS, and that victim (including family) shaming is strictly forbidden. Families are dealing with enough without anonymous bullies torturing them with unkind judgement and comments.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[carbuff]

The online harassment is bad enough. Unfortunately there have been far too many incidents where idiots have escalated to personal confrontation, vandalism, and other real-life harassment.

 

[hellovenus]

I think that it's very easy to forget that it's not important for us to learn her name — what's important is she has her name back and her family can have a sense of closure.

 

[Beekarina]

The online harassment is bad enough. Unfortunately there have been far too many incidents where idiots have escalated to personal confrontation, vandalism, and other real-life harassment.

Wow....

If anyone following along is that emotionally invested in the details of her case, and is so upset they might lash out like this, keep in mind if her parent(s) are still alive, they're probably elderly. It's never OK, of course, but think about your own older family members for a moment. How would they process this kind of news? Don't make it worse.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Wow....
If anyone following along is that emotionally invested in the details of her case, and is so upset they might lash out like this, keep in mind if her parent(s) are still alive, they're probably elderly. It's never OK, of course, but think about your own older family members for a moment. How would they process this kind of news? Don't make it worse.

Thank you for being a family advocate!
The sad reality is that there is a small (fortunately small) percentage of the populace who have psychological issues that show up with harassing actions such as we have discussed. There should be zero tolerance, and swift and harsh legal repercussions for such harassment.

Respect the victims and their family.
Leave. them. alone.

My opinion.

 

[Susikatze]

I agree.
We have to get away from our own voyeurism. Yes, we all cared about this girl but we also have to respect her family. She is entitled to privacy in death and her family (she maybe has very elderly parents that are still alive and likely siblings) has the right to privacy and closure.
Imagine if your 14 year old daughter vanished without trace. You did what you could, yet never found her. And 40 years later you get the news she was killed in a most horrific way and she was in a lone grave far away from home... that is hard and opens old wounds.

For my part, while i would love to know her name and picture and story, i am totally fine with never knowing all that. It is more than enough reward for me that she has her name back and is in the care of her loving family.

Rest in peace, darling. You did not deserve to die like that. I really still hope they can find whoever did that to you.
I also believe she hitchhiked and whoever picked her up killed her... poor baby. I dont believe in a serial killer but it probably was some guy who led a very peaceful life and got away with the murder... and who probably is deceased by now.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I agree.
We have to get away from our own voyeurism. Yes, we all cared about this girl but we also have to respect her family. She is entitled to privacy in death and her family (she maybe has very elderly parents that are still alive and likely siblings) has the right to privacy and closure.
Imagine if your 14 year old daughter vanished without trace. You did what you could, yet never found her. And 40 years later you get the news she was killed in a most horrific way and she was in a lone grave far away from home... that is hard and opens old wounds.

For my part, while i would love to know her name and picture and story, i am totally fine with never knowing all that. It is more than enough reward for me that she has her name back and is in the care of her loving family.

Rest in peace, darling. You did not deserve to die like that. I really still hope they can find whoever did that to you.
I also believe she hitchhiked and whoever picked her up killed her... poor baby. I dont believe in a serial killer but it probably was some guy who led a very peaceful life and got away with the murder... and who probably is deceased by now.

Great post. The only point I see differently is that I absolutely think this was an SK. That type of brutality and overkill builds up over time....and that blood thirst is never quenched. I speculate it was the truck driver SK that was caught who had the torture chamber in his truck. I can't remember his name, but LE stumbled upon it.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Springrain]

I speculate it was the truck driver SK that was caught who had the torture chamber in his truck.

I believe you're referring to Robert Rhoades?

Personally, I am unsure if I think it was a serial killer or not. I definitely think there is a possibility that it was Rhoades, but her murder doesn't totally fit his MO.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I believe you're referring to Robert Rhoades?

Personally, I am unsure if I think it was a serial killer or not. I definitely think there is a possibility that it was Rhoades, but her murder doesn't totally fit his MO.

Yes, thank you. That's who i am referring to.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[archenemy toenail]

I’m just now seeing that she’s been identified and I’m in tears. Like everyone else here, this case has haunted me. I hope one day I can call her by her name and know her story.

May her family find peace. May a circle of protection envelope them, and may any who dare to cast aspersions have that negative energy bounce right back at them.

Thank you to everyone who has searched for her identity. I hope her family knows that she has not been alone or forgotten over these four decades and I hope it brings them comfort.

 

[ntt1]

It's a bit sad how judgmental some people can get, along with willingness to quickly assign blame (as if it were an obligation), without taking into consideration the full context of many of these UID cases. We have seen a continuing trend of missing persons reports falling through the cracks, or not being easily accessible, in addition to many challenging familial circumstances/dynamics in so many other cases (note-not stating that this is the case for WCJD) along with drastically different communication environment of the 1950s-1990s, all of which seem to have culminated in a Jane or John Doe going unidentified for so long.

Though some may be well-meaning, I can't help but cringe a little when the first comments in response to solved cases are "were they reported missing??". The focus should be on supporting the grieving families who just received the news (and I'm sure who are also questioning things themselves), and not on what they think they could have done in the past, or what they would have done. Not singling out anybody here in particular, just some general observations from reading comments on news stories, social media, etc, granted, which can be pretty vicious.

 

[cherrymeg]

I hope her killer is found. I imagine her around this time on October 31st 1980 just going about her life, with plans and a future. Someone took that away. Her family was robbed of knowing her whereabouts for 41 years. RIP