Identified! IL - Grundy Co, BlkFem UP17621, 18-23, body in ditch at U.S. Rte 6, Oct'76 JoAnn "Vickie" Smith

[Romulus]

1401UFIL

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Have you seen this child?

Missing From: , . Missing Date: .

www.missingkids.org

Grundy County Jane Doe | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

Reconstruction of the victim by Kim Parkhurst, Carl Koppelman, NCMEC and Beth Buchholtz; images of sweater.

Unidentified Body/Remains (Black Female)
Found October 2, 1976 in Grundy Co, IL
Body Condition: Recognizable face
Probable year of death: 1976 to 1976
Estimated postmortem interval: 1 Days

Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 18-23 (Adult - pre 30)
Approximate Height: 67 estimate
Approximate Weight: 150 estimate
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Scars and marks: Scar on right hip, lower right abdomen, which could be a birthmark

Clothing & Accessories
Clothing: Red, White and Black knit sweater
Jewerly: nothing
Footwear: nothing
Accessories: Green plastic bag, along with black electrical tape

Identifiers
Fingerprints: Fingerprint information is available elsewhere
Dentals: Dental information / charting is not available
DNA: Sample submitted - tests not complete

Case History: On October 2, 1976, an unidentified female black, between the ages of 18 and 23, was found deceased in a ditch.

<MOD NOTE: Original link broken; edited to include current link and images as of October 8, 2022>

 

[Gourami Watcher]

Postmortem image is now available. Quite graphic.

 

[Gourami Watcher]

News articles released today on the NamUs page. Doesn't surprise me she was murdered.

 

[carbuff]

Caution: the postmortem shows up as soon as you open the Namus file.

 

[Romulus]

Doe Network database link case

1401UFIL

1401UFIL - Unidentified Female
Victim's sweater. To view a retouched postmortem photograph, please click here.
Date of Discovery: October 2, 1976
Location of Discovery: Erienna Township, Grundy County, Illinois
Estimated Date of Death: 1 day prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by gunshot
Physical Description

Estimated Age: 18-23 years old
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Height: 5'7" to 5'9"
Weight: 130 to 150 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Scar on right hip, lower right abdomen, which could be a birthmark.
Identifiers

Dentals: Not available.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Pending.
Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Nude. A red, white and black knit sweater was around her head.
Jewelry: None.
Additional Personal Items: None.
Circumstances of Discovery

The victim was found in a ditch on US Route 6, 1.4 miles east of the LaSalle County line at around 3:00 PM on October 2, 1976. The body was not likely at this location for very long.
She had been shot once in the back of the head with a .38 caliber revolver.
Her head was covered with a green plastic bag bound with black electrical tape, along with a multi-colored knit sweater.
Authorities ran the woman's photograph in the Chicago Daily Bullitin newspaper and submitted her fingerprints to the FBI and other crime labs in the United States but there were no results.
After 54 days, she was buried in an unmarked grave.
Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: Grundy County Coroner
Agency Contact Person: John Callahan
Agency Phone Number: 815-942-3792
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: #10-76-3
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 17621
Information Source(s)

NamUs link

 

[Moonwalker9]

I wonder what took nameus so long to put up her profile and where did they do they bury her body? Is it possible the same killer is behind her murder and St Louis Jane doe 1983? I feel like this woman is quite young also, probably a teen and my theory is that both of these Jane does where from the chicago area.

 

[carbuff]

For the most part, Namus doesn't put up profiles. It's the responsibility of the investigating agency and there are dozens of reasons they don't add someone--anything from budget and personnel to protecting the case to paranoia about publicity to missing case files. Some states had (or still have) policies of not adding people to the national databases unless they have reason to believe the person is from out of the area.

 

[Gourami Watcher]

I'm thinking this woman was killed by someone she knew. What I've learned through watching Forensic Files, The New Detectives and Cold Case Files, when a killer covers the face of a victim, they most often were not strangers at the time of the murder.

Since Jane Doe's face was wrapped in the sweater and plastic, I'm guessing she could be the victim of domestic violence. Since she's more than likely unreported missing due to the lack of missing women at the time matching her description (those who did were ruled out, I believe).

Hope this case gets some media attention. It's probably the best shot to identify her, unless the DNA Doe Project steps in, of course.

 

[CarlK90245]

I'm thinking this woman was killed by someone she knew. What I've learned through watching Forensic Files, The New Detectives and Cold Case Files, when a killer covers the face of a victim, they most often were not strangers at the time of the murder.

Since Jane Doe's face was wrapped in the sweater and plastic, I'm guessing she could be the victim of domestic violence. Since she's more than likely unreported missing due to the lack of missing women at the time matching her description (those who did were ruled out, I believe).

Hope this case gets some media attention. It's probably the best shot to identify her, unless the DNA Doe Project steps in, of course.

Since this was a gunshot to the head, I'm guessing that the killer covered her head with plastic and a sweater to contain the bloody mess that probably resulted.

It does look like a domestic violence situation. The fact that she was naked when found makes me wonder though.

 

[zencompass]

I am hoping that soon this young woman is identified.

Perhaps someone will notice this in the media and identify her.

 

[CarlK90245]

Grundy County Coroner’s Office
1320 Union St.
John W. Callahan, Coroner

Morris, IL 60450
Phone – 815-942-3792
Fax – 815-941-3355



Grundy County Coroner John W. Callahan is releasing details regarding a death investigation of a cold case of an unidentified female. The body was found on October 2, 1976 in a farm field in western Grundy County. Investigators from the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department and Illinois State Police in conjunction with the Coroner, worked the case for a period of time. After several weeks of not being able to make any identification, the body was buried under the authority of the Grundy County Coroner. Not only were there no identification leads, but also the fact that the death was ruled a Homicide from a gunshot wound to the head.

Coroner Callahan states that at the time in 1976, authorities exhausted all possibilities with the investigative tools of that time. Today, there is so much more in the way of DNA, advanced fingerprinting, facial sketch artists just to name a few that my office felt it was an opportune time to look further into the death. Coroner Callahan also states, “I’ve known about this unidentified female since I started in the Coroner’s office in 1994 and it has troubled me that someone’s loved one is buried here and was never identified.” Coroner Callahan states that he understands that this is a “long shot” in hopes of identification and even further of any hope of finding the killer. I do believe my office has put together a very solid case presentation with the help of evidence that was kept by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department and assistance from the Illinois State Police Crime Lab, along with NamUs.

The following is a current news release, along with the sketch and two articles from 1976, when she was found:

Grundy County, Illinois-The Grundy County Coroner’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in helping to identify a victim from a 1976 cold case. On October 2, 1976, the body of a Female was found in a ditch, located on the Western edge of rural Grundy County. The victim was described as a Female Black, between 18-23 years of age, with black hair, brown eyes, 5’7” and 150 lbs. With so much advancement in Forensic Science over the years, our office is taking a fresh look at this case. With the help of an illustrator, who was able to design this image to help depict how the victim may have looked at the time of her death. We understand that this is someone’s daughter and loved one. Please help us in bringing closure to her family after forty-two years. Anyone with information that can lead us to the identity of this female is asked to contact Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson at the Grundy County Coroner’s Office at 815-942-3792 or bjohnson@grundyco.org

 

[dotr]

Updated Sketch Released Involving Grundy County Cold Case
Subscribing.
June 14 2018
"Back on October 2, 1976, officers found a young African American woman’s body in a ditch along Route 6 near Seneca. She had been shot in the head.
At the time of her death, the victim was thought to be between 18 to 23 years old with black hair and brown eyes."

If you have any information, call 942-3792.

 

[dotr]

One of 3 missing black women circa 1976
Unsolved: Young, black and vanished
Jennifer Joyce Barton – The Charley Project
Jennifer Joyce Barton

• 

Barton, circa 1976

• Missing Since 05/16/1976
• Missing From Austin, Texas
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth 05/31/1955 (63)
• Age 20 years old
• Height and Weight 5'7, 135 pounds

 

[carbuff]

updated Namus link Unidentified Person Case

No ruleouts listed

 

[dotr]

updated Namus link Unidentified Person Case

No ruleouts listed

Accessories
Green plastic bag, along with black electrical tape.
Near the Body

Clothing
Red, White and Black knit sweater.
On the Body

• 
  
• 
  

 

[Migmuu]

Barbara Jolly - Race is correct, age and height are within range, weight is within 20 lbs (not an unreasonable discrepancy), hair and eye color match, she wore her hair short like the UID, and she disappeared 6 weeks before the body was found. She was last seen halfway across the country, but the vague circumstances don't preclude her as a match. I don't think she looks much like Jane Doe, though.

 

[dotr]

Barbara Jolly - Race is correct, age and height are within range, weight is within 20 lbs (not an unreasonable discrepancy), hair and eye color match, she wore her hair short like the UID, and she disappeared 6 weeks before the body was found. She was last seen halfway across the country, but the vague circumstances don't preclude her as a match. I don't think she looks much like Jane Doe, though.

Hard to tell, but did the UID have a widow's peak?
Barbara Kay Jolly – The Charley Project
Barbara Kay Jolly

• 

Jolly, circa 1976

• Age 17 years old
• Height and Weight 5'8, 130 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Jolly has a widow's peak on her forehead.

 

[dotr]

Billboard seeks public's help in solving Grundy County's only cold case
Oct 14 2018
"The case is Grundy County's only cold case. Now an electronic billboard outside the Joliet Regional Airport has a photo of what authorities believe the woman looked like. The caption reads: "The year was 1976. Who was I?"

"I have a list of 17 females. Of those 17, I feel like four or five of them are potential matches. Two are from Texas. One from Kentucky. One from Washington state," says Grundy County Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson. "So right now, the DNA is being tested in Texas. Once that's completed they're going to compare our individual from the rest of them and tell us whether or not it's an exclusion or indeed is a match."

 

[Al Ka]

Just to let you know postmortem is gone from her Namus page (for some time now) - Unidentified Person Case

Also coroner of her case has opened FB page for her. So please join and share - 1976 Grundy County Unidentified Female Black Cold Case

 

[Al Ka]

By the way Carl congratulations on her sketch and getting your art image displayed on billboard.