Identified! TX - Pecos, WhtFem, 17-20, UP13480, in motel swimming pool Jul'66 - Jolaine Hemmy

[Awsi Dooger]

1503UFTX


More added details on doenetwork

Details are all over the place, depending on the source. I seldom see so much variance from article to article or account to account. One article says the couple initially went swimming together. But the vast majority don't mention him swimming at all. Some accounts place time she was discovered at 4:00 while others have it at 5:30. There are reports that a hotel maid and a patron rushed to the pool after hearing her screams. Other accounts indicate that a maid walking past the pool saw her motionless body at the bottom of the pool. One version has the "husband" quickly notified and helping to pull her from the pool, while others say the 16 year old granddaughter of the motel owner was the one who jumped in and pulled the girl out, after the maid and the patron had rushed to the pool after hearing the screams. Some accounts say scream singular, while others say her screams reverberated throughout the complex.

One article says 2000-3000 people viewed the body, while another says only 50 people attended the funeral/burial. I suppose both of those could align. I was quite surprised by the 2000-3000 reference.

The most interesting twist I saw was one account indicating the "husband" initially left the motel, before returning to retrieve the registration slip. That indicates to me that he was initially panicking but then composed himself enough to think through the particulars of concealing his identity.

I've seen prostitute speculated elsewhere. That makes little sense, given the afternoon swim. Also the perfect teeth don't tilt in that direction, although that is more random and she was very young.

Regardless, the best contact seems rather obvious. The motel owner's name is within the 1966 articles. His granddaughter was 16 years old at the time so only 69 now, if still alive. She might be able to reconstruct which version is correct, and anything else she might remember about the couple and the event.

At least they know where this Jane Doe is buried. Lots of pictures of her well-marked grave site, in case DNA is sought. I remember other low population cases like one on I-40 from the late '70s in which there are old articles regarding the case but authorities don't know where she was buried. I think that was Guadalupe, New Mexico.

 

[fidgeypie]

Could she have been an escort?

 

[BigKeyManatee]

The act of drowning itself is silent.
If you are screaming, you are moving air. A single scream might point to an accidental slip into the pool, or even being pushed by someone.
Repeated loud screaming points to an assault of some kind.
Moot, at this point.

 

[Bit of hope]

Details are all over the place, depending on the source. I seldom see so much variance from article to article or account to account. One article says the couple initially went swimming together. But the vast majority don't mention him swimming at all. Some accounts place time she was discovered at 4:00 while others have it at 5:30. There are reports that a hotel maid and a patron rushed to the pool after hearing her screams. Other accounts indicate that a maid walking past the pool saw her motionless body at the bottom of the pool. One version has the "husband" quickly notified and helping to pull her from the pool, while others say the 16 year old granddaughter of the motel owner was the one who jumped in and pulled the girl out, after the maid and the patron had rushed to the pool after hearing the screams. Some accounts say scream singular, while others say her screams reverberated throughout the complex.

One article says 2000-3000 people viewed the body, while another says only 50 people attended the funeral/burial. I suppose both of those could align. I was quite surprised by the 2000-3000 reference.

The most interesting twist I saw was one account indicating the "husband" initially left the motel, before returning to retrieve the registration slip. That indicates to me that he was initially panicking but then composed himself enough to think through the particulars of concealing his identity.

I've seen prostitute speculated elsewhere. That makes little sense, given the afternoon swim. Also the perfect teeth don't tilt in that direction, although that is more random and she was very young.

Regardless, the best contact seems rather obvious. The motel owner's name is within the 1966 articles. His granddaughter was 16 years old at the time so only 69 now, if still alive. She might be able to reconstruct which version is correct, and anything else she might remember about the couple and the event.

At least they know where this Jane Doe is buried. Lots of pictures of her well-marked grave site, in case DNA is sought. I remember other low population cases like one on I-40 from the late '70s in which there are old articles regarding the case but authorities don't know where she was buried. I think that was Guadalupe, New Mexico.

I know….sigh….it's so hard to reconstruct what really happened after such a long time, different sources....human memory; a problem….media reporting, making stories;...another problem… That's why in cold cases they have to dig throught the police reports (again) and ask people (again) to recollect. Without bias.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Oh! Little Miss Pecos, you are so much more than just “unknown girl drowned”....someday, hopefully soon, we’ll get to know who you really are! I guess, maybe your favorite color was red?

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP13480
Female, White / Caucasian

Reconstruction by NCMEC, her headstone

Date Body Found: July 5, 1966
Location Found: Pecos, Reeves County, Texas
Estimated Age: Adult - Pre 20; 17-20
Estimated PMI: Minutes
Measured Height: 5' 4" (64 inches)
Measured Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, long
Eye Color: Brown
Scar/mark: 4-inch burn scar on her right rib cage and a 3-inch scar on her left leg

Clothing: She was wearing a bright red bathing suit and had also been seen wearing dark shorts and a flowered blouse.

Dentals: Available. Decedent had "perfect" teeth with no evidence of dental work.
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Unknown

Pecos Police Department
Lisa Tarango, Chief of Police or Corporal Felix Salcido (432) 445-4911
NCIC Case Number: Not entered

“0 Missing Person Exclusions”

Sources & Links
NamUs
NCMEC
The Doe Network
KVEO
us105fm
Gone Cold Podcast
Culture Crossfire
GoSanAngelo

Circumstances of Recovery (per The Doe Network)

At around 2:00 PM, the decedent checked into the Ropers Motel on July 5, 1966 with a young man as husband and wife. The pair used the name "Mr. and Mrs. Russell Battuon" (additionally spelled as "Batuon"). At about 4:00 PM that day, the female was found drowned in the pool by an employee after a scream was heard, while her companion was sleeping. There was no evidence foul play was involved and it appeared she was alone when she died.

The woman was pulled from the pool with the aid of a bystander and the man she checked in with. Attempts were made to revive the decedent, but were unsuccessful. An ambulence rushed her to the nearby Reeves Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

The male companion quickly checked out, taking their belongings, as well as the registration card. He used a ruse, citing that he needed the document to confirm his stay at the hotel with hospital staff, as the pair were not from the area. The card listed the couple's names, addresses as well as their hometowns.

Authorities were unable to locate or identify him after his departure; he was believed to have been driving a late-model Sedan, possibly dated from 1963. He was described as around 25 who was slender, short and blond, wearing a white tee shirt, black trousers and loafers.

The only charges he could have faced would result from "defrauding" the motel, which he may have done "out of fear."

Police also investigated a lead from a conversation at a cafe between two men, one stating he had "picked up a girl near the border, but managed to get rid of her."

Because she had no dental work on her teeth, authorities were not able to compare dental records between potential matches. The decedent's fingerprints did not match anyone in the FBI database.

She was later buried in a donated casket and clothing in Fairview Cemetery, despite that the body could have been kept for 30 days. A headstone was also provided through donation. Occasionally, flowers were placed on her grave by an anonymous mourner, who also maintained the burial site.

Fifty attended the unidentified female's funeral on July 20. Two couples from Odessa, Texas and Roswell, New Mexico came to the ceremony, wondering if the decedent was their daughter. Additional relatives of missing persons reached out to authorities regarding the unidentified girl, but no tips led to solving the case.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Pecos Jane Doe

 

[Bit of hope]

I wonder if her right ear stands out a little more. It looks like that in te recon, but also could be the angle. The scars: did anybody see info about the scars which indicate that they were fresh or old. Might help in the search. How can one get a burn scar on the ribcage, I wonder. It could be all sorts of things but any thoughts on that? And what kind of burn scar was it? Open fire contact, fluide like hot thee, a hot heather. I think that would create different scars, but I'm not sure they can make this out.

 

[JSolt1210]

I just wanted to point out that Linda resembles the new reconstruction for
Pecos Texas Jane Doe found at a motel pool in July 5, 1966. This Jane Doe was accompanied by a man who ran away while people tried to revive Jane Doe.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

BBM. Sharing from the Linda Britton thread.

I can sorta see the resemblance. But the two cases are 3 years and 1,500 miles apart, so I'm not sure.

Then again, if Linda voluntarily ran away, she could've fled the area either alone or with someone else. Maybe that other person (or Linda's family?) had connections to Texas. Or Pecos, TX could've just been a rest stop as she/they fled west to Los Angeles?

What do you think?

 

[SisterGrimm]

BBM. Sharing from the Linda Britton thread.

I can sorta see the resemblance. But the two cases are 3 years and 1,500 miles apart, so I'm not sure.

Then again, if Linda voluntarily ran away, she could've fled the area either alone or with someone else. Maybe that other person (or Linda's family?) had connections to Texas. Or Pecos, TX could've just been a rest stop as she/they fled west to Los Angeles?

What do you think?

Well because we don't have an actual post mortem photograph it is hard to say how accurate the reconstruction is. I do see similarities in their noses and general face shape. I was also thinking about it last night and many young women eloped without telling their families. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
Traveling by car was also more common. Couples took road trips more often.

 

[madamx]

BBM. Sharing from the Linda Britton thread.

I can sorta see the resemblance. But the two cases are 3 years and 1,500 miles apart, so I'm not sure.

Then again, if Linda voluntarily ran away, she could've fled the area either alone or with someone else. Maybe that other person (or Linda's family?) had connections to Texas. Or Pecos, TX could've just been a rest stop as she/they fled west to Los Angeles?

What do you think?

I think she has similarities

 

[Rootje]

So she drowned...
What's sus to me: she decided to go swimming, so obviously she could swim. Then how did she drown? Seems a bit difficult to me without any "help". The pool couldn't have been THAT deep, and she screamed. Alarming to me.

 

[Bit of hope]

So she drowned...
What's sus to me: she decided to go swimming, so obviously she could swim. Then how did she drown? Seems a bit difficult to me without any "help". The pool couldn't have been THAT deep, and she screamed. Alarming to me.

I'm not sure she went swimming. The problem is this:

From Awsi Dooger post (#21 ) upthread

Details are all over the place, depending on the source. I seldom see so much variance from article to article or account to account. One article says the couple initially went swimming together. But the vast majority don't mention him swimming at all. Some accounts place time she was discovered at 4:00 while others have it at 5:30. There are reports that a hotel maid and a patron rushed to the pool after hearing her screams. Other accounts indicate that a maid walking past the pool saw her motionless body at the bottom of the pool. One version has the "husband" quickly notified and helping to pull her from the pool, while others say the 16 year old granddaughter of the motel owner was the one who jumped in and pulled the girl out, after the maid and the patron had rushed to the pool after hearing the screams. Some accounts say scream singular, while others say her screams reverberated throughout the complex.

For all we know she fell into the swimming pool or was pushed and couldn't swim at all. Or she could swim and she got problems while doing it, like severe cramps.

 

[Rootje]

I'm not sure she went swimming. The problem is this:

From Awsi Dooger post (#21 ) upthread

Details are all over the place, depending on the source. I seldom see so much variance from article to article or account to account. One article says the couple initially went swimming together. But the vast majority don't mention him swimming at all. Some accounts place time she was discovered at 4:00 while others have it at 5:30. There are reports that a hotel maid and a patron rushed to the pool after hearing her screams. Other accounts indicate that a maid walking past the pool saw her motionless body at the bottom of the pool. One version has the "husband" quickly notified and helping to pull her from the pool, while others say the 16 year old granddaughter of the motel owner was the one who jumped in and pulled the girl out, after the maid and the patron had rushed to the pool after hearing the screams. Some accounts say scream singular, while others say her screams reverberated throughout the complex.

For all we know she fell into the swimming pool or was pushed and couldn't swim at all. Or she could swim and she got problems while doing it, like severe cramps.

Hmm. We really need the actual version of what happened.

 

[Bit of hope]

Hmm. We really need the actual version of what happened.

Yes, we do...but I'm afraid we will never know that...it's so long ago....but we can try to find her.....and try to give her name back. Poor sweetie.

 

[MadMcGoo]

@madamx I see the similarities too! Both girls have a very unique facial structure in my opinion. Linda’s disappearance is just about as mysterious as Jane Doe’s discovery also...


re: differing accounts
My thinking is that the young girl (owner’s granddaughter) may have been the best witness. However, at that age and given the circumstances, I wonder about her memory recall. I’m sure she could have witnessed quite a bit, but wasn’t sure exactly what she was witnessing. Probably a lot of bizarre commotion that day and I imagine I’d have been in shock, at her age or any other.

I think about this case often. One of the more mysterious and seemingly solvable ones in my opinion. I’d love to see this poor girl identified.

 

[othram]

We are looking at this case. It is premature to make any judgements yet as we have not adequately examined what evidence remains and what condition it is in, but we are hoping (if possible) to help here. More details to follow shortly.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

We are looking at this case. It is premature to make any judgements yet as we have not adequately examined what evidence remains and what condition it is in, but we are hoping (if possible) to help here. More details to follow shortly.

I wish you all the best in this case. It seems very solvable.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Othram. Very interesting to follow. This case has touch many in this community so we're pleased to see someone taking it on.

Would it be of interest to look into St Louis jane doe 1983 . The decapitated African American little girl found in a basement. Would be amazing if dna could "create" a face for her let alone being identified. 54UFMO

 

[othram]

Othram. Very interesting to follow. This case has touch many in this community so we're pleased to see someone taking it on.

Would it be of interest to look into St Louis jane doe 1983 . The decapitated African American little girl found in a basement. Would be amazing if dna could "create" a face for her let alone being identified. 54UFMO

Thanks, @Moonwalker9, we will take a look.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Oh! I do hope there’s a chance for you to help in this case! She has touched the hearts of many in the community. Fingers crossed!!