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

[MadMcGoo]

I emailed the Grundy County ME about Yvonne (Carola) as being a potential match. ^^^

 

[MadMcGoo]

The medical examiner replied that he was aware of Ms. Davenport, as she was on his list of potential matches, and they are awaiting comparison of the two.

 

[Grungster]

Can someone attach the PM please? I like to see the smaller version of the image first in case I don't want to look at the full view

 

[MadMcGoo]

I could have sworn I had the PM photo, but I can’t find it.

 

[dotr]

I could have sworn I had the PM photo, but I can’t find it.

Had also looked for it but did not find it either, maybe it was removed?

 

[Fuuro]

I also am unable to find the postmortem photo of Erienna Jane Doe. Based on some of the descriptions of it that I've heard, it sounds like it is pretty graphic, so I'm surprised that it was ever made publicly available in the first place.

 

[KaylaraOwl]

Do we know if Carola was adopted?

 

[KaylaraOwl]

I have only found one family tree with Carola in it, and it appears to be her daughter's tree. But there's only 4 people in it, none which are in Carola's lineage except the daughter.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Do we know if Carola was adopted?

A friend an I (both dabble on genealogy) tried putting together something for Carola, but ran into the same thing you did. Not much at all. She very likely could have been adopted.

ETA: This is discouraging because I wanted to provide the ME with more than just “I think this is a match”. I will honestly be surprised if this is not her.

 

[KaylaraOwl]

It looks like Davenport is her maiden name, and in theory that should bring us to some parents, even if that's her adopted last name. But I'm not finding anything. I wonder if she had siblings that went to that same school that pops up with her picture in it.

 

[MadMcGoo]

It looks like Davenport is her maiden name, and in theory that should bring us to some parents, even if that's her adopted last name. But I'm not finding anything. I wonder if she had siblings that went to that same school that pops up with her picture in it.

Nada. I only found the one yearbook photo of her and there were no other Davenport’s in that one. I searched page by page in the yearbooks immediately before and after she appeared in the 1971 one, but none of the Davenport’s I found ever appeared together in the same book (that I could see). This was Plymouth Whitemarsh HS.

I did find these:

Warren Emmanuel 1967
William James C 1970
Kevin 1983-86 (a couple during this time frame)

Whether or not these could be her brothers, I’m not sure. I didn’t find an obvious connection between them, but I’ve only done a quick search...my eyes were beginning to cross!

ETA: Her yearbook caption, FWIW. Not that I didn’t think she had a mom...

 

[MadMcGoo]

From a Facebook post on DDP’s page yesterday:

Sharing a nice write-up from DNA Genealogy Crime Solver's page (and thanks to Help ID Me), on the 44th anniversary of our Grundy County Jane Doe's discovery. Please read for how you can help, and thanks to all who have reached out earlier. Please note, we do not need genealogy help constructing the Calhoun-Harris tree. We have that. We're looking for people who may have known this family or their descendants. Thanks in advance - our dream is to bring this Jane Doe home before flowers are again placed on her grave in 2021.

DNA Genealogy Crime Solvers

 

[ntt1]

Jane Seneca Doe's Identity One Step Closer To Becoming Reality

Sounds like they are closing in with some new relatives that were recently identified and are submitting DNA tests (or they are trying to determine which member of the family she is descended from, with certainty).

 

[doggybag2355]

Jane Seneca Doe's Identity One Step Closer To Becoming Reality

Sounds like they are closing in with some new relatives that were recently identified and are submitting DNA tests (or they are trying to determine which member of the family she is descended from, with certainty).

Interesting. However it can unfortunately take a few months for DNA testing.

 

[Melt71]

Interesting. However it can unfortunately take a few months for DNA testing.

Still good news.

 

[Arz]

Her Admixture

 

[branmuffin]

Did not know, or must have forgotten that Seneca Doe had a bottle of wine in her pocket.
''In the fall of 1976, the body of a young African American woman was found on the shoulder of a rural highway near downstate Seneca. She was wearing a colorful red sweater, with a bottle of wine in the pocket. It was believed she may have been in her twenties, but she had no ID.''

Apparently it was a bottle of TJ Swan wine, flavour unknown. It's no longer being produced and was a very cheap, sweet wine which would appeal to both young people and poor or homeless people.

 

[doggybag2355]

So it seems like the DDP reposted their finds on her earlier this month, looking for more leads, so I'm guessing she's NOT one of the 13ish or so who are identified who haven't been announced yet.

 

[Susikatze]

Its a pity she still has so few matches on the spreadsheet. This gorgeous lady deserves to come home.

 

[doggybag2355]

Its a pity she still has so few matches on the spreadsheet. This gorgeous lady deserves to come home.

I actually talked to Carl and got his reconstruction of her and put it on the Wikipedia page for unidentified murder victims, hopefully it will garner some more attention.