CA CA - Nipton, WhtFem 18-25, 778UFCA, GSW, in mine shaft, May'76

[CarlK90245]

The Doe Network: Hot Case 1224 http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/778ufca.html
NamUs UP Case 2503 https://identifyus.org/cases/2503

WARNING POSTMORTEM PHOTOS AT LINK
https://identifyus.org/medias/full/6197

Unidentified White Female
* Located on May 30, 1976 in Nipton, San Bernadino County, California
* estimated date of death: 4-6 days prior

Vital Statistics

* Estimated age: 18-30 years old
* Approximate Height and Weight: 5'4" - 155 lbs
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female - Slightly obese- Red-Brown hair - Residual of orange or pink nail polish on fingernails. Probably never pregnant
* Dental: Wisdom teeth (3rd molars - #1, #16, #17, #32) were absent, but all of the other 28 teeth were present without dental restorations or cavities. The upper and lower central incisors slightly override the lateral incisors, which in turn slightly override the canines.

Case History
Jane Doe #02-76, is a White female adult found in a mine shaft (“BB#1 Mine, Clark Mt.”) near Nipton on May 30, 1976. Death had resulted from a shotgun wound. She was found clad only in a blue and white bathing suit.

 

[CarlK90245]

Does anyone think this Jane Doe might be Beatrice Lozano-Rodriguez ?
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lozano-rodriguez_beatrice.html

Click the link below for the side-by-side comparison
*** WARNING POSTMORTEM PHOTO AT LINK ***
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums...mparisons/2696845090045078242S600x600Q851.jpg

The resemblance is pretty strong, especially considering the comment that Jane Doe's face is "puffy and wrinkled slightly as a result of slight decomposition and embalming". From what you can see in the poor-quality photo of Beatrice, her nose appears to be similar, although you can't tell whether it narrows between the bridge and tip like Jane Doe's does.

Beatrice is Hispanic, and Jane Doe is listed as Caucasian. However, Jane Doe does have possible Hispanic appearance.

Her height is within an inch. Her age (28) is within range (Charley Project incorrectly indicates her age as 31). Her weight (listed at 190 lbs) matches the description of "slightly obese", although she is considerably heavier than the 155 lb measured weight of Jane Doe.

The circumstances of her disappearance are very unclear. But there is nothing to negate the possibility that she left the state of Texas.

 

[Cymro]

DLC "may be inaccurate." Disappearance under "unknown circumstances."

DLC is January 1, 1976, probably because the database needs a complete date, and won't just accept "1976" as whoever reported the disappearance didn't seem too clear on the date at all. Certainly they didn't indicate any reference to it being New Year's.

The 190lbs is "only" 35lbs off - again it may be an inaccurate estimate.

Nipton isn't particularly accessible but would not be far off the route between El Paso and Las Vegas - it's right on the Nevada border and about an hour from Vegas. If Beatriz were planning to head there, or made it there and was subsequently killed, the location would make sense.

 

[CarlK90245]

According to Analyst Tara Eason of TXDPS, they have DNA on Beatrice Lozano-Rodriguez at the University of North Texas, and therefore, it is presumably in CODIS.

The NamUs page on the UID indicates that exhumation for DNA testing is scheduled for October 2010.

Consequently, once this is completed, CODIS should be able to tell us whether or not it is a match.

 

[Mensch]

I am not seeing the "Hispanic appearance". I do think the chin is too strong on the missing person that is more prominent than the UP and there is no mention of a red hue to the hair color. I have been working a missing person case in 1975 from another state that is very close and has been submitted. Checking for family members now.
There is not much info on persons missing from that time period. So we are looking at several months on dna profile. Some poor quality photos yield more relevant information because of the light and shadows.

 

[carbuff]

I'm not seeing this one -- something off about the cheekbones, and it's not just the puffiness and decomp. And even allowing for the fuzziness at the tip of the nostrils (and the puffiness etc.) I can't make the nose match.

Beatriz doesn't look particularly Hispanic to me, so that's probably not an objection.

I'm glad they're going to exhume and obtain DNA. Hopefully that will give some answers.

 

[CatFancier]

Facially I think she looks quite a bit like Rose Cole and she has the overlapping front tooth as well. Not sure how the DNA works on this...

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2368dfca.html

 

[Cubby]

Rose Cole's nasal bridge appears to be much wider than the UID's (pics posted in link at post #2).

 

[LilacStar79]

Has there been any updates with the DNA tests?

 

[Ambercat]

I think Nipton is the last town in California that you drive through if you are going from the LA area (on I-15) to Las Vegas. She could have been transported from Las Vegas to mine or from Southern California. I wonder how well known the location of the mine shaft was and who would know about it.

 

[CarlK90245]

I think Nipton is the last town in California that you drive through if you are going from the LA area (on I-15) to Las Vegas. She could have been transported from Las Vegas to mine or from Southern California. I wonder how well known the location of the mine shaft was and who would know about it.

Just three days ago, I was just driving past there. I remember looking off in that direction as I was heading back to California thinking "If I was a killer who wanted to dump a body without being noticed, would this be good place to turn off?". It looks like a moonscape when you look off in that direction. There is hardly even any vegetation.

I wasn't thinking of this case at the time, but Nipton Rd. would be the first turnoff after leaving the Whiskey Petes Casino toward California, and the last turnoff before starting a very long steep incline into the higher California desert. Back then, this was the only casino in the area. Since then, Buffalo Bills and the Primadonna (Now the Primm Valley Resort & Casino) have been built on the other side of the freeway. I wonder if maybe she was at Whiskey Petes with a significant other and was murdered in some type of domestic altercation, and was dumped out there for convenience.

I was thinking about the discussion of Zzyzx road on a different thread, so on my trip back to California I pulled off on Zzyzx road (a few turnoffs beyond the border), to look around. I snapped these photos. Nipton would be off in the distance to the left.

fftopic:
Incidentally, the Primadonna casino had to change its name after it made national news about a famous murder that occurred there. Eighteen year old Jeremy Strohmeyer followed 7-year old Sherrice Iverson into the women's restroom and murdered her in one of the stalls.

I think of that case every time I see the Primm Valley Resort

Jeremy Strohmeyer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ambercat]

Just three days ago, I was just driving past there. I remember looking off in that direction as I was heading back to California thinking "If I was a killer who wanted to dump a body without being noticed, would this be good place to turn off?". It looks like a moonscape when you look off in that direction. There is hardly even any vegetation.

I wasn't thinking of this case at the time, but Nipton Rd. would be the first turnoff after leaving the Whiskey Petes Casino toward California, and the last turnoff before starting a very long steep incline into the higher California desert. Back then, this was the only casino in the area. Since then, Buffalo Bills and the Primadonna (Now the Primm Valley Resort & Casino) have been built on the other side of the freeway. I wonder if maybe she was at Whiskey Petes with a significant other and was murdered in some type of domestic altercation, and was dumped out there for convenience.

I was thinking about the discussion of Zzyzx road on a different thread, so on my trip back to California I pulled off on Zzyzx road (a few turnoffs beyond the border), to look around. I snapped these photos. Nipton would be off in the distance to the left.

fftopic:
Incidentally, the Primadonna casino had to change its name after it made national news about a famous murder that occurred there. Eighteen year old Jeremy Strohmeyer followed 7-year old Sherrice Iverson into the women's restroom and murdered her in one of the stalls.

I think of that case every time I see the Primm Valley Resort

Jeremy Strohmeyer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for the awesome photos! I'm not sure if the victim and her killer were staying at a hotel (Whiskey Petes or in Las Vegas prior to her being murdered because the likelihood of another guest noticing something seems too strong (IMHO). I thought whatever happened prior to her being dumped transpired at a private residence with a pool or jacuzzi (she was enjoying herself in the water then, for whatever reason, there was a disagreement of some sort, things escalated, and she was murdered). The thing is, the killer probably knew the location of the mine prior to dumping the body and probably if the killer was identified, the victim would be as well (especially if it was some sort of domestic incident).

Its interesting that you say that (about Primadonna), because I think about Sherrice Iverson and Jeremy Stronmeyer when I see the Primm Valley Resort, too.

 

[masnitram]

How about Pamela Burroughs? Her circumstances are very sketchy...if her boyfriend was telling the truth then she'd be maybe a Washington state UID, but if not who knows. Her height is exact and though she'd have been 27 in 1976...that isn't too far from the top end of the estimation (which Namus has as 18-25). No accounting however for the three year gap.

Pamela Burroughs:
http://www.nampn.org/cases/burrows_pamela.html or https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14106/1

 

[CarlK90245]

How about Pamela Burroughs? Her circumstances are very sketchy...if her boyfriend was telling the truth then she'd be maybe a Washington state UID, but if not who knows. Her height is exact and though she'd have been 27 in 1976...that isn't too far from the top end of the estimation (which Namus has as 18-25). No accounting however for the three year gap.

Pamela Burroughs:
http://www.nampn.org/cases/burrows_pamela.html or https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14106/1

That looks very close. I'd call it in.

 

[distracted 1976]

That looks very close. I'd call it in.

I agree. Even the hair is similarly styled. Good Catch! Please let us know.

 

[masnitram]

That looks very close. I'd call it in.

I agree. Even the hair is similarly styled. Good Catch! Please let us know.

Done and done, left a message for Bob Hunter (the Namus contact). I did send an email the other Namus contact as well...I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[masnitram]

I got a quick response from Becky Castillo of the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department - Coroner Division.

They will be comparing DNA samples once they are received from Pamela Burroughs (a sample retrieved from one of her sisters) and the unidentified.

I'll keep you posted on the results....

 

[Ambercat]

I noticed that Frances Ewalt, who was recently listed on NamUs, sounds like she could be consistent with this UID.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14923/3
She was 26 when she went missing from Musselshell, MT on August 20, 1975. She has reddish hair and her height and weight estimates are a bit more the the UID. I see a resemblance, but I really wish I had a better photo.

 

[masnitram]

I noticed that Frances Ewalt, who was recently listed on NamUs, sounds like she could be consistent with this UID.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/14923/3
She was 26 when she went missing from Musselshell, MT on August 20, 1975. She has reddish hair and her height and weight estimates are a bit more the the UID. I see a resemblance, but I really wish I had a better photo.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/e/ewalt_frances.html

Her Namus profile isn't as descriptive as her Charley page. It says Frances had three children while this uid "probably" never bore children.

 

[Just Pat 22]

Carl I think you have a match sure looks like it to me . Good Luck