Match! NY - Caledonia, WhtFem 1UFNY, 13-19, Turquoise Necklace, Nov'79 *Tammy Alexander*

[annegrete]

(By suggesting she's Basque in no way means I am suggesting Basque-Americans [or Cajuns or French-Canadians] live nomadic lives. This is simply in the hopes of getting her DNA profile sent out.)

1. Basque-American
High concentrations in SW: California, Arizona, Texas
SE: FL
And also in her state of death NY

See map http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:States1.gif

2. Cajun
Concentrations in southern Louisiana, eastern and central TX, and southern California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Census_Bureau_2000,_Cajuns_in_the_United_States.png

Cajun Parishes in Louisiana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acadiana_Louisiana_region_map.svg

3. French-Canadian Americans
map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:French1346.gif

 

[annegrete]

Please see this website to understand the different sub-groups of Romanis and non-Romani Travellers
http://www.gypsyloresociety.org/additional-resources/gypsy-and-traveler-culture-in-america

"Roaders" or "Roadies" are defined as Roaders or Roadies: Native born Americans who have led a traveling life similar to that of the Gypsies and Travelers, but who were not originally descended from those groups. Numbers unknown as not all families studied.

At this point, I have to agree with others on this site that Cali isn't in a missing persons database. That's why we have to see if we can get her ethnic breakdown and locate distant relatives. Or, put her info out there to "hard to reach" communities.

 

[DrDMike]

Does anyone know how long her teeth were in bad condition?

 

[Still_Seek_Answers]

Does anyone know how long her teeth were in bad condition?

Apparently awhile, the one tooth was so decayed only three roots remained on it.

 

[DrDMike]

I don't think she was from Texas or from a foreign country. None of the witnesses who spoke with her did not indicate that she had an accent or dialect.

 

[JWD]

If the Amish reality shows are accurate, the Amish don't allow picture taking. They believe pictures are "graven images" and therefore would encourage members to worship idols, aka false gods. Pictures also encourage vanity--the opposite of their core values of modesty, simplicity and shunning material wealth and modern conveniences. That might mean their bishops wouldn't allow pictures to be posted in their community.

However, because their parents keep farmers' hours--going to bed when the sun sets--lots of teenagers supposedly sneak out on Friday and Saturday nights to go bowling, hang out at restaurants or attend parties. So putting up posters in non-Amish teen hangouts would get the flyer info passed around on the "down low."

 

[Still_Seek_Answers]

I don't think she was from Texas or from a foreign country. None of the witnesses who spoke with her did not indicate that she had an accent or dialect.

I am not sure we have anyone who actually recalls speaking to her. The waitress at the diner described the man she was with for the sketch.....but when it came to Cali she could not even identify her from her PM pic as the girl who had been there. The one thing she did recall was the red jacket that was to large on her.
Since all the truck driver rumors were false and none of them spoke to her......I do not know of anybody who actually stated they heard her voice.

 

[annegrete]

Thanks for reminding us of this info, Still Seek Answers. You also shared something new (to me)- that the waitress could not identify Cali from her post mortem photo.

I should clarify, when I said Cali could be of Roma/Gypsy or Irish Settler, I meant Roma/Gypsy-AMERICAN or Irish Settler-AMERICAN. (BTW, just learned Irish Settlers are also called "Tinkers".) She's American, and we have good proof from her isotope tests that she grew up in America. Again, the Gypsy or Settler connection is only to suggest why she hasn't been identified for so long.

I am not sure we have anyone who actually recalls speaking to her. The waitress at the diner described the man she was with for the sketch.....but when it came to Cali she could not even identify her from her PM pic as the girl who had been there. The one thing she did recall was the red jacket that was to large on her.
Since all the truck driver rumors were false and none of them spoke to her......I do not know of anybody who actually stated they heard her voice.

 

[DrDMike]

I am not sure we have anyone who actually recalls speaking to her. The waitress at the diner described the man she was with for the sketch.....but when it came to Cali she could not even identify her from her PM pic as the girl who had been there. The one thing she did recall was the red jacket that was to large on her.
Since all the truck driver rumors were false and none of them spoke to her......I do not know of anybody who actually stated they heard her voice.

Can you link where the truck driver were determined to be false?

 

[CarlK90245]

Can you link where the truck driver were determined to be false?

The detective indicated that he had no knowledge of a truck-stop contact.

I am guessing that someone might have confused Cali for Walker County (TX) Jane Doe.

 

[LucyOso]

I was wondering if anyone looked at Rhonda Moore/Melissa Hadley for Cali. I could only find one image as a toddler. But, the images of the bio mom could be comparable. Here is link…it is actually from another case, though. http://helpsharonmarshall.blogspot.com You have to scroll down.

 

[ashyboy16]

I was wondering if anyone looked at Rhonda Moore/Melissa Hadley for Cali. I could only find one image as a toddler. But, the images of the bio mom could be comparable. Here is link…it is actually from another case, though. http://helpsharonmarshall.blogspot.com You have to scroll down.

The only problem with that is there is no recorded evidence suggesting Rhonda/Melissa was actually missing at all. No database has any info on her and because of that, we don't know if that's a genuine missing child case.
IMO, I doubt it.

 

[SheWalksInBeauty]

I don't think she was from Texas or from a foreign country. None of the witnesses who spoke with her did not indicate that she had an accent or dialect.

One thing I always think about is the fact that she apparently had boiled, canned pork and potatoes in her stomach, most likely left over from her meal at the diner she was seen at. That's a very specific meal to have eaten. I think it points to someone from the south or southwest, or perhaps the midwest. Meat and potatoes strikes me as something you'd expect someone from a more rural area to eat, but specifically a southern or western rural area.

 

[SheWalksInBeauty]

Can you link where the truck driver were determined to be false?

I've always thought the red jacket wasn't hers. Even without knowing it was too big for her, seeing what it looked like and looking at her and what she was wearing when she was killed, I think it was given to her by a man she met who was involved with the racetrack in Caledonia, the man who killed her. Just makes sense to me. It was November and they were in a town not far from Rochester and Canada; it must have been cold, and any guy trying to pick up a young girl, win her confidence, would lend her his jacket.

 

[SheWalksInBeauty]

I have to agree with so many on this one....I do not think we will find little Cali in any MP database. Unless she is hidden among those who have no pic, or unless she is sitting on some individual state database somewhere and has been overlooked when the listings were transferred to national systems.
That being said, I do not think anybody will give up until we know her name.....to many have worked to hard for so many years......so hang on Cali, we are still searching for the answers.....

I agree, I think she just wasn't reported missing. Often kids and young people who aren't reported missing and turn up dead were killed by a family member, which kind of explains why they weren't reported missing, but I don't think Cali was killed by family; I think she was killed by a man she met while travelling. I can imagine that a lot of people who are genuinely worried and looking for their loved ones don't report them missing to police because they don't know that it's really an option or, more likely, don't want to get involved with police for whatever reasons, and not because they had anything to do with the disappearance of their missing person. So maybe Cali's family didn't know or didn't want to call police, but I think by now, if she had a large family or any close friends that may still be alive, I would think that someone would have tried to find her by now with the help of police. But of course she still may be unidentified just because no one was looking for her then, and no one's looking for her now. I don't really understand how no one could be looking for this girl, but what's almost more inexplicable, IMO, is that no school she attended tried to find her. She could have dropped out of high school - from what we can glean of the kind of person she was just by looking at her, reading her autopsy report, and the place she was found, I think it's likely that she had dropped out. If she hadn't dropped out of school, though, I imagine that schools could be questioned about their student records from 1979 and earlier; they could start with public schools in the areas that coincide with the pollen evidence, like Texas, Florida, etc. I know it would be a needle in a haystack, and I don't know if a public person or even a private investigator could discuss student records with schools due to privacy laws, but I really think that if someone we could comb through educational records, we could find Cali's identity.
This case haunts me like no other.

 

[SheWalksInBeauty]

http://identifyla.lsu.edu/profile.php?id=355

"wearing a white metal ring with a turquoise bird insignia worn on the little finger of the left hand"

Like Cai's turquoise bird jewelry; this girl is listed as native american/hispanic. maybe cali is from louisiana or nearby mississippi.

 

[carbuff]

http://identifyla.lsu.edu/profile.php?id=355

"wearing a white metal ring with a turquoise bird insignia worn on the little finger of the left hand"

Like Cai's turquoise bird jewelry; this girl is listed as native american/hispanic. maybe cali is from louisiana or nearby mississippi.

Turquoise rings, necklaces, etc. were very popular in the 70's. You could buy them at most any truck stop souvenir stand in the country.

 

[annegrete]

Ideally, searching school records would be a start. Looking at drop outs and also kids who frequently changed schools (i.e., migrants) Sadly, she may have never gone to school. Or maybe just elementary school, and by the time she died, her classmates had forgotten her. Her parents could have neglected her - education, dental hygiene, etc.


Going from this angle, was it common in the 70's for parents to totally give up on their child and kick them out?


A friend of mine who graduated high school in 1979 said it wasn't uncommon for kids to turn sixteen and quit school. Would it have been seen as odd if Cali, in say 1976, stopped going to school? Also, was it more common for parents to give kids under 16 permission to drop out?

 

[sloane7777]

Ideally, searching school records would be a start. Looking at drop outs and also kids who frequently changed schools (i.e., migrants) Sadly, she may have never gone to school. Or maybe just elementary school, and by the time she died, her classmates had forgotten her. Her parents could have neglected her - education, dental hygiene, etc.


Going from this angle, was it common in the 70's for parents to totally give up on their child and kick them out?


A friend of mine who graduated high school in 1979 said it wasn't uncommon for kids to turn sixteen and quit school. Would it have been seen as odd if Cali, in say 1976, stopped going to school? Also, was it more common for parents to give kids under 16 permission to drop out?

No, it would not have been odd back then, I did it ....never had a visit from a truint officer ect.....back in the 70s there were ALOT of high school dropouts, I was out for an entire year (must have lost my mind) even when I re-enrolled it was not much of an issue, now days you just try to miss the required number of days and they will fine the parents,( my daughter missed too many one year) she got taken to county jail and I went to court and paid 250.00

 

[carbuff]

Ideally, searching school records would be a start. Looking at drop outs and also kids who frequently changed schools (i.e., migrants) Sadly, she may have never gone to school. Or maybe just elementary school, and by the time she died, her classmates had forgotten her. Her parents could have neglected her - education, dental hygiene, etc.


Going from this angle, was it common in the 70's for parents to totally give up on their child and kick them out?


A friend of mine who graduated high school in 1979 said it wasn't uncommon for kids to turn sixteen and quit school. Would it have been seen as odd if Cali, in say 1976, stopped going to school? Also, was it more common for parents to give kids under 16 permission to drop out?

I graduated high school in 1971. At 16, you didn't need permission to drop out in most places. 16 was old enough to get work and move out. You weren't legally an adult but the cops weren't going to send you back to your parents either. That was starting to change by about 1976 and by 1979 it would have been a lot harder, depending on where you lived.

It was not uncommon for kids to be kicked out, especially earlier in the decade.

People hitched freely, too. By 1979 it was getting a little more dangerous but it was widely believed that hitching rides with truckers at truck stops was a lot safer, especially for a young woman alone.