MD MD - Frederick, WhtFem 17-45, UP7477, in steamer trunk in state park, Spondylolysis, Aug'82

[Natasha (Tash) Simp]

Since we are certain that Jane Doe was probably a cheerleader or a gymnist at her high school, any girl who *wasn't* a cheerleader or a gymnist in high school can be ruled out.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Since we are certain that Jane Doe was probably a cheerleader or a gymnist at her high school, any girl who *wasn't* a cheerleader or a gymnist in high school can be ruled out.

Unless she was a figure skater....that's a popular undertaking for girls that would mimic the same types of injuries.

 

[Roselvr]

Unless she was a figure skater....that's a popular undertaking for girls that would mimic the same types of injuries.

Especially back then; or roller skating.
1982; we had just finished the disco era.

 

[carbuff]

Since we are certain that Jane Doe was probably a cheerleader or a gymnist at her high school, any girl who *wasn't* a cheerleader or a gymnist in high school can be ruled out.

Well, maybe. It wouldn't have to have been high school at all -- gymnastics and dance are likely to have been done outside of school, and cheerleaders function at all levels from grade school to college. It's also not information that's included in very many missing persons profiles.

 

[traacker13]

Found some interesting info on this Jane Doe. Several obdservations by an anthropologist named Dr. J. Lawrence Angel:

The News
Tuesday, July 5th, 1983
Frederick Maryland

*He pokes around the tray and reassembles the jaw to the skull. From it's shape alone, he states she was caucasian and "Old American"- that is her family has been in this country for at least three generations. "It doesn't mean she wasn't born abroad" he quickly adds.

*From a casual look at the bones he said she stood about five and a half feet tall. She was slender limbed, broad-hipped and probably in her early twenties.

*The broad skull base and the full round pelvis say she was probably well nourished. This could mean she came from a middle-class background or she might have been a farm girl.

*"The spine shows a lot of stress, suggesting a lot of back-bending",he says "my guess is she was a high school gymnast or a dancer. She might have worked in a factory where she was always lifting things. At any rate, she probably suffered back trouble," he continues. He goes on to other bones saying she couldn't have been very muscular.

*Then he points to one of the bones of the heels."The way those bones fit together say she probably wore high heels often" Dr. Angel observes. Then pointing to the bone leading to the small toe, he shows how it must have been injured, maybe fractured at one time.

*For some reason, each rib has a small ridge along the upper surface.

*Nearly all her teeth show filling and two front teeth have been capped.

*She has two skewed wisdom teeth in her palate. The teeth would have been very painful.

*Regrettably he can find no definate cause of death. "The styloid process (pointed extensions which hold the jaw in place below the skull) are broken. That suggested strangulation but they could have been broken post-mortem." he observes. "The thoractic vertebrae "The bones holding the head upright) is darker than the rest. That usually means it has been stained with blood. This could also mean strangulation, but then again, it also could have happened after she died."

Also in the article it said the trunk in which contained her body was found on Frederick City's watershed by a Myersville couple scouring the mountain for mushrooms when they stumbled across the brown and gold trunk.

Forgive me if this has been mentioned, but I wonder if anyone has examined these facts together. What I mean is that they could be three entirely separate facts or they could point to something else. Maybe she was an exotic dancer or a dancer at a strip club and this is why she showed signs of wearing high heels often and issues with back trouble (back bending). The reason I highlighted the fact about her not being muscular would suggest to me that she wasn't a gymnast or dancer but rather someone who could possibly be doing this for their job at a strip club or something of that sort...This could be entirely wrong...or could be entirely right??

 

[traacker13]

I think Emma Vaughn should be looked at. I was slightly deterred from posting about her based on her chipped front left tooth HOWEVER, I wonder if this may be the reason for a cap?

There are few things that differ from the UID like age and I believe Emma may have been a mother?

The reason I think she SHOULD at least be ruled out is that she disappeared in July 1982 (the estimated post mortem timeframe for the UID). She was likely a dancer at a strip club, it is mentioned that she had extensive dental work, it appears that she has medium length brown hair and she fits the height estimate.

Emma Vaughn: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/v/vaughn_emma.html

 

[winterrayne]

Hi, any updates on this case?

 

[chaddylex]

I think Emma Vaughn should be looked at. I was slightly deterred from posting about her based on her chipped front left tooth HOWEVER, I wonder if this may be the reason for a cap?

There are few things that differ from the UID like age and I believe Emma may have been a mother?

The reason I think she SHOULD at least be ruled out is that she disappeared in July 1982 (the estimated post mortem timeframe for the UID). She was likely a dancer at a strip club, it is mentioned that she had extensive dental work, it appears that she has medium length brown hair and she fits the height estimate.

Emma Vaughn: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/v/vaughn_emma.html

View attachment 59103

I just looked at the UID's NamUS profile. Emma Vaughn was ruled out. They are up to 14 Ruleouts


Katherine Anderson 1954 Maryland
Maureen Baca 1950 California
Marie Blee 1964 Colorado
Susan Cappel 1962 Ohio
Valarie Cuccia 1953 New York
Sherry Eyerly 1963 Oregon
Rachael Garden 1964 New Hampshire
Gina Hall 1962 Virginia
Anne Manchester 1954 Delaware
Judith ODonnell 1961 New York
Betty Roberts 1930 Maryland
Jeanne Scrima 1935 New York
Nancy Snow 1936 Maryland
Emma Vaughn 1967 Florida

 

[EmmaliLucia]

I haven't had time to read through this all so this may or may not be a repost, but there's a person who is doing reconstructions out there and she has her own blog and people can chime in their opinion.

http://www.hellbeasts.com/?p=4405

 

[rainwater]

Bumping this a little to ask if there was ever any definite decision/ruleout regarding Anne Lillian Riggin as the UID. Anne is not on the official ruleout list.

Could the UID have been an aerobics instructor or hard-core practitioner of aerobics? Remember, 1982 was the era of Jane Fonda workout videos and aerobics classes.

 

[Gourami Watcher]

I was watching The New Detectives on Netflix a while back and they detailed this case briefly when stating a missing person was suspected to be this victim but was ruled out. I got pretty excited to see a UID case on a TruCrime show. They also showed a sketch of the victim that was probably created early on in the investigation because it looks pretty rough.



A couple of years ago, a Canadian blogger that I've become acquaintances with (that has also done many other reconstructions) created her rendering of the Jane Doe. She ended up guessing on the victim's eye color.



On a final note, I wonder if Lisa White could be a possible match since she had a history with gymnastics and other physical sports. She's not on the rule-out list on NamUs but one must acknowledge the difference of time and that if Lisa was the Jane Doe, she would have been living as a runaway with a lot of access to good dental care.

 

[Alleykins]

I was thinking this could possibly be Mary Cook Spencer:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3482dfmd.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/8712/11/
http://www.missingin.org/reg4706/mary_cook_spencer.htm
I couldn't find a Charley project page or a WS page for her, I checked Mary Spencer as well.
There are two blurry pictures of her and very little information if you google her name.
Also, if you search Missing Mary Cook Spencer in FB you will find a picture of her house being searched taken by a neighbor (I presume) and in the comment section you will find some posts by her husband's son that sheds some light on what happened, from that perspective. I won't post it here, but it's an interesting read. I believe it mentions that the spouse died in 1997.
Were steamer trunks standard issue in the military? If anyone feels this is a strong possible match, please feel free to call it in to that detective. Dental is available, but not DNA.
Last seen alive: March 30, 1981 at 15:56
Circumstances: Mary was last seen on March 14, 1981.
First Name: Mary
Last Name: Cook Spencer
Details
Age When Last Known Alive: 26
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 66.0
Weight: 140.0
[h=3]Location[/h]City: Prince Frederick
State: Maryland
County: Calvert
[h=3]Appearance[/h]Hair: Brown
Head Hair: Light brown
Eye: Brown
Scars And Marks: Freckles
Piercings: Pierced Ears
[h=3][/h]

 

[winterrayne]

how about this one? the only thing throwing me off is it says kathryn is blond, this uid had brown hair. no dental work mentioned either. everything else adds up though, unless i missed something. i think she looks like one of the first sketches more though. I'll attempt to add pics
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1016dfmd.html

 

[flat albert]

Anne Riggin still not ruled out.. Wonder why not?

 

[Otterly]

Anne Riggin still not ruled out.. Wonder why not?

Same with Virgina Ann Welch, but LE had stated they could not find identifiers for her years back in earlier posts. I have a feeling the UID is likely one of these two women.

 

[Judithslays]

Just joined to read and post about this case, so forgive my ramblings and possibly irrelevant info//thoughts.

I grew up and live in Frederick currently, and go into this forest regularly. I might have missed it, but does anyone know where exactly along the road she was found? I'm assuming it is referring to Gambrill Park Rd, the "main" road through the area with smaller offshoot roads, that take you and a circle-back road that I usually take to get up there, which lets off in a residential / rural area outside of Frederick city limits proper. The earliest that google earth has satellite immaging of the area is 1988, but there are already the main road, my circle-back road (Hamburg rd), and many offshoots by that time that can let you out in pretty much any town or city that borders the large forsest. I dont know exactly where the official "Watershed" area ends/ended in 82, but its all one long stretch of woods. Also, a bit further north, toward the end of the forest, is Camp David, which has been around since the 30s, so no doubt there were plenty of roads in that area by 82 that are the same as the ones toda, im sure the geography hasn't changes much between 82 and 88 (and even now), given how many really old buildings and ruined stone foundations of old homes are up there.

I would be super curious to find out the exact location, or at least a general area, since even the area accessible from JUST Gambrill Park Rd is big. Im sure it is somewhere, a more exact location, but I have not seen it.

I found these photos that are apparently of the trunk, they are coming from the same source that released the photos of the dental records and skull photo, a local news channel called Your4state.

The couple that found it broke the lock off, and it is described as brown and gold (brass more than likely), and it was also described as being cheap, which could mean anything if it is even accurately quoted. These things are all over old farm houses and barns, left in attics and basements, and though I can't say how big it is, this one looks like it would difficult to carry without dragging, given that there is no front strap near the lock like many trunks, possibly side straps but it's hard to tell from the photos. Either way, it would certainly fit in a van or the bed of a truck, which is my best guess for how it would have been transported up there.

I really doubt that it was a truck driver who dumped it up there, it would be difficult, in my opinion, to drive any kind of big commercial truck into the area, especially without it being super obvious and risking running off the road or getting stuck or lost on a smaller offshoot rd. I have to think that whoever put her there was familiar with the area, but of course that is just a hunch. Also, along the same lines of these trunks being common in barns and farms, I wonder if anyone has considered the fact that her lower back issues could be from horseback riding and/or farm work (not super rigorous, as it was stated she was not super muscular, a fact which also makes me doubt the gymnast/dancer image that has been attached to the case.). I know it was stated that her feet showed signs of extensive heel-wearing, but that really is not saying much, as women from any background were wearing heels, and im not sure if they are saying that her arches were showing signs of HIGH pumps, or that her toes were kind of smushed together to show that she wore narrow tipped shoes/boots, which would be consitant with farm/riding footwear in many cases. Also, the dental work being likely performed by students or more "old school" dental practitioners is in line with what might be available to uninsured farm families or workers who could go to local medical schools or clinics for reduced costs.

Last thing that has not yet been brought up is the fact that we are right next to Fort Detrick, which is currently, and was in 1982, "the world’s leading research campus for biological agents requiring specialty containment." USAMRIID, NCI, lots of programs there and lots of people coming in and out and living on base and off. Probably not relevant, but it hasn't been mentioned and it really is such a huge part of Frederick.

SO in conclusion, i have no idea what happened, I dont trust the Frederick cops to do much, as I have too much disdain toward their racism, brutality, and lack of compassion as far as I and most of the community that isn't rich and white have experienced. Hopefully they at least care enough to listen to some of you who have called in with tips, but they really just are focused on riding Segways through the downtown area and harassing black youth and homeless folks minding their own business.

 

[theshadow45]

Welcome to Websleuths, Judithslays! :welcome5: You may be on to something, post #13 on this thread has a report with observations from a forensic anthropologist's exam of this UID where it's speculated that she may have grown up on a farm. I think it's entirely possible that it could be both; she might have been a farmer's daughter who eventually became an exotic dancer, which fits with the wear on her bones as well as her frequently wearing high heels and the dental work being done at schools that operate during the day. For her to have gotten all of this done there she was likely either unemployed for a stretch of time or worked nights. I'm wondering about the marks mentioned on her ribs; does anyone think those could have come from something similar to the shoes she wore regularly, like wearing tight fitting, corset-like outfits for example?

 

[theshadow45]

Full list of NamUs rule outs as of 17 July 2017:

• Katherine Anderson
• Maureen Baca
• Marie Blee
• Susan Cappel
• Andrea Coyle
• Valarie Cuccia
• Kathleen Durst
• Sherry Eyerly
• Rachael Garden
• Gina Hall
• Anne Manchester
• Judith O'Donnell
• Betty Roberts
• Jeanne Scrima
• Nancy Snow
• Emma Vaughn

 

[theshadow45]

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2387/0/

Oddly, the NamUs file for this case says that death was from 1972 to 1982, so who knows? I think Karen Kamsch should be looked at though....I'm shocked she hasn't been already, or at least she is not on the rule out list.

I really like Karen Kamsch as a possibility too http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/kamsch_karen.html. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are unclear to say the least, it isn't even known exactly when she went missing beyond "winter" of 1976 (not sure if that was to mean the beginning or end of the year). It's possible that she ran away as she had a history of doing so but also could have fallen victim to foul play, potentially at the hands of a family member as there are allegations that she was abused and lived away from home at the time she went missing. When last seen, she was 14 years old (would have been 20 in 1982), had brown hair and eyes, and is listed as being 5'0" tall and 110 pounds.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping for "The Cheerleader In The Trunk", who has been unidentified for 35 years today.