FL FL - Flagler County, UncFemale, 25-35, skeletal remains found in palmetto scrub, Jan '93

[snowgoose]

This woman (UP3037) is still listed as White on NamUs; however, as of February 2023, there is a new artist rendering where she appears Black or Hispanic. Hopefully this indicates that there has been a recent DNA test and they're making progress in her case.

Demographics​

Sex: Female

Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 40

Estimated Age Range (Years): 25-35

Estimated Year of Death: 0-1993

Estimated PMI: 2 Years

Height: 5' 4"(64 inches) , Estimated

Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances​

Type: Unidentified Deceased

Date Body Found: January 10, 1993

NamUs Case Created: January 22, 2009

ME/C QA Reviewed: January 23, 2009

Location Found: Map​

Location: Palm Coast, Florida

County: Flagler County

GPS Coordinates (Not Mapped)--

Circumstances of Recovery: Skeletal remains found in palmetto scrub.

Details of Recovery​

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered

Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Near complete or complete skeleton

Clothing and Accessories​

Clothing: Only remnants of clothing material suggestive of a pocket lining and zipper and faded clothing tag -- On the Body

Footwear: The shoe fabric shows extensive deterioration and indicates size 7 1/2 on its sole. Inscribed on its inside is "Tennies." -- On the Body

Further information from Florida Unidentified Decedants Database:

Extensive postmortem loss of teeth. Wisdom teeth have been previously extracted as have both lower first molars. One amalgam occlusal filling is present. Remaining teeth show evidence of decay and changes suggestive of periodontal disease

 

[DS2021]

Rule outs

Missing Person / NamUs #MP2413 Tiffany Sessions
Date of Last Contact February 09, 1989
State FL
County Alachua

Missing Person / NamUs #MP8253 Deborah McCall
Date of Last Contact November 05, 1979
State IL
County DuPage

 

[DS2021]

Emma went missing roughly 35 minutes away. Height is off by 5 inches though

Emma Lee Staten – The Charley Project

 

[PayrollNerd]

I wonder where they got the parameters for the new rendering. Maybe they’ve done the admixture profile thing in GEDmatch.

I clicked on the link for the found location. Not sure if that is/was accurate.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

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In July 2021, a DNA laboratory, Othram Inc., was able to develop a DNA profile for the victim. It was also discovered that the victim is African American, possibly mixed with Caucasian. Through investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) research, Othram was able to establish this victim is a descendant of George Washington Coleman and Clarissa Minnick from the Edgefield/Aiken, South Carolina area.

 

[PayrollNerd]

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In July 2021, a DNA laboratory, Othram Inc., was able to develop a DNA profile for the victim. It was also discovered that the victim is African American, possibly mixed with Caucasian. Through investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) research, Othram was able to establish this victim is a descendant of George Washington Coleman and Clarissa Minnick from the Edgefield/Aiken, South Carolina area.

That’s great info. I hope more people will test and a closer match pops up.

 

[Bit of hope]

Somehow she reminds me of Kimberly Coleman. 4079DFIN - Kimberly Coleman She seems to be a foster child. She even has the Coleman name. Ms Coleman is listed as black but to me she looks more biracial.

Name: Kimberly Coleman
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: November 1, 1991
Location Last Seen: South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 12, 1969
Age: 22 years
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 132 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Kimberly was reported missing by a former foster parent on April 9, 1992. Her last known address was in the LaSalle Park area of South Bend. Prior to living in South Bend, Kimberly resided in Fort Wayne, and it is believed she still visited there regularly while living in South Bend. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Forensic anthropologists from the University of Florida and the medical examiner’s office determined the woman had been dead for approximately two to three years

“At least 30 relatives have been contacted from the extensive family tree, but so far, her identity remains unknown,” deputies said.

One of her relatives is genealogist Donya Williams of the organization Genealogy Adventures, authorities said.

“Ms. Williams has shared her knowledge of African American genealogy and specific expertise of the region of Edgefield, South Carolina with Detective Scalia in hopes of identifying this victim,” deputies wrote. “Detective Scalia has also been working with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division – SLED to help identify this victim.”

Authorities estimate the unidentified woman as being age 25 to 35 when someone killed her around 1990 to 1991. She was born some time between 1955 to 1965. She had an old right nasal fracture and stood “approximately 64 inches in height (5 ft 3 inches).”

“I was murdered!” deputies wrote on the unidentified woman’s behalf. “Who am I and do you know who killed me?”

“We hope that someone may be able to identify this woman so we can bring closure to her family who has been waiting for over 30 years to know what happened to her,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “We know someone out there knows something, so call us. We also thank the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for assisting us, especially their Forensic Imaging Unit, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and our other community partners.”

Deputies found homicide victim's relatives through DNA testing but still can't identify her

Deputies are one step away from identifying a cold case homicide victim.

lawandcrime.com

 

[summergirl1]

I wonder when the houses in that cul de sac were built and if her remains were present before construction and it just happened to end without her being found, just out of reach in the woods. Otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense to leave her body at the end of a cul de sac in a neighborhood of what seems to have been newer homes then. Not that you'd expect to find a body in such a place. From my online research homes are still being built there and there's lots for sale online that are yet woods there so if that's the case now I'm sure it was newer at the time. I believe I found an aerial photo of the cul de sac online and it's not the location on that map above. Just some thoughts.

As for Kimberly Coleman she'd have to be a descendent of that couple and I'm not sure that she was. I looked into her story and her mother was African-American and her father was an unknown white man, so her last name must have come from her mother. Her family has put DNA into GED match and so I think that would have matched with this Doe if they were the same person. It would be interesting if Kimberly were a distant relative though.

 

[Bit of hope]

I wonder when the houses in that cul de sac were built and if her remains were present before construction and it just happened to end without her being found, just out of reach in the woods. Otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense to leave her body at the end of a cul de sac in a neighborhood of what seems to have been newer homes then. Not that you'd expect to find a body in such a place. From my online research homes are still being built there and there's lots for sale online that are yet woods there so if that's the case now I'm sure it was newer at the time. I believe I found an aerial photo of the cul de sac online and it's not the location on that map above. Just some thoughts.

As for Kimberly Coleman she'd have to be a descendent of that couple and I'm not sure that she was. I looked into her story and her mother was African-American and her father was an unknown white man, so her last name must have come from her mother. Her family has put DNA into GED match and so I think that would have matched with this Doe if they were the same person. It would be interesting if Kimberly were a distant relative though.

Thank you for looking further into Ms. Coleman.

 

[HopeRains]

Florida Detectives Need Help Identifying Jane Doe in 30-Year Old Homicide Case

Deputies in Florida have matched the skeletal remains of a dead woman believed to be a homicide victim found in 1993 to dozens of relatives via DNA testing — but her name still remains a mystery.

On Jan. 10 of that year, two young boys playing basketball discovered the unidentified woman in a palmetto shrub when their ball rolled into the woods at the end of their cul-de-sac on Sea Ship Place in Palm Coast, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives found "other items of evidence," including remnants of clothing material "suggestive of a pocket lining and zipper and faded clothing tag" and the worn vestiges of a size 7 1/2 pair of tennis shoes, along with the woman's partial skeleton, according to the NamUS database.

Forensic Anthropologists at the University of Florida determined that she had been dead for approximately two or three years before her corpse was found.

They determined she was likely 25 to 35 years old when she was killed and stood at five-foot-three inches. Detectives also noted a right nasal fracture that appeared to have been sustained in an incident before the woman was killed.

A police rendering of the Flagler County Cold Case victim Photo: Flagler County Sheriff's Office

Most of the woman's teeth had fallen out post-mortem, but those that remained showed evidence of periodontal disease.

Flagler County Sheriff's Department Public Affairs Officer Ava Hanner told Oxygen.com that the woman had no trauma to her bones and, because of her corpse's decayed state, there is no indication to how she died.

Nearly 30 years later, in 2021, Othram Inc., a private lab specializing in forensic genealogy to get to the bottom of unsolved murders, managed to develop a DNA profile for the Jane Doe. Forensic anthropologists originally guessed that the woman was white, possibly Indian, but upon reevaluation with newer technology, the company determined she was African American, "possibly mixed with Caucasian."

Using genetic genealogy, investigators determined that she was descended from George Washington Coleman and Clarissa Minnick from the area of Edgefield and Aiken in South Carolina.

At least 30 of the woman's relatives have been contacted, the department wrote. But none had any knowledge of her identity, let alone the circumstances surrounding her death.
https://www.oxygen.com/cold-justice/crime-news/how-cold-cases-get-solved-interview-with-experts
One of those relatives is Donya Williams, who works as a genealogist at the organization Genealogy Adventures.

"Ms. Williams has shared her knowledge of African American genealogy and specific expertise of the region of Edgefield, South Carolina with Detective [Sarah] Scalia in hopes of identifying the victim," deputies wrote in the press release.

Scalia and the department's Cold Case Unit have been working alongside the Aiken County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to help identify the woman.

Scalia "hand-delivered" the woman's skull to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Forensic Imaging Unit on Jan. 10 of this year.

Using the new ancestry data, forensic artists created a facial approximation of the woman, which has been distributed in both Florida and South Carolina.
https://oxygentv.app.link/hCZygmrckqb
“I was murdered!” deputies wrote on the unidentified woman’s behalf. “Who am I and do you know who killed me?”

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said he "know someone out there knows something."

“We hope that someone may be able to identify this woman so we can bring closure to her family who has been waiting for over 30 years to know what happened to her,” Staly said in a statement.

Anyone who recognizes the woman or who has information pertaining to her death is asked to call the sheriff's non emergency number at 386-313-4911 or email [email protected]. Detective Scalia can be reached directly at [email protected]. Crime Stoppers of North Florida, which is offering a reward of $5,000 for information about the unidentified woman, can be reached at 1-888-277-TIPS.

 

[MarziPanda]

From what I've been able to find, George Washington Coleman had 'only' eleven children but over 80 grandchildren. I can't seem to find dates for him but his kids were born in the 1870s onwards I think. So grandkids probably born early 1900s. Our Doe would probably be a grandchild of one of these grandchildren. But if there's an NPE in the mix (and it seems there might be with the family tree being so well researched) that complicates things. From a post on the reunion page for descendants of GWC, they seemed to have narrowed it down a bit. I wonder if they have found her father but he wasn't on her birth certificate.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Somehow she reminds me of Kimberly Coleman. 4079DFIN - Kimberly Coleman She seems to be a foster child. She even has the Coleman name. Ms Coleman is listed as black but to me she looks more biracial.

View attachment 402213

Name: Kimberly Coleman
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: November 1, 1991
Location Last Seen: South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 12, 1969
Age: 22 years
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 132 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Kimberly was reported missing by a former foster parent on April 9, 1992. Her last known address was in the LaSalle Park area of South Bend. Prior to living in South Bend, Kimberly resided in Fort Wayne, and it is believed she still visited there regularly while living in South Bend. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

IN - IN - Kimberly Coleman, 22, South Bend, 1 November 1991

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Kimberly Coleman Female Black / African American Date of Last Contact: November 1, 1991 Missing From: South Bend, Indiana Missing Age: 22 Years Current Age: 50 Years Case Information Demographics Missing Age: 22 Years Current...

www.websleuths.com

 

[cheemsg]

FamilySearch.org
He was born WAY back in 1830 and died 1904.
He had 14 children.
It looks like some of them may have died at birth.

George Jr, Leila and John Coleman are the only ones who clearly survived into adulthood.
This is probably George Jnr's Find a Grave

 

[MarziPanda]

FamilySearch.org
He was born WAY back in 1830 and died 1904.
He had 14 children.
It looks like some of them may have died at birth.

George Jr, Leila and John Coleman are the only ones who clearly survived into adulthood.
This is probably George Jnr's Find a Grave

There's a picture on the George Washington Coleman Family Reunion FB that shows the whole family tree, it shows there are 11 children who had children. It shows the names of the grandchildren too. Having looked closer some are actually great grandchildren so I guess he didn't have more than 80 grandkids, but he sure does have a lot of descendants!

The person who runs the page has posted specifying which member of the family the Doe is connected to (and his name is on the family tree picture) but I don't think I can post as it's not an official source.

ETA- I don't think that's George Jnr's Find a Grave since it says his parents are Patrick Coleman and Frances Clary

 

[Bit of hope]

It's nice to see the extended family is so open and helpful in all this. I hope she will be identified soon. Thank you @othram You rock!!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1877733264045048016