AZ AZ - Mohave County, WhtFem, Adult Pre-20, UP85989, Multicolored Slacks, May '75

[victoriarobinson642]

Mohave County added a few new doe cases to NAMUS today:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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Demographics
Sex - Female
Race / Ethnicity - White / Caucasian
Estimated Age Group - Adult - Pre 20
Estimated PM - 16 Weeks
Height - 5' 3"-5' 4"(63-64 inches) , Estimated
Weight - 125 lbs, Measured

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Circumstances
Type - Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found - May 18, 1975
NamUs Case Created - November 2, 2021

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Location Found Map
Location - Mohave County, Arizona
County - Mohave County
GPS Coordinates - 35.2143346,-113.7632828
Found On Tribal Land - No
Circumstances of Recovery - A camper at a rest stop off Highway 93, Mile Marker 9 located the decomposing body of a female.

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Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains--
Condition of Remains - Not recognizable - Decomposing/putrefaction

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Physical Description
Hair Color - Brown
Eye Color - Unknown

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Clothing and Accessories
Clothing
- Beige pullover sweater - Green orange and beige multi-colored slacks
On the Body

Footwear
- White tennis shoes (Size 9)
On the Body

Jewelry
- Hippy type choker necklace which consisted of a brown leather band with four brown beads, two pink beads, and one large polished rock - Ring on finger
On the Body

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Aleca Renee Manning – The Charley Project
The first person that comes to mind is Aleca Manning, though the clothing doesn't match.

 

[alucardsdream]

Arizona cases from the 1970s always make me think of Jackie Leslie and Cynthia Leslie, but they went missing July 31, 1974 so the time frame makes it unlikely this UID is one of them. I really wish we had a sketch of this poor female...it would be so helpful.

 

[HopeRains]

It took me a minute to realize that is the photo of the ring - if you enlarge that somewhat, it appears it could perhaps be a mother's ring. It looks like at least 1 darker stone with 2 lighter (and perhaps the same) stone.

 

[HopeRains]

Mohave County.

 

[HopeRains]

UPDATE: I don't believe this is the same girl given the specific milemarker and clothing.

Ran across this article, there is information that is similar, but not exact as that in the Namus case file.

If it is the same, then there is some clothing info different than that in Namus case. If it isn't the same, 2 women found in same county, within a very short time period

 

[carbuff]

I used to have a necklace just like that. I bought it from a roadside souvenir shop somewhere between the Grand Canyon and Cortez CO, possibly Kayenta.

I mean, I'm sure hundreds of souvenir places in the southwest sold necklaces like that. But it made me do a double-take, that's for sure.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

https://apps.azdot.gov/files/ROW/Plans/US_93/US_93_Index_11sheets.pdf
According to the AZ Department of Transportation, mile marker 9 is in the very top left of Mohave County. I'll see if I can pull it off maps to get an actual location.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Google Maps

Looks like she was found right about here. Still looks very desolate, but it's only about 13 mi south of the Hoover Dam.
Via Google Maps

 

[phantomstrider]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Date Body Found May 18, 1975
Location Found Mohave County, Arizona
Sex Female
Race/Ethnicity White/Caucasian
Estimated Age Group Adult- Pre 20
Estimated PMI 6 weeks
Height 5'3"-5'4" (63-64 inches), Estimated
Weight 125 lbs, Measured
County Mohave County
Found On Tribal Land No
Circumstances of Recovery A camper at a rest stop off Highway 93, Mile Marker 9 located the decomposing body of a female.
Condition of Remains Not recognizable- Decomposing/putrefaction
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Unknown
Clothing Beige pullover sweater, Green orange and beige multi colored slacks
Footwear White tennis shoes (Size 9)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"In 1975, she was between 16 and 20 years old — just a little girl," said Miller. "I assume she was hitchhiking because she was found decomposed off of Highway 93..."

Miller said Jane Doe Two was discovered near a rest stop around mile marker nine. Miller fondly calls the young woman "Rest Stop Rita." A camper in the area found her body, but it had been there for so long that the sheriff's office couldn't determine her cause of death.

"Young girl, 5 feet, 3 inches, 120 pounds," said Miller. "The only evidence we have to go on is her clothing and jewelry. She was wearing a choker — a little beaded choker like they used to wear back then — and a little ring."

"That's all that we really have to go on," said Miller. "We have to work backward. We need to identify her to figure out how she came to be where she was found. Did she hitchhike with somebody?"

Newspaper clippings from that time describe parents all over the county contacting the sheriff’s office, wondering if the young woman was their loved one. Investigators at the time believed she had been in the wash area where she was found for over a month.

"I just tell people that, you know, in Mohave County, we haven't forgotten you," said Miller. "We haven't forgotten your loved ones, and we're still trying to figure out what happened to them in this county."

Unlocking clues using new technology​

Both Jane Doe cases were sent to Othram's Houston lab in an effort to identify "Rest Stop Rita" and "Lake Mead Maeve."
"Ultimately, we are providing investigators with new investigative leads that they otherwise wouldn't have to hopefully bring resolution to cases," said Othram's Director of Case Management Michael Vogen.

Othram's lab and testing have helped departments across the country solve cases, including some in Mohave County.

"I would say they're one of the more active agencies in the country, and we have quite a few active ones," said Vogen.

Double Does: Two separate Jane Doe cases, one investigator trying to give the women their names back

This episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered follows the story of two Jane Does who were both found dead in Mohave County decades ago.

www.abc15.com