Identified! MI - Highland Park, BiracialFem 15-22, UP11787, teddy bear watch, Sz 8 1/2 shoes, May'96 - Mindy Clevidence

[alllads]

Hi all, just came across this young woman on Namus and FBI ViCAP. There is a fair bit of information about her, maybe she is identifiable? The below is taken from ViCAP ( https://leb.fbi.gov/2014/may/vicap-alert , scroll to the bottom) and NamUS ( https://identifyus.org/en/cases/11787 ). Here she is on NCMEC, with different reconstructions: ( http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMU/1228681/1 )

Race: Possibly biracial
Sex: Female
Age: 15 – 22 years old
Height: 5'3" (approximately)
Weight: 191 pounds (approximately)
Hair: Brown (reddish according to ViCAP, dark according to NamUs) in a pony tail. Hair had a "full curly texture", and had a white bow in it.
Eyes: Brown
Clothing: White shirt with yellow and black print smiley faces, white skirt, white socks with low cut black and white gym shoes. Shoe size 8.5. “Teddy Bear” watch with a leather band on her left arm. More clothing detail available in on NamUs.

Distinguishing characteristics: Female’s blood type was O. Her fingernails were purple, and her toenails were pink in color. She had freckles, and an old 4cm scar under her right kneecap. Drug free, but may have smoked cigarettes. She had Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), this is caused usually by gonorrhoea or chlamydia.


On Monday, May 20, 1996, the unidentified female remains were discovered in an alleyway in Highland Park, Michigan (behind 387 Cortland). Estimated postmortem interval was "Hours". The female had some dental work completed and had a number of teeth with decay; however, she was not missing any of her teeth. It is believed that she was biracial, had “O” blood type, and smoked tobacco cigarettes.

There are dentals and fingerprints, but no DNA sample according to NamUs.

 

[Tssiemer]

I've been searching the web for teddy bear watches in the 1990s with no luck. I found a few teddy bear shaped pendants but no watches.


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[Tssiemer]

She went missing an hour away 8 years earlier:
http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/603337/1


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[Tssiemer]

She was abducted as a baby in the 80's in Ann Arbor. http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/601939/1


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[Tssiemer]

Some on on another forum I cannot link here found the skirt she was wearing.

They found the brand of the skirt, JXP Designs, was founded in 1996. But no info on where to buy. http://www.manta.com/c/mm5dzmd/jxp-design


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[Tssiemer]

I found the watch. It's made by Rumours. https://www.etsy.com/listing/223887223/vintage-rumours-pewter-tone-teddy-bear

My sister said they were sold at Penneys.

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[alllads]

I found the watch. It's made by Rumours. https://www.etsy.com/listing/223887223/vintage-rumours-pewter-tone-teddy-bear

My sister said they were sold at Penneys.

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I had a look as well and yeah, looks like they were sold by JC Penney, but it doesn't look like they were limited to one particular region or anything.

 

[Jake479]

She went missing an hour away 8 years earlier:
http://www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/603337/1


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This looks like a good match to me. She is the same race and age. I hope they take a good look at her.

 

[Ambercat]

Maybe I'm stereotyping somewhat because she was found in the section of Michigan that she was -- is it possible that she could be Middle Eastern and not biracial?

 

[JayFletcher6493]

is her post mortem photo available?

 

[Tssiemer]

None that I could dig up.


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[Tssiemer]

But that sketch looks horrid.


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[Ambercat]

I'd be interested in knowing more about her clothing, specifically more about the style of the skirt and bow in her hair, whether it was a big fancy one or just something small.

 

[carbuff]

I found a 90's vintage tank top made from a very similar material, but not identical:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/157871286/90s-smiley-face-kiss-lips-tank-top?ref=shop_home_active

(Might need to scroll down to see it.)

 

[alllads]

carbuff - that print looks right on. Annoyingly no label - that's what it says in the description anyway.

 

[JayFletcher6493]

This is probably a long shot since she went missing pretty far from where this Jane Doe was found and she is a little younger than this jane doe but I thought I'd mention her.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/4187/2050

 

[cvaldez1975]

it seems like she was wearing a skirt w no underwear (none was mentioned, but they mentioned her bra and seemed detailed on everything else ) that coupled w the PID makes me think she may have been a prostitute therefore she could be from anywhere.

what makes the FBI decide to do a VICAP alert? like, what is the criteria?

 

[carbuff]

That's an interesting find, Jay. Taranika seems to have been a runaway (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/raymond_taranika.html), so it's not necessarily surprising that she made her way to Michigan. November 1995 to May 1996 is enough time to travel the distance but not so long to make it unlikely she survived on the street. Her birthday is in July, so she'd have been almost 14 at the time this girl died, and that's only slightly below the estimate. Her height's spot on and weight in the ballpark -- she was a hefty girl. Her hairstyle matches the victim's. And I think there's quite a resemblance.

 

[cvaldez1975]

it is.. i read the details. if she was previously a seemingly normal child w ok grades, young teen interersts, etc... seems to me she ran off w a boy. and he was not a good guy. he could have put her on the streets and this happened a few months later..... at only 13, i think she would have turned up a long time ago if she was still alive, unfortunately.

That's an interesting find, Jay. Taranika seems to have been a runaway (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/raymond_taranika.html), so it's not necessarily surprising that she made her way to Michigan. November 1995 to May 1996 is enough time to travel the distance but not so long to make it unlikely she survived on the street. Her birthday is in July, so she'd have been almost 14 at the time this girl died, and that's only slightly below the estimate. Her height's spot on and weight in the ballpark -- she was a hefty girl. Her hairstyle matches the victim's. And I think there's quite a resemblance.

 

[JayFletcher6493]

Should I see if shes been looked into?