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

[iulia]

She was killed and dumped in a ditch over 40 years ago. A Morris, Ill., deputy coroner has vowed to find out her name.

 

[kelli3384]

EPISODE 161: Grundy County Jane Doe

 

[Al Ka]

She was killed and dumped in a ditch over 40 years ago. A Morris, Ill., deputy coroner has vowed to find out her name.

Just to add, there was new information mentioned in this article which I have not seen before. Quoting -
===
She was found Oct. 2, 1976, her body’s naked limbs tangled, and a green plastic bag and sweater with a $15.99 price tag still attached pulled over her head. Officials suspected she had been shot somewhere else and dumped along the highway. An autopsy showed she died from a gunshot wound in the back of her head.

She was perhaps 20 years old, 5 feet 7 inches and about 150 pounds, according to the coroner’s report in 1976. On the line for “name” was typed, “Unknown Negro Woman.”
===

I wonder if that sweater from NY company was brand new or new-ish. I wish someone digged out any information about that Alan Originals Inc company where sweater came from. I am sure information on businesses should be stored somewhere.

And was not $15.99 quite hm higher amount in 1976? Maybe around $100 or more in today's money?

 

[Gourami Watcher]

NCMEC did their own reconstruction of the sweater.

 

[iulia]

Cold Case with Carol Vorel: 1976 murder of Jane Seneca Doe

 

[madamx]

We know in the case of Milli Alvarado that she was 7 years off of her age range, and Hispanic, not White. Certainly anything is possible.

Oh and let's Not forget my New found Favorite of totally off.... Randi Stacy Boothe 1994 a black woman that had kids and her UID was classsified as a White woman w No kids.. and not matched until now! Soooo on that note to me...Anything is possible!

 

[Al Ka]

Oh and let's Not forget my New found Favorite of totally off.... Randi Stacy Boothe 1994 a black woman that had kids and her UID was classsified as a White woman w No kids.. and not matched until now! Soooo on that note to me...Anything is possible!

Randi Stacy remains were completely skeletal and have been there over a year. Approximations of skeletal remains can be widely off and we have seen it quite a few times.

This Jane Doe post mortem is about one day so apart of injuries, she her body was much easier to analyze. She is definitely black. Age could be up or down few years but definitely in youngish years.

Btw, Madamax as you are from NY area, any idea where to search NY archives for that NY company (Alan Originals Inc.) where her sweater was made or sold from? When were they trading, how big they were, where they distributed etc?

 

[Coffee56]

Looks like it was registered in 1972

ALAN ORIGINALS, INC.

Bankruptcy proceedings in 1979:

Business Records

 

[dotr]

Looks like it was registered in 1972

ALAN ORIGINALS, INC.

Bankruptcy proceedings in 1979:

Business Records

Nice one!

 

[madamx]

Randi Stacy remains were completely skeletal and have been there over a year. Approximations of skeletal remains can be widely off and we have seen it quite a few times.

This Jane Doe post mortem is about one day so apart of injuries, she her body was much easier to analyze. She is definitely black. Age could be up or down few years but definitely in youngish years.

Btw, Madamax as you are from NY area, any idea where to search NY archives for that NY company (Alan Originals Inc.) where her sweater was made or sold from? When were they trading, how big they were, where they distributed etc?

Hey Alka, funny you mention it I actually
have been searching to see if I could find anything on Alan Originals Inc, unfortunately, I have not...as of Yet. I am still looking though.

But judging from the address it seems like the location is what is known known as the Garment District in NYC. There used to be many factories, show rooms and stores which sold materials per lengths and so on in that area ( my mom was a seamstress she worked on 30th st for many years in one of those factories)

One thing I noticed on the sweater tags. Looks to me like there was a horizontal tag on top that appears to have been cut.

I remember the factories and showrooms used to have sample sales or sales on items that were slightly irregular. These were the items that where not good enough to go out to the stores or rejected by the department stores.

They would the hold these sales open to the public for a couple of hours on certain days. Anybody off the street that knew about it can go and buy these items. Usually in one room of the factory it was never fancy. People that went to these things either lived or worked near the place or knew someone that lived or worked there. Word of mouth mostly.

I remember they used to cut the designer tag off or put a slit on it or a hole punch. In later years they would take a sharpie and put it across the designer name tag.

Many items had the store price tag on them but that is not what they actually cost when you bought them at the factory or showroom. My friends and I got many items of clothing that way.. These were the days before stores like Marshalls.

I also noticed that the sweater has a hole w a sharpie mark around it. That along w the cut tag made me think of the irregular items at the factory sales. ..

I will continue to search to see if I find any info on Alan Originals other than what you already have posted.

I wonder if they had factories in different locations or only the one that is listed on this thread. If not could she then be from NY?

 

[Golden_Age]

Does anyone else see a strong resemblance between Jane Doe and Debra Kay Stewart missing from Austin, TX? I see a very strong resemblance between the two. Could Debra be the missing woman from Texas whose DNA they are currently testing? Debra wasn't 5'7, she's report to be at tallest 5'4, but there have been height discrepancies many times before.

 

[Blurgle]

Just to add, there was new information mentioned in this article which I have not seen before. Quoting -
===
She was found Oct. 2, 1976, her body’s naked limbs tangled, and a green plastic bag and sweater with a $15.99 price tag still attached pulled over her head. Officials suspected she had been shot somewhere else and dumped along the highway. An autopsy showed she died from a gunshot wound in the back of her head.

She was perhaps 20 years old, 5 feet 7 inches and about 150 pounds, according to the coroner’s report in 1976. On the line for “name” was typed, “Unknown Negro Woman.”
===

I wonder if that sweater from NY company was brand new or new-ish. I wish someone digged out any information about that Alan Originals Inc company where sweater came from. I am sure information on businesses should be stored somewhere.

And was not $15.99 quite hm higher amount in 1976? Maybe around $100 or more in today's money?

Clothing hasn’t gone up in price like housing or foodstuffs have. I found a 1976 Sears catalogue online that shows bargain women’s sweaters selling for $18 to $22, which ties in with my own memories.

 

[Al Ka]

Update by Coroner of her case:

We are pleased to announce that as of yesterday, The University of North Texas Center For Human Identification (UNTCHI) has developed a female str and mtDNA profile of Jane Seneca Doe. The profile has been entered into the National DNA database, CODIS and is currently searching the system for potential matches.

These efforts were made possible by an excellent partnership that NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) has with UNTCHI. Thanks to a grant through the Department of Justice, following Jane’s exhumation on December 17, 2018, her mandible and femur bones were sent to the UNTCHI lab in Fort Worth, Texas.

Our office plans to use genealogical testing in the near future, as well as additional resources, if needed.

At this time we have learned of additional exclusions in this case by DNA comparison:

-Jennifer Joyce Barton (Missing from Austin, TX.)
-Susan Redding (Missing from Seattle, WA.)

We thank the public for their ongoing support. This case remains active and we continue to ask anyone that may be missing a friend or family member from around October 2, 1976 to contact Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson at 815-941-3359 or e-mail: [email protected]

1976 Grundy County Unidentified Female Black Cold Case
1976 Grundy County Unidentified Female Black Cold Case

 

[taramarie]

So glad to see persistence in solving this case. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her name returned to her this year

 

[Bit of hope]

Hoping....!

 

[Al Ka]

New rule out list as per coroner - excluded by Dental comparison and/or DNA:

-Katrina Ashford
-Tracy Davenport
-Catherine Davidson

-Francis Heath
-Ila Maynard
-Consuella Cash

-Alice Jefferson
-Sherise Magee
-Marion Hawkins

-Mabel Andrews
-Brenda Moore
-Margie Phillips

-Jennifer Barton
-Debra Stewart
-Barbara Jolly

-Ivy Matory
-Violet Matory
-Yolanda Williams
-Susan Redding

1976 Grundy County Unidentified Female Black Cold Case

 

[dotr]

"Jason Futch
Premiered 8 hours ago In this week's episodes of True Cold Case Files, Jason takes everyone back to October of 1976, when Tom Henderson's father and daughter stumble upon the remains of an African-American female that had been shot in the head with a .38 caliber revolver. Her head had been wrapped in a multi-colored sweater and covered with a green plastic bag wrapped in electrical tape. Over 40 years later, there are no answers as to who killed this woman, but soon there could be an answer to who she was. Do you have the link? Or will investigators soon resort to Forensic Ancestry methods? REFERENCES: NamUs: https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPer... NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCM... Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1401u... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCUSSIONS: Websleuths: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/thr...

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

"Jason Futch
Premiered 8 hours ago In this week's episodes of True Cold Case Files, Jason takes everyone back to October of 1976, when Tom Henderson's father and daughter stumble upon the remains of an African-American female that had been shot in the head with a .38 caliber revolver. Her head had been wrapped in a multi-colored sweater and covered with a green plastic bag wrapped in electrical tape. Over 40 years later, there are no answers as to who killed this woman, but soon there could be an answer to who she was. Do you have the link? Or will investigators soon resort to Forensic Ancestry methods? REFERENCES: NamUs: https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPer... NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCM... Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1401u... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCUSSIONS: Websleuths: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/thr...

@dotr Thanks so much for sharing this link! I have a follow up interview with Deputy Coroner Brandon Johnson on "In-Depth"! It sounds like the GCJD case may be picked up by the DDP!

 

[taramarie]

Now a DDP pending case! “At lab for extraction”.

 

[Bit of hope]

Now a DDP pending case! “At lab for extraction”.

Good to know...fingers crossed.