Identified! CA - Pacifica, WhtFem 593UFCA, 25-46, found in tent, Jun'06 - Christine Kuhn

[Fin]

Do you think we should resubmit her?

I vote for re-submitting M.A.

 

[Fin]

She does look amazingly close. But I do see a couple of subtle but significant differences. (1) The space between the Jane Doe's nose and upper lip is narrower, and (2) The Jane Doe has ridges between her nostrils and above her upper lip that Monica doesn't have.

Carl, I had a feeling that distance between UID's nose and upper lip would cause attention. However, I want you all to play along with me for a moment.

1. Stand in front of a mirror.
2. Purse your lips slightly together as if you were just going to start a kiss type lip movement. (or fish face or pucker for a cat call, etc)
3. Notice when you do this that the distance shortens the space between one's nose and upper lip.
In the photo, it appears that the UID is slightly pursing together/projecting her lips together (possibly forward). I am not sure if she is grinding her teeth, etc. Sometimes, some people on the street (whether due to dental hygiene or drugs) seem to have a bone loss type appearance (dentally). Not sure if that is what is going on here or not.
OK, end of game. Relax face now. Thanks for playing!

 

[Fin]

I'm wondering if her eyebrows are tattooed? Also it look likes she has no eyelashes.

Also it seems strange that she was wearing mens clothing and shoes. Being 130lbs and wearing XL Mens clothes just seems weird to me.

There are 2 weights given: 130 lbs and 70 lbs (namus). Not sure if the 70 lbs weight is the mummified actual weight. and the 130 lb is a living estimate?

 

[CarlK90245]

Carl, I had a feeling that distance between UID's nose and upper lip would cause attention. However, I want you all to play along with me for a moment.

1. Stand in front of a mirror.
2. Purse your lips slightly together as if you were just going to start a kiss type lip movement. (or fish face or pucker for a cat call, etc)
3. Notice when you do this that the distance shortens the space between one's nose and upper lip.
In the photo, it appears that the UID is slightly pursing together/projecting her lips together (possibly forward). I am not sure if she is grinding her teeth, etc. Sometimes, some people on the street (whether due to dental hygiene or drugs) seem to have a bone loss type appearance (dentally). Not sure if that is what is going on here or not.
OK, end of game. Relax face now. Thanks for playing!

I'll grant you that. It also could be affected if her upper teeth had significant wear between the times that the two photos were taken.

However, the ridges behind and under the nostrils would not undergo change from age, poor nutrition, or facial expression.

 

[sfbaynancydrew]

Medications can make a person grimace and cause slight facial changes over time as well.

Personally, I think you've nailed it Fin! I hope they check her out!

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Monica Appleton has family/friends looking for her, there is a webpage. Wonder if they know about this UID?

Monica Appleton seems to have fallen off society's radar in late 1999. She apparently had enough dealings with the law in the previous year that there should be a straight on pic around to overlay with the UID. Her prints should have been compared long ago but stranger things have happened.

 

[MadeaBecBec]

Monica Appleton has family/friends looking for her, there is a webpage. Wonder if they know about this UID?

Monica Appleton seems to have fallen off society's radar in late 1999. She apparently had enough dealings with the law in the previous year that there should be a straight on pic around to overlay with the UID. Her prints should have been compared long ago but stranger things have happened.

Yes, her brother started that website and raised funds to help search for her. I e-mailed him through the website back in 2008 and suggested he look into California Tent Jane. Also, submitted info to San Mateo Coroner/Unidentified Unit, then, and again in April 2009. No response from the brother and a Thank you e-mail from the Coroner, that is all. Monica had 2 children, so there should be DNA if the fingerprints aren't compared. Monica is the closest match to CA Tent Jane, in photos.... Back on 5-5-2010, 'b4e' posted that on the website "Can You Identify Me?" Monica Appleton and Suzanne Berron were ruled out, via LE. I didn't see Berron's name on the list of rule-outs on NAMUS either...:what:

I really hope, that someone with better connections than myself, will or has already, re-submitted MA as a possible! lease:

 

[Fin]

Bonnie Rae Kelly
missing since July 9, 2003

http://www.missingin.org/reg3005/bonnie_rae_kelly.htm

 

[sfbaynancydrew]

Fin, you've got a great eye.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

Yes, her brother started that website and raised funds to help search for her. I e-mailed him through the website back in 2008 and suggested he look into California Tent Jane. Also, submitted info to San Mateo Coroner/Unidentified Unit, then, and again in April 2009. No response from the brother and a Thank you e-mail from the Coroner, that is all. Monica had 2 children, so there should be DNA if the fingerprints aren't compared. Monica is the closest match to CA Tent Jane, in photos.... Back on 5-5-2010, 'b4e' posted that on the website "Can You Identify Me?" Monica Appleton and Suzanne Berron were ruled out, via LE. I didn't see Berron's name on the list of rule-outs on NAMUS either...:what:

I really hope, that someone with better connections than myself, will or has already, re-submitted MA as a possible! lease:

Just skimming through this, but do we know if they were able to determine if California Tent Jane had had children?

 

[Hexe]

I've tried to paint Tent Jane as she could look in her better days, without that grimace on her face and manical eyes. Hope that it could be useful. Here she is in three different hairdos:

 

[Odyssey]

I know the age is off and I don't know how to do side by side photos, but is there any possibility this could be Paulette Jaster?

www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/jaster_paulette.html

 

[Hexe]

I know the age is off and I don't know how to do side by side photos, but is there any possibility this could be Paulette Jaster?

www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/jaster_paulette.html

Don't think so. Doe's nose is rather long and narrow, with pointed tip, and Paulette's is short and broad.

 

[mjak]

I'm attaching a side by side of this doe and Jennifer Casper-Ross. Jennifer was mentioned a few pages (and years) back, but without much discussion.

30 year-old Jennifer was last seen in Reno, NV on May 5, 2005, intoxicated and fleeing barefoot from a cab she could not pay. She had a history of mental illness (bipolar disorder) and had been hospitalized for it before. She also had a history of mixing her medications with alcohol. She had been a dancer and at one time a showgirl, so she took great care with her appearance. She was also an accomplished student - presumably well read. When she disappeared she had blonde highlights in her brown hair. She had had extensive dental work done. Jennifer was 5'9" and 130 lbs.

Link to her thread


http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79177


The NamUs page for this Jane Doe lists that x-rays are available. Jennifer had at one time broken her tailbone - that should make this an easy rule-out, right? Anyone have thoughts on this one?

I think there is a very strong resmebalance here. The sight difference in the facial shape could be that the UID's picture is of a very deshevled and shocky looking women; where as the kown picture of Jennifer looks relaxed and posed. Has anyone called this in? I think the Appleton women resembales in once picture but on her website there are many pictures of her and she looks nothing like this uid.

mjak

 

[bubbletoes]

Hello Websleuthers,

I am new here and this case has fascinated me! I was looking at Jennifer Casper-Ross's Charley Project profile and saw another missing Nevada woman's profile that I felt looked like like this Jane Doe. I was wondering what you all thought of this being Star Palumbo, missing from Reno, NV.

Star's Charley Project profile:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/palumbo_star.html

Star went missing in 4/2000. She was a methamphetamine addict and was allegedly into prostitution. She was extremely paranoid and delusional at the time of her disappearance - she felt the federal government was going to murder her and that she was being followed. Her last known contact involved extremely bizarre and paranoid behavior and an alleged sighting of Star 8 months after her disappearance also was notable for similar paranoid behaviors.

If you imagined Star disheveled, with pursed lips, flared nostrils, and wild eyes, I think she looks like CA Tent Jane. I see similarities in their jawlines and chins. Star also seems to have well groomed very dark eyebrows in all of her photos. I think the reconstructions that Hexe did on page 7 of an unagitated CA Tent Jane look a lot like photos of Star. A lot of Star’s pictures seem like older ones - high school portraits or high school dance photos, so they might not be the most accurate comparisons given that she was 25 when she went missing. She had developed her addiction and paranoid behavior in the last year or so before she went missing.

Physical attributes are similar. Star had brown hair/eyes, height 5’4”-5'5", weight says 115 in some places, 125 in others. Estimates of CA Tent Jane’s height are all over the place - from 5’4” to 5’6” to 5’9” and her weight is consistently estimated at 130.

The only thing I see that isn’t super consistent is that Star is a little young for the 33-45 age projection of CA Tent Jane (age 31 at time of discovery), but original dental projections for CA Tent Jane placed her at 25-45 so that might not be too far off, especially given Star’s addiction. Methamphetamine and street life will age someone very fast.

Please let me know what you think. I may be way off, this is my first time doing this, but I think that CA Tent Jane could be Star.

 

[webrocket]

thanks bubbletoes for your suggestion.

I looked back for the links to this UID and am going to place them here for easier comparison. I like the possibility for many reasons yet there is one possible negative - timing.

Star is the right height, weight, hair color, eye color and in her meth crazed world, she could easily have met her demise by herself in a tent. I can't explain what Star would have been doing for 6 yrs (other than more of the same) yet if she was getting into trouble, she might have been giving false names as she had two books on changing identities in her car.

one last thing, the UID had some gray hair. I suppose 6 yrs of meth could age a person in a hurry so that aspect is not an issue to me.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/10647
http://doenetwork.org/cases/593ufca.html

 

[micheleonelonly]

thanks bubbletoes for your suggestion.

I looked back for the links to this UID and am going to place them here for easier comparison. I like the possibility for many reasons yet there is one possible negative - timing.

Star is the right height, weight, hair color, eye color and in her meth crazed world, she could easily have met her demise by herself in a tent. I can't explain what Star would have been doing for 6 yrs (other than more of the same) yet if she was getting into trouble, she might have been giving false names as she had two books on changing identities in her car.

one last thing, the UID had some gray hair. I suppose 6 yrs of meth could age a person in a hurry so that aspect is not an issue to me.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/10647
http://doenetwork.org/cases/593ufca.html

Star Palumbo is definitely an interesting possibility. I can see it after a few years of hard drugs and a transient lifestyle. If it's her, she likely just floated around, engaging in illegal prostitution. The legal brothels in NV have a lot of rules, and she probably would have stayed away from them to shield her identity.

If she was prostituting in any big city, it's possible she went all that time without ever being caught. I know illegal prostitutes here in Reno who have worked that long and haven't been caught.

 

[carbuff]

If she stayed somewhere until she got in trouble, then moved on, she could easily have drifted over the mountains to the Sacramento area and then on toward the coast.

 

[Babyslims]

I still wonder if Jennifer Casper-Ross could be her. I know the height is off. I went to go find more pictures and a facebook page for her has a image of her w/ a bowl in her hand that looks really really similar to the jane doe. The shape of her lips are about the same as jane does and the shape of her face is very close in that pic!

 

[bubbletoes]

Thank you all for your responses!

As far as timing goes, I believe it is very plausible that she got into the transient/methamphetamine lifestyle, hooked up with a pimp and/or other people in similar circumstances, and just existed for a few years. There was an unconfirmed sighting of her 8 months after her disappearance that seemed pretty solid – she may have been hiding from a pimp and quickly left with another woman. Here’s a site I found that had some more details about that sighting:

http://www.unsolved.com/ajaxfiles/mis_star_palumbo.htm

Pacifica is only 230 miles from Reno, and it’s a pretty straight shot down major highways. The large cities of Sacramento and San Francisco are in between these two points. I can tell you as a native of the area that there’s plenty of drug and criminal activity around, especially meth. Like you all said, if she just kept moving and giving false names if caught, it’s entirely possible that she made it that far.

Do you think this is strong enough information for me to make a call to the authorities? Like I said before, I’ve never done anything like this and want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.