PA PA - Kline Twp, BlkFem 15-25, UP16503, cocaine overdose, silver friendship ring, scar, Apr'86

[GJKJR]

"Kline Township Jane Doe"
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Standard-Speaker from Hazleton, Pennsylvania on April 9, 1986 · 1
Pottsville Republican from Pottsville, Pennsylvania on April 18, 1986 · 1

Traumatically injured remains, belonging to a woman who died of a cocaine overdose under uncertain circumstances, found in a wooded area about 200 yards off the west berm of the southbound lane of I-81 in Kline Township, Schuylkill County, PA, about 1 mile south of I-81's McAdoo exit (approximate map), on April 8, 1986.
Sex: Female
Race: Black/African American
Estimated Age: 15-25 years old
Post-Mortem Interval: 24 hours to days prior to discovery
Height: 5'3" (63 inches) to 5'4" (64 inches)
Weight: 100 lbs to 110 lbs
Hair Description: Black in color.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Physical Characteristics: (1) Scar on right cheek, (2) Possible injection mark on the woman's right arm
Jewelry: (1) Silver-colored friendship ring, hexagon-edged with a Florentine finish

Cause of Death: Cocaine overdose, however the circumstances surrounding the overdose are considered suspicious. There was no evidence the woman was a habitual cocaine user.​

 

[CCJD]

Pottsville Republican from Pottsville, Pennsylvania on April 18, 1986 · 1​

The woman in this link, found on Meixell Valley Road, Ross Twp, is a different woman. She was identified as Francis K Sogrodneck.

19 Apr 1986, 1 - Pottsville Republican at Newspapers.com

 

[GJKJR]

The woman in this link, found on Meixell Valley Road, Ross Twp, is a different woman. She was identified as Francis K Sogrodneck.

19 Apr 1986, 1 - Pottsville Republican at Newspapers.com

I believe there's two descriptions of bodies found in that page, one of which is Francis K Sogrodneck and one of which is UP16503. Sogrodneck's is further down the page and separate from the story describing UP16503 (rough transcription as I can't clip without a membership):

"Mystery woman OD'd on cocaine

By MARTIN KINNUNEN, Staff Writer

Toxicology tests have revealed that the death of a young black woman whose nude body was discovered April 8 near the McAdoo exit of Interstate 81 was caused by a cocaine overdose, state police said today. The identity of the woman is still unknown, and "we're still listing the death as suspicious," said a state trooper in Frackville who requested anonymity. "We still don't know if she did it (took the cocaine) to herself or if another person was involved," he said. The trooper also said there was "no evidence she was a habitual (cocaine) user." He also said police believe the cocaine was injected into the woman. A mark that could have been made by a syringe was discovered near a vein on the woman's right arm, the trooper said. The toxicology tests (were?) performed at National Medical Services Inc., Willow Grove. A bicyclist riding along an old railroad bed discovered the body on a wooded hillside about 200 yards off the west berm of I-81's southbound lanes. The trooper said the woman was dead for at least 24 hours before the bicyclist found the body. Dr. Richard P. Bindie, a pathologist at Pottsville Hospital who performed the autopsy, had said it appeared the woman was dead before her body was placed on the wooded hillside. Bindie said the woman was between 18 and 25 years of age. Troopers said she weighed between 100 and 110 pounds and was 5 feet 3 inches or 5 feet 4 inches tall."

 

[CCJD]

I believe there's two descriptions of bodies found in that page, one of which is Francis K Sogrodneck and one of which is UP16503. Sogrodneck's is further down the page and separate from the story describing UP16503 (rough transcription as I can't clip without a membership):

"Mystery woman OD'd on cocaine

By MARTIN KINNUNEN, Staff Writer

Toxicology tests have revealed that the death of a young black woman whose nude body was discovered April 8 near the McAdoo exit of Interstate 81 was caused by a cocaine overdose, state police said today. The identity of the woman is still unknown, and "we're still listing the death as suspicious," said a state trooper in Frackville who requested anonymity. "We still don't know if she did it (took the cocaine) to herself or if another person was involved," he said. The trooper also said there was "no evidence she was a habitual (cocaine) user." He also said police believe the cocaine was injected into the woman. A mark that could have been made by a syringe was discovered near a vein on the woman's right arm, the trooper said. The toxicology tests (were?) performed at National Medical Services Inc., Willow Grove. A bicyclist riding along an old railroad bed discovered the body on a wooded hillside about 200 yards off the west berm of I-81's southbound lanes. The trooper said the woman was dead for at least 24 hours before the bicyclist found the body. Dr. Richard P. Bindie, a pathologist at Pottsville Hospital who performed the autopsy, had said it appeared the woman was dead before her body was placed on the wooded hillside. Bindie said the woman was between 18 and 25 years of age. Troopers said she weighed between 100 and 110 pounds and was 5 feet 3 inches or 5 feet 4 inches tall."

Ah, ok. Got it.

 

[CCJD]

Warning! Postmortem at link (along with a sketch)
Skook News: Police Asking for Help Identifying Female from Schuylkill County Cold Case from 1980's

 

[CCJD]

From NamUs - printed 6/7/2017

Fingerprint information is available and entered
Dental information/charting is available and will be entered late
DNA Status: Sample is currently not available

 

[GJKJR]

Warning! Postmortem at link (along with a sketch)
Skook News: Police Asking for Help Identifying Female from Schuylkill County Cold Case from 1980's

Despite the photos being somewhat poor quality (not all that surprising, though), that's a big help. Thanks for finding these! Her teeth seem pretty distinctive, in particular. Just in case this link becomes unavailable in the future, I'll post the image below.

Spoiler: Post-mortem image of decedent on right, with a profile sketch on the left

 

[CCJD]

Additional sketch
31 Dec 1969, - at Newspapers.com

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I'll see if I can touch up the quality of the photos a bit in photoshop.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I managed to remove some of the noise/grain.
WARNING: POSTMORTEM
https://i.imgur.com/sGJQ1zW.png

 

[GJKJR]

I managed to remove some of the noise/grain.
WARNING: POSTMORTEM
https://i.imgur.com/sGJQ1zW.png

I think you did a pretty good job, that makes it look a good bit better in my opinion.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Schuylkill County Jane Doe 1986: Body found along I-81 had a friendship ring; will DNA advances help solve this cold case?​

Schuylkill County Jane Doe 1986: Body found along I-81 had a friendship ring; will DNA advances help solve this cold case?

The dead woman had a friend.

www.republicanherald.com

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Frank Andruscavage, "Nude woman's death an apparent murder," Standard-Speaker [Hazleton, PA], 9 April 1986, 1, 2.
[part 1] [part 2]

[Dr. Richard] Bindle, who was at the scene to examine the body and the area, said the body had been there no more than 24 hours. "There were no marks found in the preliminary examination which state the mode of death," he said.

Police said the body was found at about 9 a.m. by a 19-year-old man who was riding a bicycle in the area. He returned home and told his parents.

[...]

State Police Cpl. Nicholas Arch, criminal investigator at the Frackville barracks agreed with Shields' assumption, noting that "It doesn't appear a crime was committed here." Arch said he believed the initial incident probably occurred elsewhere and the body disposed of in the township.

Shields said the body was lying about 200 yards off the interstate. "We searched the immediate area all the way up to (Interstate 81) for anything pertaining to the death."

"Body still unidentified," Citizens' Voice [Wilkes-Barre, PA], 10 April 1986, 22.

"One of the problems is there must be 40 million people who live within a two- or three-hour drive of that location" where the body was found, the prosecutor said.

Bindie said the autopsy found no evidence that the woman was sexually assaulted.

"Police seeking identity of body found April 8," Morning Call [Allentown, PA], 22 June 1986, B2.

An autopsy performed by Dr. Richard Bindi at Pottsville Hospital determined that the woman died of an overdose of cocaine, said Dr. John Mika, Schuylkill County Coroner. There was one needle mark in her right arm, he said.

Other than the toxicity, the autopsy was completely normal, said Mika. "There were no signs of violence to the body at all."

[...]

She was wearing a silver friendship ring with Florentine finish and a hexagonal design on the middle finger of her left hand, and had a small vertical scar on her right cheek.

She had very short hair, and possibly wore a wig, said Arch.

"Identity of woman remains unknown," Pottsville Republican, 7 May 1986, 7.

About 60 or more checks were made with missing persons information, including some in Toledo, Ohio, and Canada, according to a written report from Shields.

[...]

Wire services and New Jersey State Police have also been notified.

 

[Caring1]

UID is noted to have a small ‘vertical scar’ on her upper right cheek.

Paige Rochell Lawrence (age 24) missing almost 2 months prior from CA appears to have a vertical scar below her right eye, upper right cheek. There is a resemblance to UP.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov