shadowangel
Black cats consider me unlucky.
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This case caught my eye on the Doe Network for no particular reason. There is little information available, but I decided to take a quick look and determine if there was anything else to be found. Its now turned in to days of research. The info here was taken from far too many articles to source each one. I'll provide links to pertinent info, anything else can be found easily enough with a little Googling).
From the Doe Network: (the Jefferson County CO Sheriff's Dep't website lists the same info)
Doe Network Case 820UFCO
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/820ufco.html
Unidentified Undetermined Female
Vital Statistics
The skeletal remains of the victim were located on Forest Road 554, about one mile east of the Park/Jefferson county line in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado on August 27, 1972.
**----------**-------------**
The Mccrary family-father Sherman, wife Carolyn, teenage son Danny, daughter Ginger, and her husband Carl Robert Taylor-lived a transient life in northwestern Texas. Sherman had held various jobs, such as truck driving. A back injury resulted in a lengthy period of unemployment. The family decided to 'pull up stakes' in mid-1971 and began a new career--Armed robbery, rape, and murder. During the course of their nationwide spree which lasted from August of 1971 until June of 1972, the family were reported to have been involved in as many as 22 kidnapping-murder cases.
August 12th---Their first confirmed victim was 17-year old Sherri Martin. Sherri worked in a donut shop in Kearns, a suburb of Salt Lake City Utah. The family made off with about $200 and young Sherri, whose violated body was found a month later in the desert of Elko County, NV.
August 20th--20-year old Leeora Rose Looney, as with Sherri, was kidnapped from a donut shop--This time in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver CO. Her body would be found a few days later in a field on the CO-WY border.
Sept 28th-- Waitress Elizabeth Perryman was kidnapped from the restaurant at which she worked in Lubbock, Texas. Her remains would not be found until December 19th.
October 17th--Forrest and Jen Covey disappeared from their grocery store in Mesquite Texas. The same day (or within a day or two, depending on the report) 16-year old Susan Darlene Shaw was kidnapped from a bakery a short distance from the Covey's market. All three would be discovered the folowing week, the Coveys in a barn and Susan in a lake east of Dallas.
November 30th--22-year old Pat Marr and 38-year old Bobbie Turner would be discovered shot to death in the beauty shop they ran in Melrose, FL. Turner's 16-year old daughter, Valerie, was kidnapped. Despite a nationwide search, nothing was known of Valerie until the following June when herskeletal remains were discovered by two boys playing in woods near Starke, FL.
June 16th, 1972---Mccrary and Taylor attempt an armed robbery of a supermarket but are surprised by a police officer whom they wound while escaping. Witnesses note the license plate of the getaway car and the family are finally arrested. It was due to this arrest, and the family's involvement in two other area armed robberies, that law enforcement finally began to piece together the family's trail of crime.
The two Mccrary men and Taylor were convicted of the murders of Leeora and Sherri; Taylor was also convicted in the deaths of the three women in Florida. The women were convicted for their involvement in the crimes as well.
The unidentified young woman found in '72 was located in an unicorporated area on the border between Jefferson County and Park County off a farm road. This puts her almost directly in the path of the Mcccrary clan in August of '71, between the kidnap-murders of Sherri Martin near Salt Lake City and Leeora Looney from Lakewood. She was located in an out-of-way place, as were most of the known victims of the Mccrarys. I've read in articles of the day that Colorado had become a sort of 'mecca' for runaways. Disenchanted youth were leaving the cities and seeking the 'simpler life' of rural areas such as Colorado and Wyoming. Although I can't discount the Doe as being a runaway, for me it just doesnt fit. The reason? The shoes. As flimsy as it may seem, its weighed on my mind since first reading the case. I can't conceive of a runaway wearing those type of shoes, as she might be walking for extended periods of time. As I was a young child in the early '70s and having an older sister, I can picture the shoes. Black, most likely patent leather, with small heels, a strap across the ankle and buckles on the side. Anyone who's watched The Brady Bunch knows what I'm talking about---The girls wore similar shoes every day to school. The buttons found reinforce my thoughts that this young woman was dressed nicely on her final day of life.
I've searched for days and can't find a report of a girl missing during the time period that really fits. Following my theory of the involvement of the Mccrarys, she would be local to Utah, Colorado, and possibly Nevada or Texas (though following their pattern I feel the last two are less likely).
On the same note, I feel the Mccrarys might also be involved in other cold cases carried by the Salt Lake County Sherriff's office.
On August 20th or 21st, 18-year old JoHanna Leatherbury--A beautiful blonde recent high school graduate, was last seen in a car with two males in Salt Lake City. Her body was found in canal on the 21st by fisherman. JoHanna had been raped, stabbed, and then shot. The weapon was a .22. (http://www.slsheriff.org/lawenforcement/investigations/coldcases/pdf/johanna_leatherbury.pdf
).
On August 24th, an Ogden Utah florist was killed during a robbery. The weapon used was a .22. (This murder is not carried as a cold case, however I can't find any information that the murder was solved).
On September 2nd, Natters Market in Salt Lake City was the scene of a horrible multiple murder. The clerk, 30-year old Carolyn Kingston was shot during an attempted robbery. A deliveryman in the store at time was also shot and killed. A third deliveryman escaped with his life when the weapon failed to fire. Carolyn had her two young children with her in the store on the day of the shootings. She survived, and was on the way to recovery, when she suddenly died of complications a month later. Carolyn and the surviving deliveryman were able to give a detailed description of the shooter. The weapon used was a .22.
Compare the photo of Carl Robert Taylor in link to the Cold Case photo of the Natters Market shooter. The Mccrarys' used .22 and .32 caliber weapons in their murders, except for Valerie Turner who was shot with a .38.
Mccrarys, Taylor-http://www.skcentral.com/articles.php?article_id=572 / Kingston case, shooter http://www.slsheriff.org/lawenforcement/investigations/coldcases/pdf/CarolynKingston.pdf
I may be way off the track here. But, given what is known today, I think the possibility is worth considering and may give us a starting point in determining the identity of this young woman who was left to the elements in the Colorado woods nearly forty years ago.
From the Doe Network: (the Jefferson County CO Sheriff's Dep't website lists the same info)
Doe Network Case 820UFCO
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/820ufco.html
Unidentified Undetermined Female
- The victim was discovered on August 27, 1972 in Jefferson County, Colorado
- Estimated Date of Death: 1969-1971 (1-3 years)
- State of Remains: Skeletal
Vital Statistics
- Estimated age: 17-23 years old
- Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0" - 5' 3".
- Distinguishing Characteristics: Dark brown hair.
- Clothing: Small pearl buttons, and a brass button. A black pair of shoes, about size 6.5, described as having one-inch heels and buckles.
- Jewelry: A pair of gold colored earrings,
- Fingerprints: Not Available
- Dentals: Available
- DNA: Not Available
The skeletal remains of the victim were located on Forest Road 554, about one mile east of the Park/Jefferson county line in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado on August 27, 1972.
**----------**-------------**
The Mccrary family-father Sherman, wife Carolyn, teenage son Danny, daughter Ginger, and her husband Carl Robert Taylor-lived a transient life in northwestern Texas. Sherman had held various jobs, such as truck driving. A back injury resulted in a lengthy period of unemployment. The family decided to 'pull up stakes' in mid-1971 and began a new career--Armed robbery, rape, and murder. During the course of their nationwide spree which lasted from August of 1971 until June of 1972, the family were reported to have been involved in as many as 22 kidnapping-murder cases.
August 12th---Their first confirmed victim was 17-year old Sherri Martin. Sherri worked in a donut shop in Kearns, a suburb of Salt Lake City Utah. The family made off with about $200 and young Sherri, whose violated body was found a month later in the desert of Elko County, NV.
August 20th--20-year old Leeora Rose Looney, as with Sherri, was kidnapped from a donut shop--This time in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver CO. Her body would be found a few days later in a field on the CO-WY border.
Sept 28th-- Waitress Elizabeth Perryman was kidnapped from the restaurant at which she worked in Lubbock, Texas. Her remains would not be found until December 19th.
October 17th--Forrest and Jen Covey disappeared from their grocery store in Mesquite Texas. The same day (or within a day or two, depending on the report) 16-year old Susan Darlene Shaw was kidnapped from a bakery a short distance from the Covey's market. All three would be discovered the folowing week, the Coveys in a barn and Susan in a lake east of Dallas.
November 30th--22-year old Pat Marr and 38-year old Bobbie Turner would be discovered shot to death in the beauty shop they ran in Melrose, FL. Turner's 16-year old daughter, Valerie, was kidnapped. Despite a nationwide search, nothing was known of Valerie until the following June when herskeletal remains were discovered by two boys playing in woods near Starke, FL.
June 16th, 1972---Mccrary and Taylor attempt an armed robbery of a supermarket but are surprised by a police officer whom they wound while escaping. Witnesses note the license plate of the getaway car and the family are finally arrested. It was due to this arrest, and the family's involvement in two other area armed robberies, that law enforcement finally began to piece together the family's trail of crime.
The two Mccrary men and Taylor were convicted of the murders of Leeora and Sherri; Taylor was also convicted in the deaths of the three women in Florida. The women were convicted for their involvement in the crimes as well.
The unidentified young woman found in '72 was located in an unicorporated area on the border between Jefferson County and Park County off a farm road. This puts her almost directly in the path of the Mcccrary clan in August of '71, between the kidnap-murders of Sherri Martin near Salt Lake City and Leeora Looney from Lakewood. She was located in an out-of-way place, as were most of the known victims of the Mccrarys. I've read in articles of the day that Colorado had become a sort of 'mecca' for runaways. Disenchanted youth were leaving the cities and seeking the 'simpler life' of rural areas such as Colorado and Wyoming. Although I can't discount the Doe as being a runaway, for me it just doesnt fit. The reason? The shoes. As flimsy as it may seem, its weighed on my mind since first reading the case. I can't conceive of a runaway wearing those type of shoes, as she might be walking for extended periods of time. As I was a young child in the early '70s and having an older sister, I can picture the shoes. Black, most likely patent leather, with small heels, a strap across the ankle and buckles on the side. Anyone who's watched The Brady Bunch knows what I'm talking about---The girls wore similar shoes every day to school. The buttons found reinforce my thoughts that this young woman was dressed nicely on her final day of life.
I've searched for days and can't find a report of a girl missing during the time period that really fits. Following my theory of the involvement of the Mccrarys, she would be local to Utah, Colorado, and possibly Nevada or Texas (though following their pattern I feel the last two are less likely).
On the same note, I feel the Mccrarys might also be involved in other cold cases carried by the Salt Lake County Sherriff's office.
On August 20th or 21st, 18-year old JoHanna Leatherbury--A beautiful blonde recent high school graduate, was last seen in a car with two males in Salt Lake City. Her body was found in canal on the 21st by fisherman. JoHanna had been raped, stabbed, and then shot. The weapon was a .22. (http://www.slsheriff.org/lawenforcement/investigations/coldcases/pdf/johanna_leatherbury.pdf
).
On August 24th, an Ogden Utah florist was killed during a robbery. The weapon used was a .22. (This murder is not carried as a cold case, however I can't find any information that the murder was solved).
On September 2nd, Natters Market in Salt Lake City was the scene of a horrible multiple murder. The clerk, 30-year old Carolyn Kingston was shot during an attempted robbery. A deliveryman in the store at time was also shot and killed. A third deliveryman escaped with his life when the weapon failed to fire. Carolyn had her two young children with her in the store on the day of the shootings. She survived, and was on the way to recovery, when she suddenly died of complications a month later. Carolyn and the surviving deliveryman were able to give a detailed description of the shooter. The weapon used was a .22.
Compare the photo of Carl Robert Taylor in link to the Cold Case photo of the Natters Market shooter. The Mccrarys' used .22 and .32 caliber weapons in their murders, except for Valerie Turner who was shot with a .38.
Mccrarys, Taylor-http://www.skcentral.com/articles.php?article_id=572 / Kingston case, shooter http://www.slsheriff.org/lawenforcement/investigations/coldcases/pdf/CarolynKingston.pdf
I may be way off the track here. But, given what is known today, I think the possibility is worth considering and may give us a starting point in determining the identity of this young woman who was left to the elements in the Colorado woods nearly forty years ago.
