MO MO - St Louis, BlkFem 8-11, 54UFMO, in abandoned bldg, Feb'83

[Sweetluv]

IMO, this was not random, but close to home. I question if she was ever reported missing.
The decapitation was to hinder identity.
What happened to this sweet child was awful..and the way she was discarded in an abandoned house....
I hope the people responsible think about what they did to her everyday.
I pray she is resting peacefully and knows people, like us, care about her.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Welcome cyberpanda!
This is definitely one of those cases that disturb you to the core.

Of all our cases, this one bothers me the most. I keep (respectfully) posting on the FB pages of all the DNA labs who are happily posting successful identification after identification of Does, asking them to take this on. So far, no takers; but I persist.

A little girl strangled, S.A.'ed, and decapitated. Hands bound behind back, her blood everywhere, left like trash. Head taken as a gruesome trophy.

Despite the passage of time, her killer could still be alive. I didn't know St. Louis leads the nation in child murders:
St. Louis Leads America in Child Murders — and It's Getting Worse

Why isn't her DNA tested and this killer found? Her death was especially violent and gruesome, with a very specific signature. Hers can't be his first or last assault.

Maybe....
Maybe her name is Kimmie, or Susan, or Dee dee. Maybe she loved kittens, and play-doh, and captain crunch. Maybe she loved picking daisy's or dandelions and blowing them to make a wish. Maybe she dreamed of being a princess, or an astronaut, or the president someday.

Maybe we can give her back her name.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Potential? I have not seen her listed.

She was reported missing in March 1982.


Toya Katrina Hill

• 
• 

Toya, circa 1982; Age-progression to age 34 (circa 2007)

• Missing Since 03/24/1982
• Missing From Baltimore, Maryland
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Female
• Race Black
• Date of Birth 08/24/1973 (48)
• Age 8 years old
• Height and Weight4'0, 80 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue jacket, a blue and orange striped top and blue jeans.
• Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Toya wears eyeglasses, but she wasn't wearing them at the time of her disappearance. She has a chipped front tooth and a deep dimple in her left cheek.

Link: Toya Katrina Hill – The Charley Project

On Toya's Websleuths thread, someone posted she was ruled out as being this Jane Doe.
MD - MD - Toya Hill, 8, Baltimore, 24 March 1982

 

[BrownBear]

10 MP Exclusions
MP2543 Nikole Betterson 12/01/1977 Washtenaw, MI
MP2533 Sherri Truesdale 06/13/1970 Forsyth, NC
MP26421 Beverly Ward 07/04/1978 Geary, KS
Yohanna Cyr 08/15/1978
MP9693 Telethia Good 09/10/1978 Baltimore, MD
MP4909 Sherise Magee 08/01/1975 Clark, NV
MP1841 Toya Hill 03/24/1982 Baltimore, MD
MP2892 Sheila Quinn 02/27/1980 Cook, IL
MP2568 Shaunda Green 10/15/1983 Washtenaw, MI
MP5960 Sharaun Cole 02/25/1983 New York, NY

2 UID Exclusions
Newton County (IN) Jane D UP #6107
Unidentified female Northampton Co, No Caroli

 

[rosesfromangels]

I went for a cyber walk using Google instant street view to see where the building where she was found looked like. It's weird, and a bit of an albatross compared to the tidy homes around it. According to the news report in the link below, it was an abandoned apartment building when she was found. She was found in the furnace room. ICAM with poster Sweetluv; this is a close to home murder. The Perp knew that neighborhood, and knew that building was empty.

The question is whether the Perp was from this neighborhood and came back to commit the crime (with the child already in possession), or whether he procured the child closer to the area. Since no one reported her missing, I have to assume she was a throwaway child who might have even been sold. It's really hard to say.

It's good to see the original detective in this clip, and the new one vowing there will be closure:
Baby Jane Doe case unsolved in St. Louis after 38 years | ksdk.com

In my mind, the connection to that building will solve this case. Who would know where the furnace room was? Hmmm....

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Adderall]

Of all our cases, this one bothers me the most. I keep (respectfully) posting on the FB pages of all the DNA labs who are happily posting successful identification after identification of Does, asking them to take this on. So far, no takers; but I persist.

A little girl strangled, S.A.'ed, and decapitated. Hands bound behind back, her blood everywhere, left like trash. Head taken as a gruesome trophy.

Despite the passage of time, her killer could still be alive. I didn't know St. Louis leads the nation in child murders:
St. Louis Leads America in Child Murders — and It's Getting Worse

Why isn't her DNA tested and this killer found? Her death was especially violent and gruesome, with a very specific signature. Hers can't be his first or last assault.

Maybe....
Maybe her name is Kimmie, or Susan, or Dee dee. Maybe she loved kittens, and play-doh, and captain crunch. Maybe she loved picking daisy's or dandelions and blowing them to make a wish. Maybe she dreamed of being a princess, or an astronaut, or the president someday.

Maybe we can give her back her name.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Disappointed but not surprised. I love STL. It's my home but but I think when my daughter is a little older we might leave the area. Seen and heard way too much. Some of the things that happen around here make me sick, like this.

Hopefully this new cold case unit is able to make some headway.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

I went for a cyber walk using Google instant street view to see where the building where she was found looked like. It's weird, and a bit of an albatross compared to the tidy homes around it. According to the news report in the link below, it was an abandoned apartment building when she was found. She was found in the furnace room. ICAM with poster Sweetluv; this is a close to home murder. The Perp knew that neighborhood, and knew that building was empty.

The buildings you see on Street View weren't there when this happened. The whole block was mostly vacant at the time. It would not have taken someone local to figure out which ones were vacant.

What you currently see is more recent. It was completely razed in the late 80s/early 90s and filled in with suburban tract housing.

 

[rosesfromangels]

The buildings you see on Street View weren't there when this happened. The whole block was mostly vacant at the time. It would not have taken someone local to figure out which ones were vacant.

What you currently see is more recent. It was completely razed in the late 80s/early 90s and filled in with suburban tract housing.

Ok. Do you know anything about the building that was there at the time?

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

I could only find a tiny image of the building from when she was found. The building was quite lovely when it was built.

 

[lonewanderer]

On Toya's Websleuths thread, someone posted she was ruled out as being this Jane Doe.
MD - MD - Toya Hill, 8, Baltimore, 24 March 1982

Shucks! I searched for her in the main search bar and didn't see a thread for her.

Thanks for posting!

 

[rosesfromangels]

I could only find a tiny image of the building from when she was found. The building was quite lovely when it was built.
View attachment 319684 View attachment 319683

Thank you! Was it an apartment building or used for other purposes?

I’m trying to figure out what drew the Perp to it, other than it being obviously abandoned.

amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Laughing]

Thank you! Was it an apartment building or used for other purposes?

I’m trying to figure out what drew the Perp to it, other than it being obviously abandoned.

amateur opinion and speculation

NOT looking for a link.

IIRC, the block was scheduled for demolition & urban renewal. IIRC the building & others were within construction fencing.

IIRC, I posted upthread, pondering about the employees of contractors who might IMHO have know the demolition schedule & thought a body at this address might be unnoticed.

JMHO.

Or plain opportunists who knew the fate of the buildings in the are slated for demo, of course.


The young lady's remains were (finally) exhumed, IIRC by a university. No idea if DNA was extracted. Apparently fewer African-Americans have participated in the commercial DNA services, so this young lady's DNA may find few matches imho.

Poor little thing, either way, but IMHO she knows that we care.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[rosesfromangels]

NOT looking for a link.

IIRC, the block was scheduled for demolition & urban renewal. IIRC the building & others were within construction fencing.

IIRC, I posted upthread, pondering about the employees of contractors who might IMHO have know the demolition schedule & thought a body at this address might be unnoticed.

JMHO.

Or plain opportunists who knew the fate of the buildings in the are slated for demo, of course.


The young lady's remains were (finally) exhumed, IIRC by a university. No idea if DNA was extracted. Apparently fewer African-Americans have participated in the commercial DNA services, so this young lady's DNA may find few matches imho.

Poor little thing, either way, but IMHO she knows that we care.

jmho ymmv lrr

Thank you for all this great info!
Yes, for sure it was someone who knew the building was abandoned, so that seems to rule out the usual suspect truck drivers. So it would seem as if the Perp was from the area, but what about the child? Maybe she was reported missing, and similar to WCJD, that report got lost, etc. It's really hard to say. I know that this child's sweater has been lost. Oddly enough, IIRC, she was wearing a yellow sweater/top like WCJD. Odd coincidence.

What about the red and white rope her hands were tied up with? I wonder if there have been any leads on the rope, or what that type of rope is generally used for? To me, at first glance, it looks like something used to moor smaller boats.

Pivoting to another direction, I was trying to identify SK's in that area during this time period...who had the known signature of decapitation. I looked at one in particular, but it would appear he was busy with authorities. However, I think we should continue this line of thought and see where we end up.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

NOT looking for a link.

IIRC, the block was scheduled for demolition & urban renewal. IIRC the building & others were within construction fencing.

IIRC, I posted upthread, pondering about the employees of contractors who might IMHO have know the demolition schedule & thought a body at this address might be unnoticed.

The building was owned by the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). It's the City land bank. If a property owner fails to pay their taxes for 3 consecutive years or if a property fails to sell in a public tax foreclosure sale, it ends up with LRA.

The LRA is the largest land owner in the City, the majority of which are vacant (you can explore current LRA holdings on their website but keep in mind it doesn't reflect the extent of vacant properties since speculators have bought up a ton of property recently and are just sitting on it - demolition by neglect). The City employs a full time crew that cycles through and boards up its vacant buildings.

There are a number of reasons the buildings don't stay boarded up - theft is the big one, typically looking for copper wiring but also any fixture that can be sold (mechanical but also historic salvage - trim, hardwood flooring, etc.). A lot of times you'll see the back of buildings start to "erode" away due to brick theft. There is also just general mischief.

The men that found the Doe were almost certainly looking for copper wiring.

As to the demolition schedule - there wasn't a buyer for the property at the time so no schedule for demo. Demo is expensive. The City will sometimes cover the cost but usually in an agreement with a potential developer. Looking at the property record in Geo St. Louis, the building was demolished in 2000 to make way for the affordable senior housing that now occupies the site.

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

Pivoting to another direction, I was trying to identify SK's in that area during this time period...who had the known signature of decapitation. I looked at one in particular, but it would appear he was busy with authorities. However, I think we should continue this line of thought and see where we end up.

I think it's also worth adding that most sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. I served a Grand Jury term awhile ago for the 22nd Circuit Court. We heard over 700 cases during our term. Every other Wednesday was Special Victims cases - Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, and Sexual Assault (I went home crying every single time). So many sexual assaults on minors were by family members. It had usually been going on for awhile and was only reported when caught by someone outside the household. People in the household didn't report it because the assaulter was many times the only person that was working and the family would become homeless if they went to jail.

 

[Sweetluv]

I believe it was someone within the family circle...who was familiar with the area and knew that building was abandoned.
IMO, and not be graphic, but I find it hard to believe someone from out of the area, would just drive around with a decapitated half dressed and bound little girl in their car, hoping to stumble upon an abandoned house.
Someone had brought up DNA...I wonder if there could be a genealogy match?

 

[Sweetluv]

I also read for her young age, approx 8 to 11, she was extremely tall...around 5'4 I believe (?) I would imagine, this would stand out.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I also read for her young age, approx 8 to 11, she was extremely tall...around 5'4 I believe (?) I would imagine, this would stand out.

Yes, that's notable, and suggests to me that either she was at the higher end of the age estimate (still tall for 11), or came from a statuesque family. I just tried to do some quick research to see if creole people from louisiana are particularly tall, but haven't come to any conclusions on that.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Onfortuneswheel]

It looks like one of y'all has already clipped any potentially related article to this case. Pretty comprehensive.

 

[Moonwalker9]

onefortuneswheel, thank you for the info about the property. It did look lovely from the older photo. I think it was a multi family house and there must have been a block full of similar looking buildings that were mostly vacant back in 1983. I can't believe the house stood until 2000 when it was eventually demolished but since demolition is expensive and no other buyer emerged it make sense. Certainly whoever put her there was a local familiar to the area and the vacant building.